Skillet Pizza Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese with pizza sauce and sausage.

Pizza Mac and Cheese combines creamy mac and cheese with sausage, pepperoni, pizza sauce and melty mozzarella for an easy skillet dinner that's ready in about 20 minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Makes servings

Recipe from: Deanne Frieders | This Farm Girl Cooks

Ingredients

2 12 ounce boxes Shells and Cheese
½ cup milk or amount called for on package
4 Tablespoons butter or amount called for on package
12 ounces fully cooked Italian chicken sausage sliced
3 ounces pepperoni quartered
1 cup marinara or pizza sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Prepare 2 12 ounce boxes Shells and Cheese according to package directions, using the ½ cup milk and 4 Tablespoons butter called for on the package.
Stir the sliced 12 ounces fully cooked Italian chicken sausage, 3 ounces pepperoni, 1 cup marinara or pizza sauce and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoninginto the prepared macaroni and cheese.
Sprinkle 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid.
Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melted.Remove from the heat and serve hot.

Farm Girl Tips

Sausage substitutions: Cooked Italian sausage, turkey sausage or ground beef can be used instead of chicken sausage. If using raw sausage or ground beef, cook it first, drain any excess grease and remove it from the skillet before preparing the macaroni and cheese.

Make it your own: Add your family's favorite pizza toppings. Sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, onions or sliced black olives all work well.

Pizza sauce or marinara? Either works. Pizza sauce gives the dish a little more classic pizza flavor, while marinara is an easy option if that's what you already have on hand.

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Add a splash of milk before reheating if the macaroni has thickened.

Vegetable add ins - like I said, we have some picky eaters, so even the Italian sausage was a stretch here. But you could add all sorts of veggie toppings from bell peppers to black olives, diced onion to mushrooms!

Nutrition