Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese

Pizza and pasta are always a crowd-pleaser – especially when most of the crowd is teenage boys! So I decided to come up with a way to combine the two into one great dish – and Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese is the result. I have to say this is one for the books! The hint of tomato in the cheese sauce and the combination of meats gives you the most amazing pizza pasta experience.

I used ground hot Italian sausage for this recipe because I think it holds true to a meat lover’s pizza. You can certainly use regular Italian sausage – but when everything comes together it really is not all that spicy. The real key is to use ground sausage and not links. I prefer Johnsonville – which is pork. But you could certainly use a ground turkey variety like the one Jennie-O supplies.

This is for sure not a diet or health-conscious dinner item. However, this is a perfect, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs cheat day meal. There is meat and cheese and pasta. But when you make things from scratch from whole ingredients – you at least stand a chance at it not wrecking your whole week of meals. This meal is awesome for the midweek slump when you need something to get you over the hump!

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese

A delicious baked Mac & Cheese with a mountain of meat in the flavors of the yummy pizza delight

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked mac & cheese, cheese, cheese sauce, Ham, mac & cheese, meat lover’s, Pasta, pasta dishes, pepperoni, pizza, tomato

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage divided
• 8 oz Pepperoni quartered, divided
• 8 oz Ham Steak diced, divided
• 2 cup Mozzerella Cheese shredded, divided
• 1 cup Parmensan Cheese shredded
• 1½ lb Short Pasta rotini, shells, elbows, etc.
• 4 tbsp Butter
• 4 tbsp Flour
• 2 tsp Italian Seasoning divided
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
• 1 15oz can Crushed Tomatoes

Instructions

• Prepare all of the ingredients. Start water boiling for pasta. Preheat oven to 400deg.
• In a frying pan over mediuim heat, add italian sausage. Crumble and cook through. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Add pasta to boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes less than time listed on packaging. Drain in colander and rinse with cool water. Return to pot away from heat.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter and 1 tsp Italian Seasoning. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and cook another 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and cook 2 minutes. Add in cheddar cheese and one cup of mozzarella cheese. Once fully incorporated add can of crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine.
• Pour sauce over cooked pasta. Add ¾ of ham, pepperoni and italian sausage. Stir to combine then transfer to 13×9 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzerella cheese, ham, pepperoni and italian sauce. Top with parmesan cheese and remaining italian seasoning. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.