Best Baked Macaroni And Cheese Balls Recipes

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE BALLS

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Balls image

If you love cheese sticks and cheese balls in restaurants, then you'll love these Baked Macaroni and Cheese Balls. Take your everyday macaroni and cheese recipe, and turn it into this great appetizer recipe. Because these cheese balls are baked, not fried, you won't feel guilty for making this easy appetizer recipe. Don't skip the step of using well-chilled mac 'n cheese prior to baking them because you want the cheese to melt in your mouth, not all over the baking sheet. These crispy and crunchy, yet soft and gooey, baked mac and cheese balls are well worth the wait. You'll find this appetizer will be the perfect addition to your game day spread. After all, who can resist a freshly-made batch of mac and cheese? So, you should make them for your friends and family as soon as possible. You'll be surprised by how quickly they disappear!

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1 (6-ounce) package of mac and cheese, plus ingredients called for on the package
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated
2 tablespoons dry parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, pepper flakes, or your favorite seasoned dry herb mix (see Notes below)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten

Steps:

Make the mac and cheese per directions on the box, adding teaspoon cayenne pepper to the mix. Remove from the cooking pan and store in a 1 quart storage container in the refrigerator at least 8 hours to become very firm. It must be very well chilled before continuing.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and rub with at least 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Save the rest of the oil for later.
Place bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and dry herbs into a shallow bowl. Place flour into another bowl and the beaten eggs into a third bowl.
Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop balls of the mac and cheese. One by one, form the balls in your hands which have been rubbed with the remaining oil. Drop each ball into the flour, then into the egg, then into the bread crumbs, rolling the ball in your oiled hands. Then, place the cheese balls an inch apart on the prepared baking pan. Continue until all of the mac and cheese is used. You should have about 20 small balls.
Bake for 10 minutes, check, and continue baking 7 to 10 minutes more or until balls are lightly browned. Be sure they do not burn on the bottom.
Serve immediately as-is or with a dip of your choice.

MACARONI AND CHEESE BAKED CHEESE BALLS

Macaroni and Cheese Baked Cheese Balls image

I love cheese sticks and cheese balls on the appetizer menu in restaurants and this is a way to take everyday macaroni and cheese and turn it into cheese balls, which are baked rather than fried. Don't skip the step of using well-chilled mac 'n cheese prior to baking them because you want the cheese to melt in your mouth, not all over the baking sheets. I promise these crispy 'n crunchy yet soft 'n gooey cheese balls are worth the wait.

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 5

Ingredients

1 batch macaroni and cheese, prepared as directed and well chilled (1 box store-bought or your favorite homemade recipe, I used one 5.5-ounce box Kraft)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
about 1 cup breadcrumbs (seasoned if preferred; I used Trader Joe's which are unseasoned)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Steps:

Prepare mac 'n cheese according to package directions. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, up to 3 days; I made these after 2 days. Chilling the mac 'n cheese is an instrumental step and cannot be skipped because the cheese needs to congeal, solidify, and dry out a bit prior to baking the cheese balls. You may be able to speed this process up and shortcut it a bit by freezing the cooked mac 'n cheese, but I have not tested it.
About 15 minutes prior to preparing the cheese balls, place the container of mac 'n cheese in the freezer for a quick cold blast. Meanwhile, place flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate small bowls; set aside.
Preheat oven to 425F and line two baking sheets with Silpats, parchment paper, or aluminum foil (line baking sheets with something to save yourself cleanup work). Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on each baking sheet, smear it around with your hands; set baking sheets aside.
Remove mac 'n cheese from the freezer and using a 1-inch cookie scoop or tablespoon-sized scoop, portion out and shape the balls, taking care not to make them larger than about 1-inch in diameter because after battering and breading, they become much larger in size. Depending on the type of noodles in your mac 'n cheese, how cold, or how cheesy the mac 'n cheese is, lightly hand-shaping the noodles into balls may be necessary rather than replying solely on a cookie scoop. Roll each ball through the flour, dip briefly in the egg, roll it through the breadcrumbs, and place it on baking sheet. Repeat until all balls have been battered, placing about 10 balls per baking tray.
Bake for 10 minutes (don't be surprised if your smoke detector goes off), remove trays from oven and add 1 tablespoon of oil to each tray and smear it around, flip balls over, and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until browned and golden. Remove from the oven and serve immediately; optionally serve with Homemade Spicy Mustard, prepared mustard, ketchup, chipotle mayo, or a favorite condiment.