It’s no secret that one of Kyle’s favorite foods is mac and cheese. True story: At our wedding, we did a second wave of “drunk food” at midnight which included things like mini burgers, pizza, etc., and Kyle insisted with the caterers that he wanted mac and cheese straight out of the box. The chef was appalled, but hey, it was our wedding!
The mac and cheese gene was definitely passed on to Brexton because he absolutely loves it. It doesn’t matter if’s the classic, shapes or the flavored kind, my boys will eat them all. Accommodating Kyle’s request one night, I decided to add my own twist to the herb and garlic mac and cheese and it became an instant crowd favorite!
I searched the pantry and fridge trying to think of things that would make this even more delicious, and here is what I came up with:
1. Cook the mac and cheese as directed on box
2. Add half a can of diced tomatoes (drain the liquid out)
3. Add a small can of chopped black olives
4. Cut up pepperoni slices (add as much as you want!)
5. Toss in a generous amount of Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup but add more or less depending on your taste)
6. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning
7. Simply add all the ingredients to the pasta and stir
After taking pictures of the recipe, I made a modification due to a great suggestion by Kyle to add diced pepperoncinis to the mixture, about the same amount as the black olives. It really added to it!
I served the mac and cheese warm at dinnertime, but everyone also really liked it cold the next day for lunch – so you can go either way!
This recipe is so simple with common ingredients, takes no time at all and it’s very yummy!
