Recipe Background
While we never manage to get back to that pizza joint just down the street from where we grew up, we can capture how that place made us feel! Nostalgia Pizzeria Casserole feels like an indulgence but with the nourishment of a full meal. The big pizza flavors of rich tomato sauce, bright peppers, and succulent, spicy pepperoni balance atop extra cheesy, tender macaroni. Oh wow! How did all our childhoods get packed into a casserole dish? Nostalgia Pizzeria Casserole is certainly doing some magic for dinner!
While we never manage to get back to that pizza joint just down the street from where we grew up, we can capture how that place made us feel! Nostalgia Pizzeria Casserole feels like an indulgence but with the nourishment of a full meal. The big pizza flavors of rich tomato sauce, bright peppers, and succulent, spicy pepperoni balance atop extra cheesy, tender macaroni. Oh wow! How did all our childhoods get packed into a casserole dish? Nostalgia Pizzeria Casserole is certainly doing some magic for dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 (14-ounce) packages Kraft® Deluxe Original Cheddar Mac & Cheese Dinner
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can pizza sauce
- 1 small green bell pepper chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper chopped
- 2 cups Italian cheese blend shredded
- 2 ounces pepperoni sliced
- fresh basil leaves optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a pot of salted, boiling water, cook the macaroni to al dente, according to the package directions.
- Drain the macaroni and return it to the pot.
- Add the cheese packets and the sour cream to the macaroni and stir until combined.
- Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, add the petite diced tomatoes and the pizza sauce and stir to combine.
- Spoon the tomato sauce over the macaroni mixture.
- Top the macaroni mixture with the green bell peppers, the red bell peppers, the cheese, and the pepperoni.
- Bake uncovered until bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve hot garnished with the basil leaves.
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