Mac & Cheese Pizza Bites
When mac & cheese meets pepperoni pizza, magic happens. These baked bites are the ultimate comfort food mashup—perfectly portioned for parties, game days, or anytime snacking.
Held together by pepperoni, these mac & cheese bites are a pizza lover's dream. Creamy mac, pepperoni, and plenty of Parm combine to create a best-of-both-worlds treat. We bake this party pleaser in muffin tins to make bite-sized apps that are perfect for game day snacking. If you can’t decide what comfort food you’re craving, try these bites—you won’t be disappointed.
Top with freshly torn basil, and get to serving these bites! They’re great on their own, but feel free to serve them alongside marinara or ranch if you’re craving a dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- 22 large pepperoni slices, divided
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan,
- divided
- 8 oz. elbow pasta
- Freshly torn basil, for garnish
- Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400°F. Cut a slit into the center of 18 pepperoni slices and slide into holes of 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins. Chop the remaining four slices of pepperoni into small pieces.
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and whisk until golden. Slowly pour milk in while whisking. Add heavy cream, garlic powder, and oregano—season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmesan, stirring until the cheese is melted.
- In another large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 7 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Add 2 Tbsp. pasta water to cheese sauce and stir to combine. Add pasta and toss to coat. Add more pasta water as necessary to loosen the sauce.
- Spoon macaroni into pepperoni cups. Top with about 2 Tbsp. Parmesan and chopped pepperoni.
- Bake until tops are golden and macaroni feels firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove cups from tin and top with basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. Parmesan before serving mac and cheese with pepperonis in a muffin tin shape