Can You Kix Bell Pepper Into Mac and Cheese

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What's better than stuffed peppers? Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers! An easy and ridiculously delicious meal or side dish any night.

One of my favorite things to do with leftovers is to stuff them into bell peppers and then bake them. Just about anything will work, from spaghetti to pulled pork, even leftover stir fried veggies especially if you have a bit of leftover fried rice to add with them.

One day last month I filled my peppers with the ultimate leftovers to create Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers. These were so good that I wanted to be able to make them on purpose, not only when I have leftover macaroni and cheese on hand.

Yellow bell pepper stuffed with macaroni and cheese on a green plate, text reads Mac n Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

I therefore came up with a quick and easy macaroni and cheese recipe that's perfect for stuffing into peppers. What makes it especially perfect is that this mac 'n' cheese is really really moist. That's a requirement for stuffing it into peppers because the macaroni can dry out a bit during the baking. The extra moisture in this macaroni and cheese results in creamy filling every time.

You can use leftover macaroni and cheese to stuff the peppers if you've got it. Just make sure it's a really creamy recipe. If it's a bit dry, add dribbles of warm milk to the pasta and stir before stuffing the peppers to ensure it doesn't end up too dry after baking.

Do You Love Stuffed Peppers?

We love making stuffed peppers. To get all the basics, such as the different ways to cut the peppers and what to do if your peppers threaten to topple over, check out How to Make Stuffed Peppers.

Plus, check out Quick and Easy Cheddar and Chicken Stuffed Peppers and this tasty Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers recipe. So good, so many options.

And now, here's my Easy Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers Recipe:

DESCRIPTION

What's better than stuffed peppers? Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers! An easy and ridiculously delicious meal or side dish any night.

1 lb. elbow macaroni noodles
6 bell peppers
8 oz. cream cheese (1/3 fat cream cheese works fine in here)
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups milk
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
6 tsp. panko bread crumbs
Baking spray

Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Cook the macaroni according to package directions. While it cooks, prep the peppers either by cutting them in half front stem through to bottom and then deseeding or by cutting off the stem end of the pepper and de-seeding (see explanations for both of these methods plus more stuffed pepper info like how to deal with unsteady tipping peppers over here). Arrange peppers cut-side-up on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Make the macaroni and cheese sauce by measuring the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave 1 minute at at time for 3-5 minutes, stirring after each interval until sauce is fairly smooth with no big cream cheese chunks. Whisk in the mustard, salt, and cayenne.
Drain the macaroni noodles well and then combine them with the sauce. Let sauce sit on noodles for 5-10 minutes. Stir well and then fill peppers with macaroni and cheese.
Top each pepper with some of the panko crumbs and then spray tops lightly with baking spray. Bake until breadcrumbs are browned and peppers are desired tenderness, 20-25 minutes.*

Notes

You can use leftover macaroni and cheese to stuff peppers. Just make sure it's a really creamy recipe. If it's a bit dry, add dribbles of warm milk to the pasta and stir before stuffing the peppers.

*If you like your peppers very soft, bake them for 40 minutes at 350ºF instead of 20-25 minutes at 450ºF.

Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers