Meal Prep
BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese
BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese Bake might be the most dangerous thing to happen to your Tupperware. Creamy mac, smoky slow-cooked BBQ pork, and melted cheddar that actually stretches when you dig in- every bite tastes like a summer cookout and a cheat meal had a baby. The difference? This one delivers a massive 66.3 grams of protein per serving , turning comfort food into a meal prep that actually keeps your macros in line.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese
66.3g protein1109 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 15 mins
- Cook Time
- 25 mins
- Slow Cooker Time
- 480 mins
- Total Time
- 520 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the Pulled Pork
For the Mac & Cheese Base
For the Bake
Instructions
Slow-Cook the Pork:
Place pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Add BBQ sauce, broth, and seasonings. Cover and cook on Low 8 hours or High 4- 5 hours, until pork easily shreds with a fork. Remove & shred.
2 lb boneless pork shoulder, ½ cup BBQ sauce, ½ cup chicken broth, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, ½ tbsp garlic powder, ½ tbsp onion powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
Cook the Pasta:
8 oz elbow macaroni
Make the Cheese Sauce:
In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cream cheese, milk, and seasonings; whisk until smooth. Stir in cheddar until creamy.
1 tbsp butter, 4 oz low-fat cream cheese, 1 cup skim milk, 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp Salt, ½ tsp black pepper
Combine Everything:
½ cup BBQ sauce
Assemble for Baking:
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Alternate: Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish, top with cheese.
Bake:
½ cup BBQ sauce
See it come together
Watch: BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving.
- Calories
- 1,109 kcal
- Protein
- 66.3 g
- Fat
- 56.4 g
- Carbs
- 81.2 g
Full nutrition and how it’s calculated
All values are per serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Saturated Fat
- 25.69 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 5.26 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 18.65 g
- Trans Fat
- 1.2 g
- Cholesterol
- 221 mg
- Sodium
- 2,082 mg
- Potassium
- 1,315 mg
- Fiber
- 3.6 g
- Sugar
- 29.8 g
- Added Sugar
- 22 g
- Vitamin A
- 360 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 1.35 mg
- Vitamin D
- 2.97 mcg
- Calcium
- 653 mg
- Iron
- 5.64 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$3.35 per serving · $13.38 for this batch
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- boneless pork shoulder: $7.08
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Uses listed per-pound price. Purchase weight includes any bones or trim; lean shoulder uses the boneless shoulder product, not a measured lean-only quote.
Walmart: Smithfield All Natural Boneless Pork Shoulder Butt Roast 2.4 - 6 lb, 20g Protein Per 4 oz Serving · Price checked 2026-09-21
- BBQ sauce: $0.50
143 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
0.5 cup = 143 g; Rounded measures agree within 5%. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Original BBQ Sauce, 18 oz Bottle, 1 Count · Price checked 2026-09-21
- chicken broth: $0.20
124.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 249 g Liquid carton treated as 32 US fl oz; stock uses the broth reference where applicable.
Walmart: Great Value Gluten-Free Chicken Broth, 32 oz Carton (Shelf-Stable) · Price checked 2026-09-21
- smoked paprika: $0.26
6.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.8 g Four 2 oz jars; full multipack weight is 8 oz.
Walmart: (4 pack) Great Value Smoked Paprika, 2 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.05
4.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 9.7 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.04
3.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.9 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- elbow macaroni: $0.62
226.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Elbows, 16 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- butter: $0.12
14.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 14.2 g Salted butter reference; unsalted uses this as a substitute estimate.
Walmart: Great Value Salted Butter · Price checked 2026-09-21
- low-fat cream cheese: $1.73
113.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Philadelphia Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, 1 Tub, for Smooth, Spreadable Mornings, Original, No Artificial Preservatives, Flavors or Dyes, 8 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- skim milk: $0.18
247 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 247 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Fat-Free Milk, Gallon, 128 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- shredded sharp cheddar: $0.97
112 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (shredded) = 112 g; Editorial shredded hard-cheese estimate: 112 g/cup (four 28 g quarter-cup portions); loose packing varies. Full-fat mild cheddar reference; sharp cheddar uses this as a substitute estimate.
Walmart: Great Value Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.02
1.6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 3.1 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.01
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.4 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- smoked paprika: $0.02
0.6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.3 g Four 2 oz jars; full multipack weight is 8 oz.
Walmart: (4 pack) Great Value Smoked Paprika, 2 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- BBQ sauce: $0.50
143 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
0.5 cup = 143 g; Rounded measures agree within 5%. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Original BBQ Sauce, 18 oz Bottle, 1 Count · Price checked 2026-09-21
- shredded sharp cheddar: $0.97
112 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (shredded) = 112 g; Editorial shredded hard-cheese estimate: 112 g/cup (four 28 g quarter-cup portions); loose packing varies. Full-fat mild cheddar reference; sharp cheddar uses this as a substitute estimate.
Walmart: Great Value Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese · Price checked 2026-09-21
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein66.3g24%
- Carbs81.2g30%
- Fat56.4g46%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
I use pork shoulder for this one. It is a richer, more substantial meal for a bulking phase, so I am happy to let the pork bring some extra fat. Get the pork cooking early and leave the macaroni for the finish. There is little reason to have cooked pasta sitting around while the slow cooker still has hours to go. Once the pork is ready to shred, boil the elbows, make the cheese sauce, and combine everything while the sauce is still easy to distribute. This is a substantial option in the mac-and-cheese collection, with BBQ pork mixed through the pasta instead of sitting only on top. Stop the elbows while they are still a little firm; they have both the cheese-topping bake and future reheats ahead of them.
The recipe's individual-container bake is handy if your containers are rated for oven use. Divide the mixture first, add the cheddar topping, and finish the portions together. Otherwise, use the baking dish and portion afterward. Save the finishing BBQ drizzle for after the bake so it stays distinct from the sauce already folded into the macaroni.
Before reheating, add a small splash of milk or water if the pasta looks tight or dry. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Stir through the bottom of the serving, where the pasta can stay cooler than the cheese on top. If you are planning multiple recipes in one session, the long pork cook can run alongside a different slow-cooker prep schedule or leave your stovetop free until the final stretch. This is a substantial serving of pork and pasta; the higher-calorie meal collection is useful when that is what you want from lunch. Browse the pork recipes for another way to use the main ingredient.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
I built this recipe to combine the effortlessness of slow cooking with the delicious flavors of mac & cheese. This one is like a backyard BBQ in a bowl- and it's way too good. If you try this- let me know your thoughts below!