Pizza mac and cheese

Pepperoni pizza meets macaroni and cheese in this super easy dish the whole family will love. Two awesome comfort foods in one! Last week, I asked some friends on Facebook “What ingredients do you love so much, that if you see it used in a recipe, you’ll want to make it?” It was a really funny thread. Not surprising, so many of my friends said chocolate or caramel. A close second was cheese. Nothing specific, just cheese, in general. Many others including myself said pasta. So I’d say this recipe for pepperoni pizza macaroni and cheese is perfect. It’s two classic comfort foods in one. Bonus that it’s super easy, quick, and only requires one pan. I was surprised that my kids loved this dish. I have a two year old daughter that’s very picky about her food. My son is 7 and he loved it that he wanted thirds and fourths. So it wasn’t a bad idea to try.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 5

Ingredients

2 ½ cups low- sodium chicken broth

¾ cup marinara pasta sauce

¾ teaspoon garlic powder

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

3 teaspoons extra- virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced

5 ounce package mini pepperoni

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups dried macaroni pasta

½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the broth, marinara sauce, garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning. Set aside

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Saute the onions until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add pepperoni to the pan and mix until wilted, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes and combine.

Give your broth mixture a quick stir and pour it into the pan. Bring to a boil and add the macaroni.

Reduce the heat to medium, and cover. Continue cooking for 10-12 minutes, until the pasta is tender, stirring a few times to make sure the pasta isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When the macaroni is done, sprinkle the grated cheeses on top. Stir until melted and serve immediately.

But if you want yours baked like me here are the extra steps to make that possible.

When the macaroni is done grab you a baking pan and you can layer this recipe or just dump it all in and put any cheese on top.

I usually use bags of triple shredded cheeses that you can get from your local grocery store.

After adding your mixture to the pan sprinkle your choice of cheeses on top and add more pepperoni on top of the cheese.

Let it bake for 10- 15 minutes or until cheese is melted

Serve immediately

This will be a dish you would want to make over and over again. I have made this dish over 7 times already. Especially if you have more than one child. One wants pizza, while the other wants macaroni and cheese. So why not give them both. I love Italian dishes. This comfort dish is a go to for a quick meal for busy parents. Especially during the school year. I understand children can be picky eaters. I have a 2 year old that is very picky but when she tried this dish she fell in love. By surprise she asked for seconds and thirds. Never had to put this in the refrigerator for leftovers. Pan be gone before the night is over with. Please give this easy recipe a try and you won’t regret it. Thanks for reading my recipe more will be on the way soon.