There are pizza joints that put actual macaroni and cheese on their pizza – two that I know of — probably way more that I don’t know of. There’s Vinnie’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn, to which I’ve never been, and a place somewhere up in No Cal, which is run by a friend of a friend.
I may not be quite so adventurous as to put mac and cheese directly on my pizza — at least not yet. But I am so adventurous as to try a mac and cheese inspired flavors on my pizza.
ingredients.
- 1 par-baked Extra-Thin Pizza Crust
- olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 recipe for Beecher’s Mac and Cheese sauce
- 2 c. shredded medium cheddar cheese
- 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cubed
- 1/2 lb bacon ends and pieces, chopped and cooked
- 1 c. bread crumb topping
- parmesan cheese, for garnish
directions.
- Before par-baking your pizza crust, drizzle with olive oil to cover the crust then season with salt and pepper if desired. (The salt and pepper is very highly recommended!) Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Using a large spoon or soup ladle, ladle the cheese sauce onto the pizza crust to form an even layer. Sprinkle with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Place chicken on top cheese and, if desired, sprinkle with additional (finely shredded) cheese — if you have extra. Sprinkle with bacon and bread crumb mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with parmesan cheese.
This pizza was a bit of a compilation of ingredients used in other dishes. Although I didn’t have to put a lot of thought into making the pizza, it still ended up taking me two or three hours. I chose to bread my cubed chicken, which I wouldn’t do again. The breading did not crisp in the oven. Also I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which I usually prefer. But I think in this case a chicken breast would have been better suited.
For my bread topping, I shredded two sourdough rolls in a food processor with approximately 1/4 cup fresh oregano and 1 oz. parmesan cheese. I then seasoned it with salt and pepper, added additional freshly grated parmesan cheese, approximately half a cup, poured the leftover bacon grease from my bacon into the mixture and thoroughly mixed.
About the cheese sauce: It’s my experience that you’re going to want a thinner sauce. The sauce is going to thicken and/or dry when you cook the pizza. Every time I’ve used a cheese-based sauce on pizza I’ve found that the sauce appears to dry so that you almost can’t tell there’s sauce on the pizza. A thinner sauce seems to dry less during baking. To thin your sauce if you think it’s too thick, just add additional milk or half and half. I used a mixture of Beecher’s flagship cheese (white cheddar) and medium cheddar cheese. You need to finely shred the cheese. That’s the best advice I can give you when making homemade mac and cheese sauce. A medium shred is going to be harder to melt.
I knew this pizza was a winner when my sister asked me if she could have a second piece as A) she rarely eats what I make and B) when she does try what I make, she rarely asks for seconds!
Recipe rating:
Food Snob 