If there are two things my picky 8-year-old loves, they are cheesy pasta and pepperoni pizza. The recipe below combines the two into a delicious slow cooker mac and cheese with the bold flavor of a pepperoni pizza. It’s loaded with tomato-y pizza sauce, spicy pepperoni, and of course, rich, melty cheese.
The thing I love most about this recipe is how easy it is. You don’t even need to pre-cook the pasta! Just mix all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, set it, and forget it. This dish only takes 2 hours to cook, with almost no prep time, so it’s a great dish to make for a kid’s birthday party where it’s sure to be a huge hit. My whole family loves it, so it’s now part of our regular dinner rotation, too.
1 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 pound shredded cheese (use an Italian blend or a combination of 2 or more cheeses you like such as mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey jack, or Fontina)
1 cup milk
1 16-ounce jar pizza sauce
8 ounces sliced pepperoni, slices halved or quartered if large
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Mix all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, stirring to combine well.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring once after 1 hour. Serve hot.
