My Life in Food: Joel McHale shares a surprising obsession with snacks

Joel McHale may have a slight addiction to coffee.

“Boy, I drink a lot of coffee,” McHale, 53, revealed exclusively in his My Life in Food feature in latest edition My Weeklyon newsstands now. “That’s all day, no joke. I think I’ve already had about 12 shots (espresso).

the only thing Commonwealth an alum might like pasta more than coffee, which he says Our she has been a favorite since childhood.

“There’s a reason why pasta has become one of the most popular foods on the planet because you can do so much with it,” he said. Our while discussing its partnership with Mac-A-Roni, the latest innovation from the makers of Rice-A-Roni. “When they came to me, I was like, ‘Oh, you have no idea.’ I grew up on Rice-A-Roni and I love pasta. When I dream it, I go for it. And I have two teenage sons and they can’t get enough of it. It was like they made the product for me and my family.”

Mac-A-Roni, available in Creamy Cheddar and Creamy White Cheddar flavors, launched this fall with a pop-up event under the McHale banner.

“Cheese and pasta, it really enhances the flavor of your main course,” says McHale Our the versatility of the dish, especially during the holidays. “That’s like scientifically proven, so I think it’s really true.” So when you have a Thanksgiving turkey, with a side of pasta, you can have your potatoes, and that’s fine. But I’m a pasta maker and I was born in Italy, you know where macaroni comes from.’

Keep scrolling for more of McHale’s fun food anecdotes:

What special dinner would your mom or wife prepare for your birthday?

Oh, my wife wouldn’t cook. I would cook. When I’m at home, I cook everything.

Growing up, rice and flank steak was one of my favorite meals. And my mom marinated it in honey, soy sauce, green onion, salt, pepper and ginger and let it marinate overnight. Then we would serve it with Rice-A-Roni. So now it’s going to be Mac-A-Roni.

My mom made – and still makes – spaghetti carbonara with bacon and eggs. Those would be my perfect meals.

What did you order on your first date with your wife Sarah Williams?

We went to a restaurant called Swingside Cafe, which was a pasta only restaurant. I think she had puttanesca and I think I had bolognese.

What’s a snack you’re obsessed with?

Boy, I drink a lot of coffee. That’s all day, no kidding. I think I’ve already had about 12 shots (espresso).

What would be your last meal on earth?

Probably a bone in the ribs. Look, everyone orders it medium rare and it’s pretty easy, but I’d say medium or medium rare.

What comfort food do you eat when no one is watching?

Peanut brittle. Lots of candy.

What is the recipe you came up with?

I like to take a jalapeño pepper and take out all the seeds and put it in the Cuisinart and have nothing but crazy fine chopped peppers and use that as a garnish. I put it on meat or pasta and take a lot of the heat out of the seeds and it’s just peppers. I know it’s nothing innovative, but people are like, “Oh, what did you add?” and I say, “Nothing.” There is not much salt in it. It’s not that much flavor, but yeah, just peppers.

What food did you dislike as a child?

Well, I still can’t eat just raw tomatoes. I have friends who eat them like apples. I love them on anything else like oil and vinegar burgers and stuff. I will eat them all day, but I can’t just have them raw.

With reporting by Sarah Jones