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Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese combines two BBQ favorite dishes in one! It’s a great way to use up leftover pulled pork and the homemade stovetop mac and cheese is surprisingly easy to make!
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- Leftover Pulled Pork – A fun way to bring new life into leftovers!
- Three Cheeses – I love using the combination of cream cheese, cheddar, and parmesan in mac and cheese.
- 30 Minute Meal – This filling, family-favorite dinner comes together in only 30 minutes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese is a fun way to use up leftovers in a new way!
- Pulled Pork – A great way to use up leftovers! You’ll want to reheat the pulled pork before using it in this recipe.
- BBQ Sauce – Use your favorite brand!
- Pasta – Use a small noodle like shells or elbow macaroni
- Butter and Flour – You’ll combine these to make a roux which helps thicken the cheese sauce.
- Nonfat Milk
- Heavy Cream
- Cream Cheese – Adding cream cheese to homemade mac and cheese is my secret for an extra creamy cheese sauce!
- Freshly Shredded Cheese – Both sharp cheddar and parmesan perfectly complement the pulled pork. Monterey jack or pepper jack would also do the trick.
- Dry Mustard Powder – I love adding this for extra flavor, but you can omit it if you don’t have it on hand and prefer a simpler mac and cheese.
How To Make Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese combines leftover pulled pork with a rich and cheesy homemade mac and cheese.
Prep – Start by greasing a casserole dish, set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Cook Pasta – Cook the pasta in the salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Make Roux – Add butter to the pot over medium-low heat and melt. Stir in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown.
Add Milk – Meanwhile, pour milk and cream into a microwave safe glass container and heat for 2 minutes. Pour milk/cream mixture into the roux and whisk often, bringing to a simmer while it thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon.
Add Cheese – Stir in the cream cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper and dry mustard. Whisk until the cream cheese is melted. Remove from heat and add 1 ½ cups of the cheddar cheese and the Parmesan, stirring constantly until completely melted. Stir macaroni into the cheese sauce.
Pulled Pork – In a large bowl mix together the warmed pulled pork and ½ cup of BBQ sauce.
Assemble and Bake – Pour the mac & cheese into the prepared baking dish, top with the remaining ½ cup cheddar, broil briefly to melt cheese and brown to your liking. Top with pulled pork and a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Try serving pulled pork mac and cheese with yoursq favorite barbecue sides such as cheddar jalapeno cornbread, slow cooker baked beans, or a green bean salad.
Storage
To store leftover pork, leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Store leftover Mac and cheese separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat individual servings in the microwave until hot. When reheating the Mac and cheese, you may want to add in a splash of milk to keep it smooth and loosen it up a bit.
Expert Tips
- Pasta Shape – Small pasta shapes work best. Elbows, shells and penne are great options that have grooves to hold all of the yummy cheese sauce.
- Freshly Grate Cheese – Make sure you freshly grate your cheese and don’t use pre shredded cheeses as they contain additives and do not melt smoothly. For the smoothest sauce, bring your shredded cheese up to room temperature before adding to the hot milk.
- BBQ Sauce – If your whole family isn’t a fan of BBQ sauce, you could keep the pulled pork plain and add BBQ sauce to each individual serving instead.
- Other Cheese – Instead of sharp cheddar and parmesan, you can swap in different cheese! Monterey jack is another great choice or even try adding some pepper jack to add a kick of spice.
More Mac & Cheese Recipes
- Mac and Cheese Bites
- Crab Mac and Cheese
- Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
- One Pot Mac and Cheese
- Hamburger Mac and Cheese
Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups pulled pork already prepared or purchased
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce I used Sweet Baby Ray’s
- 1/2 pound small pasta like shells or elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 ½ cups nonfat milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Additional BBQ sauce for serving
Instructions
- Grease a 2 quart casserole dish, or large cast iron skillet, set aside.
- Boil 4-6 quarts of water in a large pot. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt and pour in uncooked pasta. Cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta into a large colander and set aside.
- Add butter to the pot over medium-low heat and melt. Stir in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, pour milk and cream into a microwave safe glass container and heat for 2 minutes. (Alternatively, heat milk in a small saucepan on the stove until hot, not boiling). Pour milk/cream mixture into the flour mixture and whisk often, bringing to a simmer while it thickens. You will know it’s done when the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the cream cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper and dry mustard. Whisk until the cream cheese is melted.
- Remove from heat and add 1 ½ cups of the cheddar cheese and the Parmesan, stirring constantly until completely melted. Stir pasta into the cheese sauce.
- In a large bowl mix together the warmed pulled pork and ½ cup of BBQ sauce.
- Pour mac & cheese into the prepared baking dish, top with remaining ½ cup cheddar, broil briefly to melt cheese and brown to your liking. Top with pulled pork and a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Garnish with green onion if desired. Serve immediately.
This was a good recipe! I’ll for sure make it again!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback Lisa.