Mac and Cheese Cups
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. As always, I only partner with brands that I love and truly believe in, allowing me to create more quick and easy recipes to get us through the week without breaking the bank. All opinions expressed are my own.
Macaroni and cheese baked to perfection in muffin tins! Great for holidays and lunch boxes – it’s portable and makes for easy serving!
I think this may be the only way to have mac and cheese.
In cup form, of course.
It’s great for serving, for a lunch box, and most importantly, they are best served during the holidays.
Simply start with a traditional macaroni and cheese recipe, add mixture to muffin tins, top with crumb topping, and then bake until golden brown.
You can really use any mac and cheese recipe of your choice. Either way, these bad boys get baked in muffin tins, so you can basically have yourself a mac and cheese cupcake.
It’s an absolute crowd-pleaser using locally-sourced milk, one of the main dairy ingredients here. And it’s most likely from a farm near your neighborhood, traveling an average of only 300 miles from farm to grocery store.
Guys, 300 miles. That’s it.
And believe it or not, 97% of dairy farms are family-owned and operated, like the farm I just visited in Merced!
To top it off, our milk comes from the dairy industry that works so hard to benefit thousands of local communities, providing jobs and nutrient-rich foods.
That’s a win-win for all, no?
If you’re interested in learning more about where your dairy comes from, visit UndeniablyDairy.org!
Mac and Cheese Cups
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbows pasta
- 2 tablespoons Panko
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or coat with nonstick spray; set aside.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- To make the topping, combine Panko, Parmesan and olive oil; set aside.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in cheese until melted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in egg and pasta, and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Scoop the pasta mixture evenly into the muffin tray. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Place into oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Would it work to freeze these before baking, and then thawed and baked?
I’m excited to make these! Is the egg necessary to make everything stick together? I have never put an egg in a mac and cheese recipe
These are certainly good, but didn’t have as much flavor as we expected. We made two batches of them for a wedding shower. Based on another review, we used parchment inserts and they worked well. We forgot to add the chives and we’re sure that would have helped with the flavor. Next time, we would try using extra-sharp cheddar cheese to see if it might have more flavor. All in all, a great idea and thanks for sharing the recipe.
I agree with you Chris. They were easy and fun to make and the final taste was delicious but it didn’t have the strong cheesy taste I thought it would. I also forgot to add the chives and Jalapenos sound good to add. Overall it tasted great and was perfect for my family to share.
These were so good and an ideal finger-food for our son’s class party. I did omit the chives for the kids though. ; ) I am wondering, with a family of six, can I make a casserole dish out of this recipe in a 9×13 pan for ourselves? Has anyone tried that yet? Wondering if I’d need to double it. Thanks for the recipe, Chungah!
I want to make these and wondered if anyone has tried jalapeno in these?
These were really good…and such a cute idea. The crumb topping was the bomb…it really makes the dish. I made the mac and cheese early in the day, refrigerated it, and then assembled and cooked it at dinner time. I agree that the macaroni sticks to the paper liners. Not sure how you can get around that… but its not a deal breaker. I ate mine with a fork out of the wrapper and didn’t worry about the bits that stuck to the wrapper. I didn’t want to try a foil liner because then you can’t put those in the microwave to reheat the next day. So I will still do the paper liners when I make them again.
Silicone cupcake liners! They are always nonstick and best of all they’re reusable
You can buy parchment cupcake liners bot in the traditional style and tulip shape. Those don’t stick to anything! I love them!
Very tasty and what a great idea to make them in muffin cups! I made these for my elderly parents and they enjoy the convenience and appreciate the portion control. Eating them piping hot, fresh from the oven is best, but reheating them in the oven (or the microwave on 70% power) also gave fantastic results.
Be sure to add the chives on top. The added flavor is amazing!
These are delicious!! Omg! I could eat the whole kettle before the oven! But I didn’t! These are so wonderful!
Can you use paper cupcake wrappers to cook Mac and cheese does it stick to paper
Yesterday I made the sheet pan version and this cups version for a party. The sheet on version was okay but these Mac and cheese cups sell out every time. I have tried with regular paper baking liner of which the cups get stuck to then, doing Crisco to the muffin tins which is a mess to get out sometimes and next will try them with foil muffin cups. People seem to really like they can pick these up to eat at parties and a kid and adult favorite.
This was absolutely delightful delish! I’ve got some real picky eaters and would add broccoli and even some chicken or even tofu into this recipe. I only had soy milk (sweetened) on hand so I used heavy cream instead. I think it made the pasta more greasy but still so yummy good! Is there a cupcake liner you prefer to use?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these! I don’t have a cupcake liner I prefer – I typically grab whichever ones are available at my local grocery store.
When you say 2 cups macaroni, do you mean dry, uncooked? So that would be roughly 200g? I am living in a country that doesn’t use cups and trying to figure out the equivalent. Thanks!
Yes, 2 cups uncooked elbows pasta.
I have a question, I would like to make this as a side dish on my thanksgiving table. Can I make this a day before?
Yes, you can! 🙂
Would this recipe work in mini muffin tins?? Thanks!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Love this recipe – is the 2 cups of mac cooked or dry when measured?
Dry.
I would like to make and cook these one day to take to a gathering the next day. Can I just put them in the fridge after cooking them until it is time to take them to the gathering?
Yes, you certainly can but this is best when served warm rather than cold.
Awesome work Chungah! We love making our own panko-style breadcrumbs, as they aren’t available here in Greece, and one of the things we like is adding a hint of smoked paprika as well. It would work perfectly with your recipe!
Can’t wait to try these, kudos!
Greetings from Athens,
Mirella and Panos
Do you find the egg is a must? My son is egg allergic, and I’m curious to see if omitting would cause issue. Thoughts? Thanks!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications. Sorry, Andrea!
Egg probably just helps it hold together better and come out of the wrappers cleaner. They’ll probably taste the same/ very similar without it, but be a little goopier when you try to eat them. So still tasty, but potentially messy.
If I wanted to make this vegan how would I do so? I personally not vegan but for my friends.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications. Sorry, Kira!
This looks absolutely amazing , and it’s a great idea. I can’t wait to make some. Yummy! Happy Holidays