In my humble opinion, pizza and mac and cheese are the two greatest foods ever created. That’s why I was thrilled to learn that Domino’s, famed purveyor of the former, is now also offering the latter in the form of its new 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese (which is also available in Spicy Buffalo, though I opted for the basic version).

What differentiates this from the other cheesy pasta Domino’s peddles is that the penne pasta is topped with a blend of American, Parmesan-Asiago, cheddar, Alfredo sauce, and mozzarella blend. Based on the ingredients listed on the website, this appears to be the same blend as the chain’s 5-Cheese Dip, so if you’ve ever tried that but thought it could use more pasta, this is great news for you! (If, however, you were hoping to dunk your 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese into some 5-Cheese Dip to create an unprecedented 10-Cheese titan, this similarity is not-so-great news, sorry!)

The mac and cheese is served in a round aluminum foil container inside an adorably tiny pizza box. Peeling back the lid, I was greeted by a treasure trove of cheese sauce (if you can even call it that, seeing as it’s practically solid) that was appropriately hearty for a dish that brags about its quantity of cheese in its very name. There was a gloppy, melty base layer of white that I assume was the Alfredo sauce and mozzarella blend, and in it swam swirls of darker orange and studs of toasty brown.

For how dense the cheese was, it didn’t cling very tightly to the pasta—the majority blobbed together rather than adhering to the noodles, leaving most of the pasta pieces with only light, fairly un-uniform smatterings of sauce. (However, the blobbiness did make for some pretty impressive cheese pulls!) The lack of coherence from the cheese sauce can be mitigated by simply eating a mouthful of both pasta and cheese blobs together, but if you’re craving a consistent coating, just know that’s not what you’re in for here.

As far as taste goes, it was… pretty good. Nothing ground-breaking, but pleasant. The five cheeses played together nicely for a rich, buttery experience punctuated by notes of savory sharpness. Between the al dente pasta, gooey and chewy cheese, and crispy burnt bits, the distinct textures might have been even more fun than the taste.

My biggest issue comes down to semantics: despite being perfectly palatable, this meal just didn’t feel like mac and cheese to me. As someone who eats more than enough of the stuff to have a strong opinion on it, my definition involves elbow noodles in a smooth, creamy sauce. While I’m open to more creative takes, a dish that doesn’t include either of those key qualities just strikes me as mere pasta with cheese. I enjoyed eating this, but next time I want what I consider true mac and cheese, I expect I’ll look elsewhere. At least Domino’s can still hold its head high knowing it’s mastered the other of man’s greatest meals.

Purchased Price: $13.08
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 830 calories, 50 grams of fat, 31 grams of saturated fat, 1680 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of protein.

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