These Leftover Mac and Cheese Cups are fun, handheld and portable recipe with any leftover macaroni and cheese. Perfect for school lunch box, play dates or parties.
It is a leftover pasta kinda day!
Leftover pasta is a common occurrence in our home. And, I always love to come up with brand new creations with them and the children don't even realize that they are eating leftovers.
Now, Mac and Cheese Muffins made with leftover mac and cheese
The team players:
Any leftover mac and cheese - Use your favorite mac and cheese recipe. We will need 3 cups of mac and cheese to make 6 mac and cheese bites.
Egg - A binding agent
Cheese - More cheesier the better, right? Use the cheese that you used to make the recipe. Use cheddar cheese for leftover Kraft mac and cheese
Beadcrumb topping - A crispy crunchy topping is always a good idea!
What to do with leftover mac and cheese?
Here are some ideas with leftover macaroni and cheese that I found in the world wide web:
Mac and Cheese Balls - from Sweetandsavorymeals
Mac and Cheese Soup - from Thiswifecooks
Chili Mac and Cheese - from Gracefullittlehoneybee
Mac and cheese Muffins - this recipe
How to make macaroni and cheese bites?
Step-1: Add room temperature mac and cheese into a bowl (cold pasta makes it kinda difficult to mix)
Step-2: Add beaten egg and some cheese (Use the cheese / cheeses that you used to make the mac and cheese)
Step-3: Mix everything until thoroughly combined
Step-4: Pack into a WELL GREASED muffin pan
Step-5: Make breadcrumb topping - Stir panko breadcrumbs, melted butter and a dash of paprika together.
Step-6: Sprinkle on top of mac and cheese
Step-8: Bake at 425° F, until the tops are deep golden
Few notes on making these leftover macaroni and cheese cups:
Grease, grease and GREASE ! The mac and cheese bites tend to stick to the pan. So, grease the muffin pan really well.
To remove muffins from the pan, Run a knife around the edges of each muffin to loosen them before removing. If using paper liners, then peel them gently to release from the muffin.
Use any leftover macaroni and cheese recipe. I used stove top mac and cheese recipe.
Room temperature mac and cheese works well for the recipe. Cold mac and cheese makes it difficult to incorporate along with other ingredients.
Use the cheese or the combination of cheeses that was used to make the mac and cheese
Regular breadcrumbs may be used instead of panko
How to serve this leftover mac and cheese recipe?
Mac and cheese lunch box- These are great for school lunch box. What is more fun than a pasta cupcake? Check out more easy school lunch box ideas.
How fun will it be to have mac and cheese for kids parties? Grab and go/run foods are the best!
Can you freeze leftover mac and cheese cups?
Absolutely! These can be frozen in a sealed zip lock bag for up to month. Thaw at room temperature or in microwave (the paper liner will be kinda difficult to peel when hot)
Macaroni and cheese bites recipe can be easily doubled to make 12 cups
More trouble shooting:
My mac and cheese muffin sticks to the paper liners - The preferred method is a well greased muffin pan. When using paper liners, then let the muffin cool completely before gently peeling the paper from the muffins.
More kid-friendly pasta recipes:
5-Ingredient BBQ Ramen Noodles
Leftover Mac and Cheese Cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups leftover Mac and Cheese
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup shredded cheese refer notes
Topping
- 2 and ½ tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
- ½ tablespoon melted butter
- 1 pinch paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Grease (really well) 6 cups of a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners. (paper liners tend to stick to the mac and cheese cups, refer notes on how to peel them). Set aside.
- Add leftover mac and cheese (room temperature), beaten egg and cheese into a medium bowl and mix well, until thoroughly combined.
- Transfer to the greased muffin cups (pack well) and sprinkle topping on top.
- Bake for 23-28 minutes, until the tops are deep golden.
- To make topping - Stir all topping ingredients in a small bowl.
- Tip - To remove mac and cheese cups from pan 1. For greased pan - Run a sharp knife around the edges of each muffin to loosen around the edges.2. For paper lined muffins - The paper tends to stick to the muffins. When muffins have cooled completely, gently peel to remove the paper.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
Love this idea Maria! The kids would definitely love these for a snack or lunch!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
These are so fun!!! I would love to try them out for my kids since mac and cheese is basically their fave thing to eat!
Teri
My family absolutely loved these. A perfect way to use that left over mac and cheese from Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you for the recipe. I did add a dash of hot sauce to the recipe other than that followed recipe as is.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you love it hun – Maria ♡