5 best things I ate at the Knott’s Mac & Cheese Festival

I ate the menu at the Knott’s Mac & Cheese Festival and was satisfied and pleased that the annual Peanuts Celebration chose to highlight one of my all-time favorite comfort foods during the monthlong celebration.

The 2024 Knott’s Peanuts Celebration runs through Sunday, Feb. 25 with stage shows, live music, character meet-and-greets and themed food and merchandise at the Buena Park theme park.

ALSO SEE: ‘Secret’ Mac & Cheese festival turns Knott’s into the Cheesiest Place on Earth

The $45 Knott’s Mac & Cheese tasting card entitles you to six items from the Peanuts Celebration seasonal menu that includes 11 Mac & Cheese dishes.

There’s nothing dainty about the serving portions at a Knott’s Berry Farm food festival. These aren’t the mini bites doled out at Disney California Adventure food festivals. These are hearty and filling meals unto themselves.

For that reason, it’s best to head to the current Knott’s Mac & Cheese Fest — or the upcoming Knott’s Boysenberry Festival, for that matter — with a few friends you don’t mind sharing with.

ALSO SEE: Here’s all you can eat and drink at the 2024 Knott’s Boysenberry Festival

I tried most of the Mac & Cheese specialty items and picked out my favorites that you should try before the seasonal festival comes to an end.

1) Marcie’s Alfredo Pasta Pinwheel — Prop Shop Pizzeria

The crazy good Pasta Pinwheel is named after the studious Peanuts character with the not-so-secret crush on Charlie Brown.

The mash-up meal is a cross between a bread bowl, pot pie and calzone with Mac & Cheese at the center.

The fun and innovative Pinwheel is a great way to combine the taste of pizza crust with Mac & Cheese without the hassle of the noodles flopping off a slice of pizza.

The Pinwheel was crunchy on top and gooey in the middle with marinara sprinkled on alfredo sauce.

2) Jose Peterson’s Swedish Meatball on top of Mac and Cheese and French Fries – Papas Mexicanas

Another mash-up dish with a novel twist — this time combining Swedish, Mexican and French flavors in a quintessential American way.

The Meatball Mac & Fries reminded me of French Canadian poutine with elbow Mac & Cheese in place of the traditional cheese curds.

My serving could have used a few more meatballs and a bit more gravy — but that might have made it too sloppy and the fries too soggy.

Are you struggling to remember Jose Peterson from the Peanuts comic strips? He is a half-Mexican, half-Swedish boy who played baseball with Charlie Brown — and a natural namesake for a Swedish dish served at a Mexican restaurant.

3) Schroeder’s Fluffy Breakfast Mac and Cheese Pancake served with a side of Bacon and Maple Syrup — Sutter’s Grill

Clearly I like unexpected combinations — and the Mac and Cheese Pancake certainly delivered another surprise.

The menu description sounds like a pretty pedestrian pancake and bacon breakfast — until you slice into the pancake and take a bite.

From the outside, the pancake looks like every other one you’ve ever tried. But the twist here is the Mac & Cheese is mixed into the pancake batter. The result: A pancake-shaped cheese blintz that delivers a powerful Mac & Cheese flavor punch.

Schroeder is a moody musical genius who just wants to be left alone by Lucy so he can play his piano. In this case, think of Lucy as the bacon to Schroeder’s Mac and Cheese Pancake.

4) Charlie Brown’s Burrito with Mac and Cheese, Ground Beef and Queso — Casa California Restaurante

Much like the good guy Charlie Brown, his namesake item at the Knott’s food fest is just a good burrito with a Mac & Cheese surprise inside.

The otherwise ordinary meaty burrito is filled with Mac & Cheese and has a little spice kick to it.

From the outside, it looks like every burrito you’ve ever eaten. But once you bite into it, you realize you’re holding Taco Bell stunt food.

This one is filled with a hybrid of American and Mexican standards — and just enough curiosity factor and savory flavor to keep you eating until there’s suddenly nothing left.

The Charlie Brown Burrito is a little harder to share — so might want to tell your friend or loved one to order their own.

5) Pig Pen’s Ham and Mac and Cheese Loaf — Boardwalk BBQ

The cheese loaf looks like a mess of Mac & Cheese with ham and pineapple sprinkled throughout — not unlike its Pig Pen namesake who travels in his own personal dust cloud.

It tastes like a lasagna casserole or baked pasta Campanelle with a creamy base and cheddar-forward taste.

The Cheese Loaf is basically Hawaiian pizza toppings on corkscrew Mac & Cheese. In other words, two of my favorite things in one dish.

Here are the other six dishes on the Knott’s Mac & Cheese Festival menu during the Peanuts Celebration.

• Lucy Van Pelt’s Mac and Cheese Waffle Cone topped with Pulled Pork — Sutter’s Funnel Cake
• Cornbread Funnel Cake with Mac and Cheese and Pulled Pork with a BBQ Sauce Drizzle — Sutter’s Funnel Cake
• Franklin’s Mac and Cheesy Noodle Cheddar and Broccoli Soup — Ghost Town Bakery
• Snoopy’s Mac and Cheeseburger with Burger Sauce — Wilderness Dogs and Drinks
• Linus’ Mac and Cheese Bites over French Fries served with a Spicy Aioli — Strictly-on-a-Stick
• Fully Loaded Funnel Cake topped with a Cheesecake Batter and Mac Gummies — Log Ride Funnel

The Pulled Pork Funnel Cake at Sutter’s Funnel Cake stand is not an option on the Mac and Cheese tasting card.