Pizza Mac and Cheese Muffins
Posted: 02/27/2014
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Kids and adults will both love pizza mac and cheese muffins — two of your favorite treats, macaroni and cheese and pizza, rolled into one cute package. What could be better? Serve with pizza sauce or marinara for dipping.
This isn’t my first go-around with turning macaroni and cheese into a muffin so that you can eat it with your hands. If you haven’t tried southwest macaroni and cheese muffins, be sure to add them to your list of things to try.
It’s obviously one of the best things ever. Macaroni and cheese….that you can eat with your hands. Are ya with me? Throw in the word “pizza” and I’m totally sold.
Oh, but the kids. Oh yeah. That’s right, I made these mac and cheese muffins for the kids. Uh….hmmm…yeah. For the kids.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Now I just have to get myself a sweatshirt with a cupcake on it.
I’m on a pizza kick lately (pizza, mac and cheese, I’m the picture of healthy). Did you try my macaroni and cheese pizza? Over the top good!
A couple of weeks ago I made pizza lasagna rolls (Yum!) and my family loves these pizza quinoa stuffed peppers. Pizza stuffed spaghetti squash is really good, too. I often make one pot Pizza Pasta, only 6 ingredients and ready in 20 minutes. What can I say, I love pizza.
These mac and cheese muffins are really easy to eat….errr…I mean easy to make. (Eat too. Really easy to eat.)
I start with a package of Parmesan and butter spirals, prepared as directed on the package. (I use Annie’s — I love it. Not sponsored.) If you want to use another boxed pasta dinner, no problem!
Stir in a couple of extras (pepperoni! mozzarella! herbs!), scoop into muffin tins, bake, let cool a bit, dip-dip-dip in pizza sauce and chow down. If you need help with that, you can refer to the photos of E. She is pretty darn good at that step.
Enjoy these! Pizza mac and cheese muffins are a super fun lunch or light dinner. Serve them with a bowl of soup or a green salad.
They also make a cool appetizer for a party. Arrange them on a platter with a bowl of pizza sauce for dipping. They are just fine at room temperature so don’t worry about keeping them warm. Perfect for game night!
If you’re following along with Mac and Cheese Mania, my co-host Brandy made Skillet Cheesy Gnocchi with Peas and Ham today. (YUM! I wish I was her neighbor.)
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
muffins
Kids and adults will both love these Pizza Mac and Cheese muffins — two of your favorite treats, macaroni and cheese and pizzas, rolled into one cute package.
Ingredients
- one 5.25 ounce package of spirals with butter and parmesan macaroni and cheese (I use Annie’s)
- milk and butter to prepare macaroni as directed on package (I used 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons skim milk)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded low moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
- about 1.5 to 2 ounces of sliced pepperoni, cut into quarters
- pizza sauce for dipping (a cup or so should be enough)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 12 muffin tins with nonstick spray.
- Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed on the box, except stir in oregano and garlic powder in addition to the cheese powder.
- Once prepared, remove from heat and stir in grated mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
- Spoon macaroni and cheese mixture evenly into prepared muffin tins.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tins. After I remove them, I usually place them on a sheet of paper towel just to remove some of the grease from the pepperoni.
- Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Substitute other types of boxed mac and cheese dinners for the Annie's Butter and Parmesan macaroni and cheese.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 163kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 310mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Changes I would make: NONE.
Difficulty: Easy.
Gail Plaskiewicz says
If you buy the mini pepperoni, then you don’t need to cut anything up. Just sayin’ cause these are so totally cute! They would be great for when my mom goes knitting. They meet at a ladies house or a knit shop and everyone brings something. We would have to double or triple it since I’d want some left home for me (I don’t knit so I don’t go). Can’t wait to make this one too!
Rachel Gurk says
Yes! I love those mini pepperoni! Hope you love these!
Sarah Knight says
Hi Rachel! Love this, but most importantly, I’m going to need to know where you got those little white sauce dishes. Cutest things I’ve ever seen in my life. Thanks!
Rachel Gurk says
OH man, I wish I could remember! I bought that dish probably over four years ago. My most common places to buy props/dishes are CB2, HomeGoods and Target. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Kv says
Made these for a party and they were a hit! I followed the exact instructions but just doubled it and there were no leftovers. i believe the butter parm flavor is impt to ensure it doesn’t taste bland. Has anyone tried this w regular cheddar Mac and cheese?
Fay says
Where can you purchase the package of Annie’s? Have never seen this brand. Is there something that could be used as a substitute? Thank you.
Rachel Gurk says
I find Annie’s at my local Kroger and I’ve seen it at lots of grocery stores. If you can’t find it, you can substitute with another boxed macaroni and cheese — look for parmesan if you can find it, or white cheddar.
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says
My 6 year old will love these. I’ll be making a bunch of these next weekend, perfect lunch for school. Pinned.
Jenny, says
I made these last night and my husband and I both loved the recipe. Question, though…my muffins didn’t hold their shape and were a big gooey mess (even after I popped them back in the oven for more time). Do you think it would help to add an egg as a binder or would that change the flavor? Regardless of the gooey pile, we loved the flavor. Thanks!
Rachel Gurk says
Did you let them cool a bit before eating? You need to do that to let the cheese kind of set back up. They are on the fragile side – but we were able to pick them up and eat them with our hands. I think the addition of an egg is a great idea if they aren’t holding together, though.
Jenny says
We let them cool the suggested 5 minutes but couldn’t stand to wait any longer. Lack of self control was probably my problem.
Tara says
These are adorable, any kid would love them!!!