If there are two things my picky 8-year-old loves, they are cheesy pasta and pepperoni pizza. The recipe below combines the two into a delicious slow cooker mac and cheese with the bold flavor of a pepperoni pizza. It’s loaded with tomato-y pizza sauce, spicy pepperoni and, of course, rich melted cheese.

The thing I love most about this recipe is how easy it is. You don’t even need to precook the pasta! Just mix all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, then set it and forget it. This dish takes only two hours to cook, with almost no prep time, so it’s a great dish to make for a kid’s birthday party, where it’s sure to be a huge hit. My whole family loves it, so it’s now part of our regular dinner rotation, too.

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 2 mins
Cook Time: 2 hrs
Total Time: 2 hrs, 5 mins

Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound shredded cheese (use an Italian blend or a combination of 2 or more cheeses such as mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey Jack or fontina)
1 cup water
1 16-ounce jar pizza or marinara sauce
8 ounces sliced pepperoni, halved or quartered if large
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Directions
1. Place uncooked macaroni in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Sprinkle in cornstarch.

Mix well, making sure that each noodle in lightly coated with cornstarch.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Begin with cheese and water.

Then tomato sauce.

Then pepperoni.

Then seasoning.

Mix well to combine.

3. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring after 1 hour. Serve hot.

4. Serve as is or with Zesty Brussels Sprouts.​

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