Yes, this is quite the carb load. (But really not much different than ordering pizza with bread sticks – why is that such a big combo?) It’s on the menu this year at the Calgary Stampede, and is such a hit I thought I’d give it a whirl at home. It’s easy to make – spread pizza dough with tomato sauce and scatter it with cold mac & cheese, then a sprinkling of grated mozzarella before baking in a hot oven until golden and crispy-edged.

It’s even better than I thought it would be.

And perfect if you need to carb load before a marathon, no?

To make a mac & cheese pizza, start with homemade dough (below). Divide the dough in half and roll each into a 12″-15″ round, or spread it out with your fingers onto a cornmeal-dusted rectangular baking sheet, stretching it to fit the sheet.

Spread with your choice of tomato sauce, pizza sauce or tomato paste, then scatter with cold prepared macaroni and cheese – as much as you like. Try browned butter mac & cheese, mac & cheese muffins or classic baked mac & cheese. (You could even use mac & cheese with cauliflower.)

Scatter grated mozzarella overtop (again, as much as you like) and bake in a preheated 425F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

Basic Pizza Dough

1 pkg. (or 2 tsp.) active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar or honey
2 1/2 – 3 cups flour – all purpose, whole wheat, or any combination of the two (I usually use about 2 3/4 cups)
1 tsp. salt
a drizzle (1 tsp. – 1 Tbsp.) olive or canola oil

In a large bowl, stir the yeast and sugar into a cup of warm water; set aside for 5 minutes, until it’s foamy. (If it doesn’t get foamy, either your water was too hot and killed the yeast or it was inactive to begin with – toss it and buy fresh yeast or try again!)

Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour, salt and oil and stir until the dough comes together. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat all over. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for half an hour to an hour, until doubled in bulk. If you want you can let it rise more slowly in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. Makes enough for 2 large pizzas.

 

Find even more creative summer pizzas here!

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