Our Baked Mac and Cheese Bites recipe begins with a box of macaroni and cheese with creamy cheddar sauce. By adding just a few more ingredients and baking in mini muffin cups you’ll have a cheesy bite size appetizer that will be the hit of any get together, and oh so easy to make!
Mac and Cheese Bites Recipe
Everyone loves mac ‘n cheese! Why not serve your favorite comfort food, macaroni and cheese, as mini bites? You’ll be the hit of the party, family movie night or game day watching, when you serve this favorite comfort food as mini mac and cheese bites!
And how much easier can it get than starting with a box mix that already has the cheese sauce included?
I mean, really now, did you ever think about making mac and cheese bites using boxed mac and cheese? Brilliant idea, right?
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By adding just a few more ingredients, an egg, shredded cheese and buttery panko breadcrumbs, and baking in mini muffin cups, you’ll have bites of cheesy goodness that will be irresistible and an easy macaroni and cheese recipe that transforms into an adorable appetizer or snack.
Serve warm or at room temperature, either way, everyone will love these baked mac and cheese bites with the perfect bit of buttery Panko breadcrumbs crunch.
Honestly, how much fun are these baked mac and cheese bites when they’re baked up into a mini size? Comfort food in just a bite! Bet you can’t eat just one!
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How to make baked mac and cheese bites
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Preheat oven to 350F. Generously coat 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Transfer to bowl.
- Stir in cheese sauce from mix, beaten egg and ½ cup shredded cheese. Divide evenly in prepared pans.
- In small bowl combine Panko, remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and butter.
Sprinkle over macaroni and cheese. - Bake, in batches if necessary, 25 minutes or until golden and hot. Let stand in pans 10 minutes. Run knife around rims of bites to release. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- You can make this appetizer recipe ahead and reheat in the oven before serving
- Stir in crumbled crispy bacon
Substitutions
- Replace the shredded cheddar cheese with shredded Mexican cheese
- You can substitute regular breadcrumbs for the panko breadcrumbs
Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
If you love anything and everything mac and cheese as much as I do then you'll definitely be adding these recipes to your menu rotation!
Creamy Cheddar Mac ‘N Cheese is the perfect comfort food recipe to feed a crowd! Creamy sharp cheddar sauce not only coats the pasta but also hides inside the little shells making each bite pop with cheesiness! You can easily halve this recipe to feed just a few!
Surrounded by a creamy cheddar sauce, every spoonful of cauliflower in Cauliflower Mac ‘N Cheese is bursting with cheesy goodness! Trust me, you won’t miss the pasta! Serve as a side dish or a main dish, the choice is yours. Mac ‘N Cheese will never be the same again.
Guaranteed to be a family favorite, Irish Cheddar Mac ‘n Cheese is both creamy and cheesy, and you don’t have to be Irish to love it because everyone loves mac n cheese! Make it with an Irish cheddar cheese and you're all set for an Irish celebration.
One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese is an easy dinner recipe that combines two all-time comfort food favorites, mac and cheese and chili. This one pot recipe is filled with cheesy saucy goodness, pasta and ground beef chili, and yes, it’s made in just one pot!
One Pot Mac N Cheese is an easy recipe for a busy weeknight dinner. Homemade mac and cheese is so easy to make when the pasta, cheesy sauce and breadcrumb topping are all cooked in the same skillet. No more blue box needed!
Bacon Mac and Cheese Bites is an easy recipe for a last minute holiday appetizer. With just three ingredients you can have this bite of cheesy goodness in just minutes! Bacon with macaroni and cheese is a perfect combination of two comfort foods for a holiday recipe that everyone will love!
Let your slow cooker do the cooking with our Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese recipe, an easy recipe for mac and cheese that is creamy, cheesy and saucy. Everything cooks together in your slow cooker, including the pasta, for this mouthwatering mac n cheese!
There’s nothing quite like the comfort of macaroni ‘n cheese. Enhance it with the fall flavor of butternut squash and comfort never tasted so good! Our Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese recipe is so versatile that you can get daring and switch out the butternut squash for sweet potato, acorn squash, zucchini or even fresh pumpkin! And you might even get your kids to eat their veggies!
Mini Mac ‘n Cheese Bites
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Ingredients
- 1 (12 oz.) pkg. deluxe macaroni and cheddar dinner with creamy cheddar cheese sauce
- 1 egg ,lightly beaten
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ,divided
- ¼ cup seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 Tb. butter ,melted
- 2 Tbs. chopped parsley
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Generously coat 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Transfer to bowl.
- Stir in cheese sauce from mix, beaten egg and ½ cup shredded cheese. Divide evenly in prepared pans.
- In small bowl combine Panko, remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and butter.
- Sprinkle over macaroni and cheese.
- Bake, in batches if necessary, 25 minutes or until golden and hot. Let stand in pans 10 minutes. Run knife around rims of bites to release. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
oh so good your right cant have just one
Hi Gwynn, could I make these ahead??
Hi Holly, you can certainly make these ahead and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. Then let them come to room temperature and reheat them in the oven at a low temperature, maybe at 275°. Reheat them in the mini muffin pan so they hold their shape. Let me know how they work out!
I made them but added scallion, sweet peppers & garlic powder. They were delicious.
Micki, those sound like delicious additions! Yum!