Mac and Cheese Pizza

Hey Foodies!  Hungry for more crazy recipes?  We did one for you last week that was good for the body, so let’s do one this week that’s good for the soul!  How about we take two of the greatest bachelor chef staples – Pizza and Macaroni & Cheese – and combine them into one amazing meal?  Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you:  Mac and Cheese Pizza!

You will need:

½ Box of Macaroni & Cheese (prepared)
1 cup tomato (or spaghetti) sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup chopped hot dog or pepperoni
Parmesan cheese
Oregano
Olive Oil
Garlic
1 pack pizza dough mix or 14” pizza crust

In the spirit of bachelor chefdom, I’m going to suggest using an instant pizza dough, found in any grocery store.  Mix or frozen are fine, just follow the label directions until the dough is soft and ready to be topped.  You can also use whatever brand or style mac & cheese you want, follow the label directions as well.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and begin boiling the macaroni on the stovetop.  Mix the dough together as per package directions and knead over a large cookie sheet.  You can also use a large skillet, which will help keep it round, just make sure that it is oven safe.   If the dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the mix.  Flatten into a circle and pinch the edges to form a crust.

When ready, mix together all the ingredients for the macaroni and cheese.  You’ll only need about half the box, so save the other half for leftovers.   Set aside (preferably in the fridge) for at least five minutes to cool down.  While you wait, dice up the hot dog or pepperoni into small pieces.  A cup (roughly 3 dogs) should be enough, but add as much as you want.  Next, prepare a cup of tomato sauce.  If unflavored, mix in some garlic, oregano, and any other Italian spice to taste.  Pour slowly over the pizza, beginning in the middle in a spiral pattern outwards.  If there are gaps, use a spoon to spread the sauce around evenly. 

The macaroni & cheese should have firmed up slightly, so add the hot dogs into to the mix.  Now for the fun part…  slowly pour the mac & cheese over the pizza!  While your pizza bathes in the gooey waterfall use a spoon to spread the mac out evenly.  Leave about an inch of crust around the edge.  Try to stop drooling, and sprinkle parmesan cheese evenly on top.  And if that’s not cheesy enough, you still got the mozzarella!  This will top off the tower of goodness you have in front of you.

You’re ready to start cooking.  Carefully place the cookie sheet or skillet into the oven and let bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges turn firm and brown.  Try not to go nuts from the anticipation!  When it’s ready, carefully take it out of the oven and let cool for five to ten minutes. 

Little tip:  Slice the pizza as soon as you take it out.  The cheese will still be hot, and will solidify around the edges of the slice, locking in the mac & cheese goodness inside!

And there you go.  A crazy, cheesy combo pizza in about as much time as it would take to have a regular one delivered.  This will easily feed two hungry cheese lovers, and you’ll probably even have enough for a third.  It’ll get messy too, so have a fork ready!  If you’d like to see more recipes like this, let me know.  I’ll be working on some other pizza varieties and maybe I’ll share those in the future…

Hasta la Pizza!

Josh