Pepperoni Pizza Mac 'n' Cheese

Seriously, at this point what flavors haven't I incorporated into macaroni and cheese? Well, the answer would be pizza. We took all of our favorite pizza flavors, eliminated the crust in favor of whole wheat pasta shells ands this pepperoni pizza mac 'n' cheese was born. We actually didn't use pepperoni, but salami instead, so please forgive me for the title. We also added blue cheese crumbles and Kalamata olives to the top because those are our default "let's eat a boring pizza" tonight toppings.

Macaroni and cheese has become a staple meal in our home. We were talking the other day how Dustin has become the (savory) breakfast guy for making bacon and eggs (he has seriously mastered both fried and now scrambled eggs), but I am definitely the macaroni and cheese queen of the house!

Pepperoni Pizza Mac 'n' Cheese

serves ~3 people

• 8 ounces whole wheat pasta shells
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3/4 cup milk
• 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup pecorino cheese
• 1/4 lb pepperoni or salami, roughly chopped
• desired pizza toppings (we used blue cheese crumbles and Kalamata olives)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta shells to al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce by melting the butter over medium-high heat in a large pan, stirring in the flour and cooking for a few minutes until a roux is formed.
3. Add in the garlic, milk, and tomato sauce and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.
4. Stir in the mozzarella and pecorino cheese, stirring until smooth.
5. Add in the pasta shells and the pepperoni/salami. Toss until coated with sauce.
6. Serve and top with your favorite pizza toppings.