While on vacation this summer, my children were reading the kids' menu at a restaurant and proclaimed they were getting macaroni and cheese pizza. No, I told them, they could get macaroni and cheese OR pizza — it wasn't one thing. Oh how wrong I was. It's just what it sounds like — macaroni and cheese on top of pizza. They LOVED it and would not stop talking about it.
I wasn't all that impressed with that particular carb-overloaded creation (it seemed like boxed mac and cheese thrown on a pizza crust), but I did find a slightly more sophisticated version of what they had, and I have to say it's pretty amazing. There's a little bacon, a little garlic, and a whole lot of cheese. Piled on a crunchy crust, it's heavenly. An indulgence for sure, but a fun, delicious indulgence.
The following recipe is from Boboli, but you can start with any crust you like.
Macaroni and Cheese Pizza
1 12" Boboli Original Pizza Crust
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 slices bacon
8 oz. elbow macaroni
4 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1 c. Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c. Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. cream cheese
In a small skillet, sauté the onion, garlic, and olive oil over medium heat until soft. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, fry the bacon until crisp, then drain the fat. Crumble bacon and add to onion mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add macaroni and cook to a little less than al dente. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F. To make the cheese sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly mix in flour and cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in milk and cook over medium to medium-high heat until mixture thickens.
Add 1 cup Jack cheese, 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup Cheddar cheese and cream cheese. After cheese is melted and thoroughly combined, add in bacon and onion mixture and cooked pasta. Pour mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Top mixture with remaining 2/3 cup Cheddar cheese.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let macaroni and cheese set up at least 30 minutes before transferring to pizza crust.
When macaroni and cheese is ready, brush prepared pizza crusts with a small amount of olive oil. Spoon the macaroni and cheese across the crust, topping with extra cheddar cheese. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until crust is completely done and cheese is melted.
