I Tried Kraft’s New Pizza-Flavored Mac & Cheese
The limited-edition flavor is hitting stores this summer.
Photo courtesy of Kraft
If you were asked to name two staple “favorite foods” of kids in the United States, you’d probably say pizza and macaroni and cheese. And, of course, when you say “macaroni and cheese” we all know you’re talking about the boxed stuff. While a plate with both pizza and mac on it would probably delight diners of any age, for the first time ever, iconic Mac & Cheese brand Kraft is putting pasta and pizza flavor right in the same box.
As you might expect, Kraft Mac & Cheese Pizza cooks up in the same way as any boxed macaroni mix — boil and strain the noodles, then add milk, butter or margarine, plus the cheese packet. However, Pizza flavor’s powdered mix isn’t as homogenous (or orange) as regular Mac & Cheese. In addition to being a slightly redder hue, it features flecks of herbs — presumably basil or oregano, though the ingredients list doesn’t say.
Upon mixing, it immediately smells of tomato in addition to the cheese, along with a blend of spices that include garlic and paprika. So how does it taste? The flavor is, as I anticipated, akin to other “pizza” flavored snack foods, like potato chips or Combos. But the Mac and Cheese take doesn’t overdo it, and it was very possible to enjoy a whole bowl without feeling like I was just eating a gimmick. And for what it’s worth, my toddler loved it.
Of course, many of us get our pizza delivered, and Kraft is not making its pizza mac and cheese an exception. Teaming up with delivery service Gopuff, macaroni fans in the pizza-centric cities of New York City, Chicago, and Detroit can order a box for just $1 (the erstwhile price of a NY slice) to be delivered in as little as 15 minutes in a custom box that Kraft says will even contain a waft of freshly-cooked pizza. Deliveries will be available starting Friday, August 1 while supplies last.
Previously, pizza flavoring has made an appearance as a “Flavor Booster,” part of a trio of add-on packets that Kraft offered to enhance the Mac & Cheese experience. Pizza was joined by both Buffalo and Ranch. And speaking of Ranch, that flavor has also recently joined the official Blue Box lineup, along with Jalapeño. And while a flavor like Everything Bagel was truly a limited-edition drop, Kraft Mac & Cheese Pizza is available at stores nationwide now as a limited-time flavor for a while (I’m told into the early fall). After that, you can always try to pizza-fy macaroni and cheese on your own.
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