Pepperoni Pizza Mac n Cheese Bake
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Pizza Mac n Cheese is the perfect comfort food bake, combining cheesy pasta with bold pepperoni pizza flavors.
This easy recipe features a creamy cheese sauce, savory pepperoni slices, and a golden, bubbly finish—comfort food perfection.
It’s a simple dinner the whole family will love!
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Where is the Recipe Card?
The printable recipe card is towards the end of this page. For recipe tips and ingredient substitutions, we recommend reading the blog post.
Pepperoni Pizza Mac n Cheese Recipe:
Number of Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Why You’ll Love Pizza Mac n Cheese!
- Quick and Easy: Just 10 minutes of hands-on prep.
- Great Flavor: A cheesy, creamy sauce meets bold pepperoni pizza flavors.
- Easy To Customize: Top the mac and cheese with your favorite pizza toppings.
- Perfect for Weeknights: Great for busy nights when you need a satisfying dinner fast.
- Comforting: This recipe is inspired by two classic comfort foods—macaroni cheese and pizza! Why choose one when you can have both!
Ingredients for Pizza Mac and Cheese
The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers such as Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Protein: Pepperoni Slices
- Fresh Produce: White Onion, Basil Leaves
- Dairy & Chilled: Milk, Heavy Cream (Double Cream), Sharp (Strong) Cheddar, Fontina Cheese
- Pantry: Salt and Black Pepper, Olive Oil
- Italian Seasoning – This recipe uses store-bought Italian Seasoning, but it is easy to make your own using our Homemade Italian Seasoning.
- Penne Pasta—Or any shape pasta you have, like elbow macaroni or fusilli.
- All-Purpose Flour—Also known as plain flour.
- Marinara Sauce—Use your favorite pizza sauce brand or a homemade sauce.
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
Substitutions and Variations
- Protein Swap: Try cooked Italian sausage, rotisserie chicken, or crispy bacon instead of pepperoni.
- Veggie Boost: Add mushrooms, green bell pepper, or black olives for more toppings.
- Cheese Options: Add parmesan or shredded mozzarella cheese for extra cheesiness for that iconic cheese pull!
- Fontina Substitutions: Fontina is an Italian semi-soft cow milk cheese. If you cannot find it, switch it to Gruyère, Gouda, Provolone, or Havarti.
- Herbs & Spices: Add extra flavor with garlic powder, dried oregano, or red pepper flakes.
Recipe Tips
- Cook the pasta under al dente as it continues to cook in the oven.
- Use freshly shredded cheese for better melting and flavor.
- This recipe can be prepared in a 9-inch skillet and baked in the oven. Or prepare the pasta and roux in a saucepan before transferring to a greased 9×9-inch baking dish to finish in the oven.
Storing Leftovers & Freezing
With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
Storing Leftovers:
- Cool (within 1-2 hours), transfer to an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions:
- Cool completely and transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container to help prevent freezer burn and eliminate unwanted freezer smells.
- To keep track of your food storage, label it with its name, date, thawing instructions, and reheating instructions.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight (or at least 12 hours) before reheating in the oven.
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart for Cooking
- For the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods, consult the Food Standards Agency in your country: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA) | Food Inspection Agency (Canada) | Food Standards (AU and NZ).
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Pizza Mac n Cheese Recipe: Step-by-Step
Here’s our quick visual guide. Continue reading for the printable recipe card.
1. Cook Pasta.
2. Saute onions and add flour.
3. Add milk and cream.
4. Add cheese to the mixture and stir well.
5. Add cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and transfer to baking dish.
6. Top with tomato sauce and pepperoni slices.
7. Sprinkle more cheese on top.
8. Bake in oven till golden.
9. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This hearty main dish is perfect on its own, but if you want to stretch it further, serve it with Cheesy Garlic Bread or a Caesar Salad on the side.
For dessert, Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies are always a winner!
Printable Pepperoni Pizza Mac n Cheese Recipe Card
The printable recipe card is below—please leave a star rating and quick review to share your experience with others!
Pepperoni Pizza Mac n Cheese
Ingredients
- 10 oz penne pasta
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream (double cream)
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 3 oz sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
- 5 oz fontina cheese freshly grated and divided
- 1 cup marinara sauce jarred or homemade
- 3 oz pepperoni slices
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
- Meanwhile, boil a large pot of lightly salted water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Cook for 1-2 minutes less than directed as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add in the onion and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
- Sprinkle flour over the onion and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Combine the milk and cream and slowly pour them into the skillet, stirring constantly. Let the milk come to a gentle simmer and continue cooking and stirring for 3-4 minutes until the béchamel thickens.
- Stir in the Italian seasoning, cheddar, and one-half of the fontina cheese.
- Continue cooking and stirring until the cheeses melt.
- Drain the cooked pasta and combine with the cheesy sauce.
- Remove from heat and top with marinara, pepperoni slices, and reserved fontina.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is all melted and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh basil to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- The pizza mac and cheese can be baked in a greased 9 x 9 baking dish instead of a skillet if preferred.
- Prepare the recipe to step 8, transfer the cheesy pasta to the dish and continue with the remaining steps.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.