Cook the Story

Homemade Recipes for Real Life

Home > Weeknight Meals > Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

This post may contain affiliate links.

Share23
Pin185
208 Shares
Jump to Recipe

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:

Print

Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

★★★★★

4.7 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Entrée
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

DESCRIPTION

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

Ingredients

Scale
  • 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

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450ºF.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @cookthestory on Instagram and hashtag it #cookthestory

Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

See COOK the STORY's nutrition and recipe disclaimers.

More Recipes Like This:

Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

get the recipe

Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers

get the recipe
Greek Chicken Stuffed peppers

Greek Chicken Stuffed Peppers

get the recipe

Pizza Stuffed Peppers

get the recipe

About Christine

Hi! I’m Christine. My passion is creating recipes that take less time in the kitchen, so that we can all spend more time enjoying life! I’m a busy single mom of two, so I totally get how tough it can be. That’s why I’ve been figuring things out for my own family, and that’s why I want to share this knowledge with others. I now help over 2 million people a month get delicious meals onto their tables. Come along with me and see how much easier it can be!

About

Cookbook

Podcast

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

29 Responses to Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

  1. Wayne Campbell says

    I used my mac n cheese recipe. And added my apple pie dry rubbed smoked pork roast chopped small mixed in the mac n cheese. My wife said this is the best stuffed pepper I’ve ever made. Cooking is my passion and I’m always looking for new recipes to make. Thank you

    ★★★★

    Reply

    • Christine Pittman says

      Ed, I’m glad you liked them. You know, I made this recipe so long ago it’s time that I do a retest. I’m guessing that either I used whole wheat pasta, which doesn’t cook up as large, or I had leftover mac ‘n’ cheese (which I should have made note of in the recipe). I’ll give it a try soon and post the results here. Thanks for the question!

      Reply

  3. Luke says

    Not a bad dish! Made this, but used Faralle pasta instead of macaroni. Very tasty; tho a bit sweet for my taste, next time i will use 1/2 cream cheese and 1/2 Velveeta. But excellent dish!

    Reply

  4. Anne says

    I love this idea! I’ve put peppers into my mac & cheese, but I’ve never put mac & cheese into my peppers. What a great twist on stuffed peppers! Thanks.

    Reply

    • Christine Pittman says

      Thanks Sarah! It is super-creamy. And the cream cheese means that you don’t have to make a roux sauce so it’s super-simple too.

      Reply

    • Christine Pittman says

      Thanks Katie! It is really creamy. And the cream cheese/microwave deal means that you don’t have to make a roux sauce, always my least favorite part of making mac.

      Reply

    • Christine Pittman says

      Aw, thanks Bec. I’m pretty proud of it. Getting the mac n cheese really creamy was the key. My first tries were a bit dry from the cooking time.

      Reply

    • Christine Pittman says

      Brandy, Thanks for including me in #maccheesemania. It’s been wonderful seeing everyone’s recipes and all gooey cheesy excitement. And your pulled pork mac is incredible-looking. Can’t wait to try it out!

      Reply

    • Christine Pittman says

      Thanks for including me, Rachel. I love mac ‘n’ cheese so today has been awesome. Your Panera recipe made me drool. It looks soooo creamy!

      Reply

As Seen On

AboutCOOKtheSTORY

Creating recipes that take less time in the kitchen, so you can spend more time enjoying life. Come see how much easier it all can be!

Never Miss a Recipe