Macaroni and Cheese Pizza

At a glance

What stands out: Mac and cheese pizza might just be the most kid-pleasing dinner of all time! Who needs sauce and mozzarella when you can top your pizza with creamy macaroni and cheese? Mac and cheese pizza is a favorite for game days and kid get-togethers.

How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large saucepan, colander, and sheet pan (approximately 10 x 14 inches)
Servings: 6 (main course)

Get ready to win a standby mom (or dad) ever award! This mac and cheese pizza combines two kid-approved favorites, stovetop mac and cheese and cheese pizza, for a dinner that’s sure to be devoured.

When we first came up with this recipe, we were thinking game day. Mac and cheese pizza seems like the kind of thing you’d serve alongside soft pretzels with beer cheese dip and potato skins, right?

But as soon as we served it to our family, we knew we also had a kid-friendly meal on our hands. Serve this macaroni and cheese pizza for dinner and suddenly your picky eaters will be cleaning their plates!

Reasons To Love Mac and Cheese Pizza

• Double the comfort food. We try to cook lighter meals for our family, things like quinoa, hearty salads, and lots of great chicken recipes. We do! However, “all things in moderation” means there’s room for macaroni and cheese pizza now and then.
• Versatile. This macaroni and cheese pizza makes a great appetizer if you cut it into smaller pieces, especially if you’re looking for crowd-pleasing finger food to serve on game day. You can also make this hearty pizza a meal.
• Everyone will love it. Make no mistake, this is an over-the-top, ultra-decadent splurge food, which means it’s the kind of recipe everyone loves. Get out your stretchy pants, you’re going to need them for this pizza. And then grab a beer and enjoy!

Cooking Tip

Shred your own cheese off the block rather than buying bagged shreds. It will melt smoother and gooey-er! Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking ingredient added which keeps it from melting as smoothly.

What goes in

For From-scratch Macaroni and Cheese

• Elbow Macaroni: It’s up to you but we think regular macaroni is a standby pasta for making mac and cheese pizza.
• Unsalted Butter: If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use that; just leave out the kosher salt and then season to taste at the end.
• All-Purpose Flour: Flour is used as a thickener in the cheese sauce.
• Whole Milk: Whole milk will give you the creamiest sauce but you can use 2% if that’s what you have in the fridge.
• Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar gives the cheese sauce lots of flavor.
• Dijon Mustard: Optional, but it will enhance the flavor of the sauce.
• Kosher Salt and Coarse Ground Black Pepper: You can adjust the amount to your liking.

For Pizza

• Pizza Dough: we like to make our own straightforward pizza dough recipe but store-bought is fine.
• Olive Oil: Add a splash of olive oil to the pan to keep the dough from sticking; it also help the bottom bake up crispy.
• Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Yes, there’s cheese in the mac and cheese but we also top the pizza with shredded cheese for some epic cheese pulls.
• Optional Toppings: Cooked crumbled bacon, sliced green onions, toasted bread crumbs, or chopped parsley.

How it comes together

Cook macaroni. In a large pan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Make the cheese sauce. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for a minute or two, or until it’s smooth and bubbly.

Gradually whisk in the milk and cook the mixture until it thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low; slowly add the cheese, stirring until it melts and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the Dijon mustard (if using), salt and pepper.

Combine macaroni and cheese sauce. Gently fold the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce until the pasta is coated with the creamy sauce.

Make pizza. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with the olive oil. Spread the dough out in the pan, then bake the crust for 10 minutes. Pre-baking the crust helps the crust firm up and get crisper.

Top the pre-baked crust with the cooked macaroni and cheese, shredded cheese, and cooked bacon, if using.

Bake for 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Garnish as desired, then cut and serve.

Mac and cheese pizza might just be the most kid-pleasing dinner of all time! Who needs sauce and mozzarella when you can top your pizza with creamy macaroni and cheese?

Possible Recipe Variations

• Use a pre-baked crust: Skip the dough and buy a pre-baked pizza crust or flatbread at the grocery store. You can make smaller mac and cheese pizzas with naan, too.
• Swap in store-bought mac and cheese: Another potential shortcut is using store-bought mac and cheese or leftover mac from a restaurant. As long as it’s creamy and homestyle, it will work here.
• Add sauce: The mac and cheese is saucy enough, so you don’t need one, but if you want to add your own touch, spicy Buffalo sauce might be tasty.
• Switch up the toppings: Sneak in some veggies with sliced bell peppers, frozen broccoli (or air fryer Buffalo cauliflower bites!). Drizzle hot sauce over the pizza before serving, or maybe ranch dressing if you want to take it over the top. Add pepperoni slices or olives. You can definitely play around with this recipe to make it your own!
• Switch up the cheese: We like using sharp cheddar because it has a more assertive flavor than mild cheddar and it’s still a good melting cheese. Stay away from cheeses that are dry and crumbly or mild in flavor, like mozzarella.

Make Ahead Ideas

Make the macaroni and cheese a day or two in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake your mac and cheese pizza.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

Store leftovers wrapped in foil or in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer; the pizza will last 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Reheat in a 400ºF oven or in an air fryer. The microwave also works but the pizza won’t be as crisp.

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 30 minutes
• Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients

For Macaroni and Cheese

• 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional, for flavor)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

For Pizza

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ball pizza dough, thawed if frozen
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Optional toppings: cooked crumbled bacon (3 to 4 strips), sliced green onions, toasted bread crumbs, chopped parsley

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk continuously for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and bubbly, to make a roux.
3. Gradually stir in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cook the mixture until it thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low, and slowly add the cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the Dijon mustard (if using), salt and pepper.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce, tossing until the pasta is well coated.
6. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 10 x 14 inch rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread dough out in pan as evenly as possible. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
7. Remove crust from oven. Top pre-baked crust evenly with 6 cups cooked macaroni and cheese. Top with 1 cup shredded cheese and cooked crumbled bacon, if desired.
8. Bake for 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Garnish with sliced green onions or chopped parsley, if desired. Serve hot.

Notes

For the smoothest sauce, shred your own cheese instead of buying bagged shredded cheese.

You can substitute commercially prepared mac and cheese, if desired. Choose a creamy homestyle mac and cheese. You’ll need 6 cups.

Nutrition information does not include any extra toppings.

Recipe retested and updated 3/2024.