We had an appetizer and dessert party last week at our house and I went in search of a great new appetizer to make. I then saw these Mac & Cheese bites at Woman with a Whisk and fell in love with the idea. I LOVE macaroni and cheese. I’ve always been a huge fan of the blue box but have recently begun to search for great homemade recipes and am loving that more and more. These are so cute and delicious…the perfect little bite. They were great for our party and were also great as a side dish with our lunch the next day. These little bites are pretty easy and don’t take long to make, which is a huge plus. You can pop them in the oven 10 minutes before your guests arrive and they’ll be ready just in time. I halved the recipe and got about 36 bites, so the full recipe (which is below) should yield approximately 72 bites. I also just used the 2 % mexican four cheese blend that I had on hand instead of the sharp cheddar and it worked great.
Mac & Cheese Bites
Source: Woman with a Whisk
Source: Woman with a Whisk
Ingredients:
1 lb. elbow macaroni
3 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1-1/2 cup milk (skim works fine)
3 packed cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for sprinkling on top
2 extra large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
Directions:
Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spray a nonstick mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute.
Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking occasionally, for about 2 -3 minutes until thickened.
Add cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and stir to melt.
Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks, salt and nutmeg. Stir in macaroni.
Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of macaroni and cheese into the prepared mini muffin pan. Each cup should be filled to the top. Pack each one down gently.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spray a nonstick mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute.
Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking occasionally, for about 2 -3 minutes until thickened.
Add cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and stir to melt.
Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks, salt and nutmeg. Stir in macaroni.
Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of macaroni and cheese into the prepared mini muffin pan. Each cup should be filled to the top. Pack each one down gently.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake for about 10 minutes until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Bake for about 10 minutes until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Using a teaspoon, carefully loosen the mac and cheese bites and transfer to a platter to serve.
*If you’re not serving these immediately, simply store on a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate. Reheat at 400 degrees for 10 minutes prior to serving.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I just "starred" these in my reader! I will have to make them at my next party! I love Mac and Cheese too!
Perfect timing – I have been craving mac & cheese this week, but not the blue box! These look dangerous…small enough to lose track of how many I'd be eating
Looks great!
These are so adorable and look like they taste fantastic! I love appetizer and dessert parties!
Oh wow, I just found your blog and macaroni and cheesecake are pretty much my most favorite foods! Yum!
Love this idea and such a great way to serve mac & cheese without a fork!
What a great idea! I am making these for my next party. Everyone loves Mac & Cheese, so you can't go wrong with these cute little bites!
I can honestly say I wish I didn't know about this.
My favorite food is mac and cheese and I can see these being quite addictive!
These are ridiculously cute!! Love this idea!!
This is why I need a mini muffin pan…
What a great idea! So fun for a party
When you say “if you’re not baking these immediately,” do you mean if you’re not serving them immediately? I want to do the work tonight and reheat tomorrow – so do I bake at 425 then refrigerate tonight, reheat at 400 tomorrow or just put the ingredients together, straight into the refrig, then heat at 400 tomorrow? Thanks!
I think I meant to say if you aren’t serving these immediately, sorry for the typo! It’s been a while since I made these but I went ahead and baked them earlier in the day and then reheated them right before serving, but it would probably work well for you to put together the ingredients tonight and then just bake off tomorrow. Either way should work. Hope it turns out great!
Would these work using the ‘revolutionary’ recipe?
I’m not sure if it would or not. I would think that it would work, but I’ve never tried it with that recipe. This recipe calls for quite a bit more cheese than the ‘revolutionary’ recipe and then the egg yolk to bind everything together so you may have to play around with that so the bites stay together. Let me know how it turns out if you try it with the revolutionary recipe. Hope that helps!
How much does the recipe yield?
Should yield about 72 bites. I halved it and got about 36
Do you think it would work if I made my own baked mac and cheese and then re-baked them in the mini-muffin pan?
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Yes I do think it would work, or you could just assemble your Mac and cheese and bake it in the muffin tin first instead of baking twice? Hope that helps!
I just found your blog and I love it!
When reheating, do I need to reheat them in the pan or can I just reheat them on the baking sheet? I’m afraid if I reheat them on the baking sheet then they will just turn into blobs?
Thinking of adding bacon, ham, broccoli, or mushrooms and onions to different cups. Also maybe smoked paprika. I wonder, could frozen flaky pastry dough be partially cooked then filled, or just layered in and filled and cooked appropriately.
I think they would be great with add-ins, especially the bacon! I’ve not ever made this with a pastry crust, so I’m not sure, but I think it should work.
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