Creamy Mac & Cheese Bites
Sharing another easy & tasty recipe with you today that is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser!
These creamy mac & cheese bites are rich, delicious & super easy to make. The key is making a creamy bechamel sauce and under cooking your macaroni noodles just a minute or two so they don't become soggy. An added bonus to these guys in the added broccoli! It's a sneaky way to add in something healthy into this decadent dish.
PS - it seems like there are a lot of steps to make these...but don't worry!! It's easy! 1. Cook macaroni and broccoli. 2. Make sauce. 3. Assemble. 4. Bake. 5. ENJOY!
Creamy Mac & Cheese Bites (Serves: 24)
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 tsp each: salt, pepper, garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp each: dry mustard, red pepper flakes
- 3 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups of shredded cheese of your choice (I used 1 cup cheddar, 1 cup mozzarella)
For the macaroni:
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces
Directions:
For the macaroni:
1. Bring pot of salted water to a boil.
2. With one minute of cooking time left on the pasta, add chopped broccoli to the water to cook.
3. Once pasta reaches al dente (cook time about 8-9 minutes), strain pasta and broccoli. Set aside while you make the sauce.
To create the sauce:
1. In a medium sized sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Once melted, whisk in flour for about 1 minute until combined and no lumps remain.
3. Next, add in all spices, whisking thoroughly.
4. Slowly begin to add 1/2 of milk in at a time, whisking until smooth.
5. Once combined, add in 1 cup of shredded cheese. Continue to whisk. Mixture will begin to thicken and become cheesy.
6. Next, add in second cup of cheese. Continue to whisk until smooth.
To assemble:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 2 muffin tins (24 cups total) with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Pour cooked macaroni and broccoli into cheese sauce. Stir to incorporate.
4. Fill each muffin tin with mac & cheese mixture (about half a cup will fit in each tin).
5. Once filled, place trays in oven for 15-18 minutes until tops are golden brown.
6. Serve warm and enjoy!