Baked Mac & Cheese Cups Recipe

Sometimes, even though you’ve made those New Year’s Resolutions and sworn off all things buttery, cheesy and bacony – you find yourself whipping up a batch of oven baked mac and cheese cups.  The heart wants what the heart wants, amirite?

But seriously – when the kids are home on break and hungry – and there’s a little leftover ham in the fridge from the holidays – this is a yummy solution 🙂

Check out how to make these Baked Mac & Cheese Cups for your hungry loved ones….

 

What you need:

• 4 Cups of cooked elbow macaroni noodles
• 3/4 Cup Milk
• 2 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter, melted
• Diced ham or bacon (optional)
• Cayenne pepper, black pepper, or other seasonings (optional)

Directions for Baked Mac & Cheese Cups

 

1 . Preheat oven to 350 and spray a muffin tin lightly with nonstick spray.

2 . Melt 1/3 stick of butter in a small bowl and stir in a sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers and 1 cup of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

 

 

3 . Press the crust mixture firmly into each muffin tin cup, making sure to flatten it up the sides a little ways as well.  Fill all twelve muffin tins.

4 .  Mix the noodles, beaten eggs, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar and the last bit of melted butter together.  Add a dash of cayenne pepper for more flavor (garlic, or even cajun seasoning would be yummy here as well)

5 . Next, spoon the macaroni and cheese mixture into each cup, topping with an extra sprinkle of shredded cheese (Um – and bacon if that floats your boat!  It always floats mine…)  I like using my favorite herb scissors to cut up my bacon easily!

6 . Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, letting the top get a tiny bit browned and crispy before removing.

Let sit and cool for just a bit before scooping them out of the pan.

 

Cut open and enjoy!

 

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Macaroni and Cheese in the Crockpot

Jalapeno Cheddar Pull Apart Bread

Grilled Mac & Cheese Sandwich