Make Ahead Muffin Tin Mac Cheese Recipes

MAC & CHEESE CUPS (CUPCAKES)

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray your muffin tin with nonstick spray.
• Over low heat, melt butter. Once melted, add breadcrumbs, and garlic powder. Continuously stir crumbs until they are lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and add your macaroni. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until al dente. You do not want to overboil your noodles or they will be gummy.
• Remove pasta from heat and strain out excess water. Return pasta to the pan. Add the butter, milk, spices, cheeses, and egg. Mix until cheese is melted and everything is evenly combined.
• Using an ice cream scooper, fill coated muffin tins with macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle on an even amount of panko crumbs to each muffin.
• Bake cups for 25-30 minutes. Cups will be golden brown and feel formed to the touch.
• Allow cups to cool for at least 15 minutes before carefully popping them out.

MUFFIN TIN MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook macaroni until just tender, 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• To bowl, add butter and egg and stir until butter is melted and egg is thoroughly coating noodles. Add onion, garlic, and mustard powders, then pour in milk and cream cheese and stir until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups each cheddar and fontina and stir until macaroni are completely coated.
• Butter a 12-cup muffin tin and spoon mixture into cups. Top with remaining cheddar and fontina.
• In a small bowl, stir together panko and olive oil and season with salt. Top mac and cheese with panko mixture and season with pepper.
• Bake until the cups feel firm and cheese is golden, 30 minutes. Let cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes, then run a knife along the edge of each to loosen.
• Garnish with parsley and serve.

EASY MAC AND CHEESE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, olive oil and salt; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook for about 8 minutes, it should still be a little bit firm. Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pan; stir in the butter and egg until pasta is evenly coated. Reserve 1/2 cup of sharp Cheddar cheese and stir the remaining Cheddar cheese, milk and mozzarella cheese into the pasta. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and the bread crumb mixture over the tops.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the topping is nicely browned. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. This will allow the cheese to set and they will hold their muffin shape.

MAKE-AHEAD MUFFIN TIN MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Generously butter cups of muffin pan. Set aside.
• Cook macaroni in salted boiling water for 7 minutes. Drain in colander. Transfer to large mixing bowl.
• Add butter and cream cheese to hot macaroni. Stir to melt butter and cream cheese and evenly coat macaroni.
• Add milk and egg; stir to evenly coat macaroni.
• Add dry mustard, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; stir to combine.
• Add 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese and 1-1/2 cups Fontina cheese; stir to combine.
• Spoon macaroni mixture into muffin pan. Top with reserved cheddar cheese and Fontina cheese.
• Mix Panko bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Panko bread crumb mixture on top of macaroni cups.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and bubbly, and macaroni is set.
• Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to continue cooling.
• May be served hot or cold, refrigerated and reheated, or frozen and reheated.
• Yield: 12 Make Ahead Muffin Tin Mac & Cheese.

MAC AND CHEESE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the panko mix: Mix the panko, Parmesan, olive oil and garlic together and set aside.
• For the mac and cheese: Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• In the meantime, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens. Reduce the heat to low and add the Worcestershire and salt to taste. Slowly fold in the Gruyere, Cheddar and goat cheese and heat through until all the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Fold the cooked macaroni into the cheese mixture.
• Spray mini-muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray and dust with the panko mix. Put the muffin pans in the oven and bake until the panko is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the pans and lower the temperature to 350 degrees F. Carefully fill the cups the rest of the way with the mac and cheese, packing tightly. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the tops with the panko mix and continue baking until the tops are golden brown, about 5 minutes more.
• Let the muffins cool before removing them from the pan. Repeat with the remaining macaroni and cheese and panko mixture.