Wi Macaroni & Cheese Pizza
From 30 Days 30 Ways with Macaroni and Cheese, day 14. I havent tried this yet, but it looks really good.
From 30 Days 30 Ways with Macaroni and Cheese, day 14. I havent tried this yet, but it looks really good.
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup milk
- olive oil
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoon flour
- 4 ounce elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup apple jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded and divided
- 1/8 cup cream cheese
- 14 ounce pizza crust
- cheddar cheese as needed for top of pizza
- Carbohydrate 35.0866581123354 g
- Cholesterol 84.6437500089889 mg
- Fat 42.3258954011725 g
- Fiber 1.55547551036175 g
- Protein 19.1702516663952 g
- Saturated Fat 19.3050598652197 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (295g)
- Sodium 487.393378540819 mg
- Sugar 33.5311826019737 g
- Trans Fat 3.07213770877081 g
- Calories 598 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small skillet, saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until soft. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, fry the bacon until crisp, drain 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 350F. 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, to make a roux. Slowly whisk in milk and cook over medium to medium-high heat until mixture thickens.
- Add 1/2 cup flavored Jack Cheese, 1/4 cup Apple Jack cheese, 1/6 cup Cheddar Cheese and cream cheese. After cheese is melted and thoroughly combined, add in bacon 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. (We even waited until the next day.)
- When macaroni and cheese is ready, brush prepared pizza crust with a small amount of olive oil. Spoon the macaroni and cheese across crust, topping with extra Cheddar Cheese. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is completely done and cheese is melted.
- *If Apple Jack Cheese is unavailable, you may substitute Mozzarella.
- ** For the pizza crusts, head to your favorite local pizza place and ask to buy a ball of pizza dough. Not only will they be excited to sell it to you, but it will be good without the fuss.
Combining pasta and bread on a single plate requires managing starch loads and moisture levels so the crust manages to crisp properly instead of steaming underneath a heavy blanket of dairy. When working with dense toppings like baked pasta, the key to success lies entirely in thermal control and patience rather than rushing the assembly process.
- Cook the elbow macaroni strictly to a point slightly under al dente, stopping about two minutes shy of package directions so the pasta retains its structural integrity during the secondary baking phase on the dough.
- Allow the roux to cook for six to eight minutes over medium heat until it loses its raw flour taste and develops a pale blonde color before whisking in the cold milk.
- Let the baked macaroni and cheese rest for at least thirty minutes, or even refrigerate it overnight, so the starches gelatinize fully and solidify into a scoopable mass that will not slide off the flatbread.
- Brush the raw pizza dough lightly with olive oil to create a moisture barrier that prevents the crust from becoming soggy while baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty-five to thirty minutes.
Planning ahead turns yesterday's casserole into today's handheld meal without sacrificing texture. Proper cooling intervals dictate whether the final slice holds its shape or collapses upon lifting.
