Mini Mac and Cheese Bites Recipe | Foodal (2024)

One of my favorite things about macaroni and cheese is that you rarely find someone who didn’t grow up eating it as a kid.

It’s one of those classic recipes that practically everyone knows and loves.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I sink my teeth into a bite of macaroni and cheese, I am taken right back to my mom’s kitchen table. It doesn’t matter whether it’s homemade or from a box, I remember being a kid, shoveling pasta covered in cheese sauce into my face like it was only yesterday.

Did you grow up with this classic recipe being homemade, or made from a box?

For my mom, it was all about the boxed stuff. And I have to admit, I still love it.

However, as a somewhat responsible adult who is trying to be better about what’s being put into my body, I am all about the homemade macaroni recipes.

The biggest surprise here is that making this pasta from scratch is actually a lot easier than you would think. Now, not only can you make it from scratch, you can turn it into something that is handheld.

I swear, whenever I make these tasty bites, they disappear in about 10 seconds flat.

Are you really surprised by that though? It’s basically a handheld version of your favorite comfort food, so it appeals to adults and kids alike.

Here are a few tips to make these bites the best that they possibly can be:

• Make sure that you don’t overcook the pasta. Nothing is worse than overcooked noodles, so you should cook them until they are al dente and no further. You want them to be a little underdone, because they will cook more in the oven when they are baked in the mini muffin cups.

• Let the roux become golden, but not too brown. You don’t want to overcook the roux that acts as the base of the sauce, because it’ll add a bitter note to the final flavor.

• Make sure the cheese is totally melted before removing the pan from the heat. When you add it, whisk and whisk and whisk until the sauce is smooth. You don’t want any unmelted chunks in the sauce, or the texture of the bites won’t be perfect.

• If the sauce thickens up too much on you, be sure to whisk in a little more milk. Sometimes the thickness of the sauce can get away from you, so just whisk in about 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce is smooth and creamy.

The spices, cheese, and pasta all come together to make this recipe a true standout.

Pro Tip: you can even make this pasta recipe and serve it as is for dinner, if you want to. You don’t even have to make the mac and cheese into bites. I’ve done this before and stirred in some leftover cooked chicken. It’s unbelievably tasty, and satisfies that comfort food craving!

These make a fantastic appetizer or snack for parties and tailgating events on game day, but you can also serve them as a fun and interesting dinner option for the kids, maybe with some shredded chicken for more protein.

Sometimes a little change-up in the program makes dinner more fun, you know what I’m saying?

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Shred Cheese and Measure Out Remaining Ingredients

Shred 4 ounces of sharp cheddar. You should have 1 cup total.

Shred 4 ounces of mozzarella. You should end up with 1 cup total.

You can buy your cheese pre-shredded, but I like to use the shredding disc on my food processor for this. You could also use your box grater, using the side of the box grater with the largest blade for shredding.

Measure out all of the remaining ingredients as listed on the ingredients list.

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Grease four 12-cup mini muffin pans with cooking spray.

If you only have one pan, you will need to let it cool, clean out the pan, and grease it between batches.

Step 2 – Cook Macaroni

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the macaroni according to the package instructions until the pasta is al dente. You can also cook the elbow macaroni in the electric pressure cooker.

The key is to make sure you avoid overcooking the pasta. Remember that it will cook a little more as it bakes.

Drain the pasta and set it aside. If you like, you can coat it with a little oil at this point, to keep it from sticking.

Step 3 – Make Sauce

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it has melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Once the roux is golden brown, whisk in the milk, adding it in a slow and steady steam. Be sure to whisk thoroughly, to remove any lumps. Continue to cook while whisking for 5 minutes.

Whisk in the cheeses until they are completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly, for about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the egg, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard powder until combined.

Step 4 – Combine

Stir the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce until the noodles are covered completely.

Spoon the mixture into the mini muffin cups. You want to fill the cups, using about one tablespoonful per cup.

Gently press the mixture into each cup.

Step 5 – Bake

Bake for 10 minutes. The bites will be golden on top and around the edges when they are done.

Remove the pans from the oven and set aside to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of each mini bite, then gently lift from the pan. Serve immediately.