Pulled pork mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food mashup, combining smoky shredded pork with cheesy pasta. Perfect for using up leftovers or feeding a crowd, this easy recipe is a guaranteed hit for family dinners, game day pot lucks, or anytime you crave some comfort food!
Find more leftover pulled pork recipes here.
We grill a lot and make a lot of barbecue. From smoked brisket to smoked pork roast, my family loves it all. A lot of barbecue means a lot of leftovers, because you don’t really smoke a small batch of meat, am I right?!!
It’s not a bad problem to have, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes we freeze our leftover pulled pork and brisket, but many times, I work the leftovers into new recipes.
From pulled pork pizza to this pulled pork mac and cheese, I even work it to make a pulled pork breakfast!
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Recipe highlights
- Economical: Pulled pork is made from an inexpensive cut of pork roast and using up leftovers in creative ways saves a family money.
- Simple: You can keep this simple or glam it up with more additions and fancy cheeses.
- Flavor: For me, homemade mac and cheese is so much tastier than box mix. And that garlic panko topping is my favorite part!
- Family Friendly: Most families love mac and cheese and this recipe is a huge family favorite in my house. It is kid friendly, adult friendly and packed with protein!
Ingredients you need
- Shredded pulled pork: Whether it’s smoked or made in the slow cooker, use whatever leftover pulled pork you have on hand. You can also used shredded brisket or chicken.
- Macaroni: The iconic elbow macaroni is always a favorite as the base for any macaroni and cheese. It is short yet sturdy and holds up with the cheesy sauce. Almost any pasta can be used, but I would not use spaghetti, fettuccini or linguine type noodles. Other favorite pastas to use include: small shells, penne, fusilli, farfalle, rotini and ziti.
- Cheese: You can get very creative and use a wide number of cheeses, from the classic sharp cheddar to even brie. You can also combine cheeses to get more flavor. If you do combine cheeses, I suggest mixing a hard cheese with a soft cheese to balance flavor and add more creaminess. You have more cheese selection if you shred your own, but you can totally use pre-shredded cheddar for convenience.
- Unsalted butter: I like to control the amount of salt in my foods so I prefer to use unsalted butter.
- Milk: I usually have full fat milk in my refrigerator, but you can use any milk. For extra creaminess, you can use half and half.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I use a combination of olive oil and butter to brown the panko crumbs. You can use only butter if you prefer.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Panko is bigger and offers more crunch than regular breadcrumbs. You can also make your bread crumbs.
- Garlic: I use fresh garlic for stronger garlic flavor.
- Parsley: You can use fresh or dried parsley.
- Pantry staples: All purpose flour and salt
Step-by-step directions
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- Make the pasta. The macaroni needs to be mostly cooked before finishing it off in the oven. Be sure to cook your pasta until al dente as you don’t want mushy macaroni.
- Make the topping. I use the same pot I boiled my pasta in to brown the panko topping. Add your oil or melt your butter, stir in garlic then add your panko and parsley.
- Make your cream sauce. Yup, same pot again! Transfer your panko to a small bowl and you can use the same pot to melt your butter and start your roux. Stir in flour, stir and cook for about a minute, then slowly whisk in milk. When milk is completely incorporated with the butter mixture, continue whisking until sauce thickens, about 7 minutes.
- Add the cheese. Once thickened, you can remove your pot from heat and stir in your shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese is completely melted into the cream sauce. Stir in reserved macaroni and mix well.
- Assemble. Transfer the cheesy pasta into an 8×8 pan. Top it with shredded pulled pork (you can also mix it in with the pasta) and spread it evenly. Top with the garlic panko.
- Bake. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Since everything is already cooked, you are baking it until everything is gooey inside and the topping is golden and crispy.
Expert tips and recipe FAQs
You can also mix in other foods into your mac and cheese. Some of our family favorites are:
- Peas
- Corn
- Green onions
- Bell peppers
- Jalapeños
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover mac and cheese in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: If you are using the types of pastas I suggested, you can freeze your mac and cheese. But I would not freeze them in a baking dish, but in freezer safe containers. freeze for up to 3 months.
As the name suggests, the iconic elbow macaroni is always a favorite as the base for any macaroni and cheese. It is short yet sturdy and holds up with the cheesy sauce. Almost any pasta can be used, but I would not use spaghetti, fettuccini or linguine type noodles. Other favorite pastas to use include: small shells, penne, fusilli, farfalle, rotini and ziti.
When it comes to the type of cheese to use, you can get very creative and use a wide number of cheeses. From the classic sharp cheddar to even brie. You can also combine cheeses to get more flavor. If you do combine cheeses, I suggest mixing a hard cheese with a soft cheese to balance flavor and add more creaminess. Here are some of my favorite cheeses to use:
Sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Gruyere, Smoked Gouda, Parmesan, Havarti, Brie, Goat Cheese and/or Cream Cheese.
There are several ways you can prepare and serve this dish. The entire meal can be assembled, ready to bake, but cover in foil and refrigerate to be baked later or the next day. Just make sure you are using a dish that can go from refrigerator to oven. You can also bake the entire dish and reheat it later. To reheat your mac and cheese, bake in the oven at 350ºF for 20 minutes until warm and bubbly.
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Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 oz macaroni
- 3 TBS unsalted butter divided
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 TBS all purpose flour
- 2 cup milk
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cup cooked and shredded pulled pork
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Bring a large pot of water with 1 teaspoon salt to boil. When water is at a rolling boil, add macaroni. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander and reserve.
- Return pot to the stove and over medium heat add 2 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. When butter is melted stir in crushed garlic and cook until lightly browned.
- Stir in panko crumbs and dried parsley and cook 1 more minute. Transfer panko mix to a bowl and reserve.
- Return pot to the stove and over medium heat melt 1 tablespoon butter. When butter is melted, stir in flour.
- Continue stirring and cooking for 1 minute then slowly whisk in milk.
- When milk is completely incorporated with the butter mixture, continue whisking until sauce thickens, about 7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is completely melted into the cream sauce.
- Stir in reserved macaroni and mix well. Transfer macaroni into an 8×8 pan.
- Top macaroni with shredded pulled pork and spread evenly.
- Spread garlic panko evenly over the pulled pork.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
One can never have too much BBQ. Ever. Love the stuff. 🙂 And Love mac ‘n cheese! Haven’t thought of adding pulled pork to mac ‘n cheese, though. I will. 🙂
I love this – using the leftover meat and all the ideas for cheeses. With my lactose intolerance, the right choice of cheese is crucial – I love the combo of one hard and one soft and I used lactose free milk! Yum!