Cheesy Mac & Cheese Pizza

Pizza night just got a whole lot cheesier! This Mac’n Cheese Pizza is loaded with lots of gooey cheese, pasta, and topped with smoked kielbasa. Carbs on carbs never tasted more delicious!

Holy Cheesus guys! This is most definitely a cheese lovers pizza! This recipe combines my two food loves – Pizza and Mac & Cheese.

…and for kicks (and because I had some on hand) I added some sliced kielbasa on top!

Pizzadventurous

You know by now that I’m #pizzadventurous . I’m rather adventurous as to what I’ll put on top of my dough. I can go from sweet to savory, breakfasty items to full-on Thanksgiving dinner!

I look at pizza dough the way an artist looks at a blank canvas. If I can imagine it, I can create it.

Well, that’s what I did with this pizza.

I’m sure you’ve all had or seen some variation of Mac ‘n Cheese pizzas in your life. What I hated about all of the ones I had over the years is that either the cheese dried out upon baking or the dough was way too thin and you had to result in eating pizza with a fork (yeah, I’m anti silverware with pizza). 

This is one that I’ve been making for decades and it’s never failed me. I prefer the toppings on a pan pizza dough that is light enough so it doesn’t feel uber heavy when you eat it BUT strong enough to hold the toppings.

Ingredients Needed For This Pizza

• Prepared Grandma Pan Pizza Dough
• Prepared room temperature Mac ‘n Cheese ( I used my Creamy StoveTop Version but used large macaroni noodles instead of cavatappi)
• Lots of cheese – I used cut Colby jack, freshly shredded white cheddar and cubed Velveeta (it’s a must for this pizza)
• Sliced Kielbasa (totally optional but it adds some saltiness and meatiness to a carb-loaded pizza)
• Seasoning – paprika, sea salt, black pepper

Make the Dough

1. In a large bowl or wooden pizza box, add the flour. Make a well. To that add in the water but only to the well. You want to keep the sides intact.
2. Next, sprinkle the yeast overtop the water and, forming your fingers like a claw, stir the water and yeast mixture gently slowly bringing in flour to make a thick paste. It should be the consistency of thick pancake batter.
3. Keep mixing with your claw fingers until you have a shaggy/sticky dough and almost all of the flour is incorporated. Next drizzle in the olive oil and stir, knead gently until all of the oil is incorporated.
4. Add the sea salt and gently knead to bring the dough together.
5. Dump the ingredients out onto a lightly floured board and continue to knead until you get a dough ball shape and all of the shaggy bits are incorporated. This should be semi-smooth.
6. Take your mixing bowl and turn it upside down and place it over top of the dough ball. Let it rest for 20 minutes. By doing this, you’re allowing the gluten to relax.
7. After 20 minutes, remove the bowl and place it in a large, lightly oiled bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  *Or see Same Day Dough method below

Chef’s Tip about Fermenting Dough

• Cold Ferment – By allowing the dough to relax and ferment in the fridge, you’re allowing the flavors to develop and slows down the yeast. You’ll not only get a better flavor but also a better texture.
• Same Day Dough – There is nothing wrong with using the same day dough method. You would just place the dough in the oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm, dry area in your kitchen until doubled in size.

Pan The Dough

1. Oil up your Pizza Pan, punch down your dough in the bowl, and place your dough (cold or same day) into the oiled pan.
2. Using your fingertips, dimple the dough out towards the edges as far as you can get it. DO NOT FORCE IT. Cold dough will not stretch.
3. Cover and repeat every 30 minutes or until the dough stretches to the edges of the pan.

Types of Pans to use

In this recipe, I used two Lloyd Pans 12″ Long Pans. If you do not have them, then I advise using 1 16×12″ Grandma Style Pizza Pan.  You can also use 2 5×15″ Flatbread pans as well

Add the Toppings

1. Once the dough is in the pan(s), add on the shredded White Cheddar and Colby Jack (that can be shredded or sliced).
2. Next, gently add on the mac ‘n cheese. You want it so it’s just slightly warm. This way it’s easier to distribute.
3. If using, add on the sliced kielbasa then place chunks of Velvetta on top.
4. Lastly, give it a kiss of seasoning with some paprika, salt, and black pepper

Cooking your Pizza

1. I HIGHLY recommend you use the 2 pizza stone method listed in the instructions.
2. Bake in a preheated 450F oven for 15-20 minutes rotating halfway through. The crust should be golden brown and puffed. The cheese melted and the kielbasa cooked and sizzling.

Pizzaiola Tip about Pizza Stones

• 2 pizza stones create a controlled heated area within the oven allowing the pizza to cook evenly. This means no more burnt cheese and puffy crust while the bottom of the crust is white and soft.
• By using 2 stones you’re enabling your oven to mimic how stone/brick oven works at your favorite pizzeria.

But first, let it rest!

When the pizza is done you have to do 2 things:

1. Carefully (and immediately) remove it from the pan.
2. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.

To remove the pizza from these pans I use a large Flexible Slotted fish turner. It works perfectly in the pans and doesn’t scratch the pan! Once removed place it on a cutting board or even a cooling rack and let it rest.

So why let it rest?

This pizza acts like how lasagna is when you first take it out of the oven. Ever try to cut and scoop out a slice of lasagna when it first comes out of the oven?

What happens?

Yep… cheese and stuff go everywhere and it just falls apart.  Well this pizza, because it’s so cheese-laden, acts the same way.

Just let it rest so the cheese can come back together and then you can cut it. Yes, it’ll still be ooey and gooey, it just won’t fall apart on your plate!

LET’S EAT!

This pizza works on so many levels. The dough is super light and airy while that creamy cheesy pasta goodness just hugs the dough. And that salty, cooked kielbasa just totally completes the pie.

This is definitely not keto by any stretch of the means and I have no plans on trying to keto-fy it. You’re welcome to have at it.

Some days, you just need a body by carbs. This is pure, unadulterated comfort food in every. single. delicious. cheesy. bite!

 

Pizza Topping Substitutions   

• Cooked Bacon – Do not make it super crispy as it’ll burn in the oven. You still want it to be pliable
• Steamed Broccoli – If you add veggies, it makes it healthy… right?
• Cooked Chorizo – Cook up some chorizo and crumble it into chunks
• Peppers – Slice jalapenos would be amazing on this!
• Beef – Cooked Ground beef patties (think mini cooked sliders)
• Breadcrumbs – To add more carbs, mix up some parmesan buttered bread crumbs and sprinkle that on top of the pizza in the last 5-7 minutes of baking
• Chicken & Bacon – Cook up some bacon and chicken and add that to the pizza before baking

Looking for more Pizza & Pepperoni Recipes? 

• Grandma Pan Pepperoni PIzza

• Buffalo Chicken Pizza

• Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Potato Skins

• Pear & Prosciutto Flatbread

• Hand-tossed Sourdough Pizza with Pepperoni

• Pittsburgh Pierogi Pizza

• Grilled Flatbread Am & Cheese Pizza

 

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