Pizza Mac And Cheese
8
- Prep Time10 mins
- Total Time25 mins
- Makes6 servings
Produced by Aimee Nishitoba. Photo, Carmen Cheung. Food Styling, Eshun Mott. Prop Styling, Madeleine Johari.
This household favourite came about when I was making mac and cheese and had some leftover tomato sauce to use up. It’s now the only mac and cheese I make. Fortunately, it’s endlessly customizable—perfect for cleaning out the fridge!—Camilla Wynne
Ingredients
1 227-g pkg button mushrooms, quartered
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-in. pieces
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt,divided
454 g fusilli pasta
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups 3.25% milk
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1⁄2 cups grated mozzarella
165 g sliced provolone, cut into thin strips
1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives, such as Castelvetrano
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
85 g sliced pepperoni
Instructions
Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 450F.
Toss mushrooms and bell pepper with 1 1⁄2 tbsp oil and 1⁄4 tsp salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender and golden brown, 14 to 16 min.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli until just shy of al dente, about 9 min.
Melt butter in a 10-in. ovenproof frying pan over medium. Whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until a paste forms, 1 to 2 min. Whisk in milk and tomato sauce. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, whisking often, until mixture thickens slightly and comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.
Reserve 1⁄2 cup pasta water, then drain pasta. Add pasta to sauce. Cook 2 to 3 min. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in mozzarella and provolone until melted. Gently stir in roasted vegetables and olives. Remove from heat. (If mixture seems thick, stir in reserved pasta water.)
Preheat broiler to high. Stir panko with oregano, red pepper flakes and remaining 1 1⁄2 tbsp oil and 1⁄4 tsp salt in a medium bowl. Season with pepper. Sprinkle evenly over pasta, then arrange pepperoni overtop. Broil until panko is golden and pepperoni crisps slightly, 1 to 3 min.
Kitchen swaps
No provolone? Most semi- firm cheeses and even cream cheese will work. Use your favourite pizza toppings instead of what I’ve listed. Don’t do pepperoni? Add 1⁄3 cup grated parmesan to the panko.
Camilla Wynne is a Toronto-based cookbook author, writer and recipe developer. Her most recent cookbook is Nature's Candy.