20 Minute Mac and Cheese Pizza

This bacon mac and cheese pizza takes just 20 minutes to throw together and is a great way to repurpose that leftover mac and cheese from lunch! Your family is going to love this new twist on comfort food that combines two of the best – mac and cheese and pizza!

 

You Will Love This

• It’s kid-friendly, but we’re using real ingredients. You can use boxed mac and cheese in a pinch, but if you have a few extra minutes to prep, try my super simple one pot mac and cheese so you can skip all the preservatives that come in that packet of powdered cheese. Also, my quick and easy pizza dough can be made days in advance and is perfect for this recipe!
• If you like this macaroni pizza, be sure to check out my Flatbread Taco Pizza for another creative pizza night, my Mexican Street Corn Mac and Cheese for a fun twist on mac and cheese, or my Baked Chicken Tenders for some seriously crispy, homemade chicken strips!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pizza Dough – There are lots of options for pizza dough. Storebought will work just fine, but my personal favorites are my Quick and Easy Pizza Dough and my Beer Pizza Dough!
• Olive Oil – An organic cold-pressed olive oil is a great way to add a subtle, savory flavor to your crust.
• Dried Oregano – This is a great way to add some extra flavor to a simple recipe, like this mac and cheese pizza. Dried oregano is a staple sweet, savory spice that I pretty much always add to pizza.
• Garlic Powder – Garlic adds some key complexity to your pizza crust. If you don’t have garlic powder, you can thinly slice a couple cloves of fresh garlic.
• Mac and Cheese – You can use the blue box, but my One Pot Mac and Cheese only takes 20 minutes and uses all real ingredients!
• Sharp Cheddar – Sharp cheddar is aged longer than mild, so it brings a wonderfully complex flavor to pizza and mac and cheese. If you can’t find sharp cheddar, mild will work in its place.
• Mozzarella – I prefer to use a block of mozzarella (and shred it myself), but fresh mozzarella would also work on this pizza if you’ve got some on hand! Monterey Jack would be a good substitute.
• Parmesan – Parmesan completes the trio of cheeses, adding a delicious, nutty depth of flavor. You could use Romano or Asiago in its place.
• Crispy Bacon – Because how could mac and cheese pizza possibly get any better? By adding crispy bacon, of course!

Instructions

Spread olive oil, oregano, and garlic powder in an even layer across the crust.

Bake crust for about 5 minutes. Combine cheeses together and add half the shredded cheese to the mac and cheese.

Mix until well combined.

Spread it in an even layer across the pizza crust.

Top with remaining cheese and a pinch or two of salt and pepper.

Bake for about 5 minutes. Then add crumbled bacon. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the edges of the crust start to turn dark golden brown and mac and cheese is warmed through.

Garnish with parsley, slice, and serve!

Tips

• If you prefer a thin crust pizza just roll the dough out onto a large sheet pan. Keep the amount of toppings the same, though, just spread them across the thin crust so that the mac and cheese pizza doesn’t get soggy.
• Don’t want to deal with frying bacon? Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay bacon in a single layer, and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees. It’s the easiest way to make perfectly crispy bacon with minimal effort.
• Shred your own cheese for a really wonderful melt. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated with cellulose to keep them from clumping together, but that also means it doesn’t melt as well. Pre-shredded will work in a pinch for this pizza, but freshly shredded is best and it’s usually cheaper to buy a block of cheese!

FAQ

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