Do you have a hungry kid or two that you need to cook up a meal for? This quick and easy recipe will please even the pickiest of kids. The hotdog octopi are a cute touch to your regular mac and cheese that will certainly put a smile on your child’s face. Try making this recipe and lunchtime for the little ones will be settled in no time.
Original recipe from WorkitMom – A place where working moms connect.

How To Make Hotdog Octopi and Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 lbs shell pasta
- 1 â…“ cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 16 oz mild cheddar
- 16 oz sharp cheddar
- Salt, to taste
- Hotdogs, desired size and amount
Instructions
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Grate your cheeses so it can melt easily. You can also use store-bought grated cheeses if you like.
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Thoroughly grease your casserole dish with butter.
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Toss the rest of the stick of butter into the pot with your already cooked and drained pasta shells. Stir it up so that it melts and coats the pasta.
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Add your grated cheese gradually, stirring as you go to mix it evenly. Pour the mac and cheese into your casserole dish.
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Pour the milk all over the pasta. Cover with aluminum foil and put into a 350°F oven for 45 minutes. If you would like the macaroni on the top to get crunchy, remove the aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
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10 minutes before the macaroni is done, prep the hot dogs. Slice in half lengthwise, about one inch from the top of the hot dog. Turn the hot dog a quarter turn and repeat the process to get 4 "legs". Cut each "leg" into half again to get 8 octopus tentacles.
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Put them in a shallow pan of water and bring to a boil. Remove them once the "legs" start to curl up slightly. Decorate the octopi with mustard or ketchup eyes if you like.
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Remove the mac and cheese from the oven. Scoop it into a bowl and arrange the hotdogs on top of it to serve.
Nutrition
- Sugar: 5g
- :
- Calcium: 713mg
- Calories: 803kcal
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Cholesterol: 123mg
- Fat: 42g
- Fiber: 3g
- Iron: 2mg
- Potassium: 334mg
- Protein: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 26g
- Sodium: 664mg
- Vitamin A: 1245IU
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