Wholesome Mac and Cheese Bites

How to Make Healthy Mac and Cheese Bites

Now for ALL the melted cheese.

Healthy mac and cheese bites are super easy to make! You're essentially making a cheesy casserole and dividing it into mini muffin tins.

To prep...

You'll start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees and greasing a mini muffin tin with your favorite nonstick spray (I like olive, coconut, or avocado oil sprays). Alternatively, you can use butter, olive oil, or mini parchment paper muffin tin liners.

When it comes to the cheese sauce, you'll need to move through steps pretty quickly, so I recommend preparing and measuring your ingredients while the oven is preheating.

1. Cook the pasta. I usually start here since you can prep the rest of the ingredients while water is boiling. Prep pasta according to package instructions, then drain with cool water.
2. Prep your add-ins (totally optional, but delicious). Chop up any veggies, herbs, or other add-ins (I usually do this while the pasta is boiling!). If you're using veggies like onion, jalapeño, or bell peppers, I recommend dicing them finely so they fully cook through in the oven. For meat or sturdier ingredients, such as sweet potatoes, you'll need to cook those prior to adding them to the mac and cheese bites (which is why I often use leftovers :)).
3. Measure out cheese sauce ingredients. Once you're ready to start the cheese sauce, things will move pretty quickly, so it's best if you're ready to rock. Grate your Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, whisk your egg, and measure out butter, flour, milk, salt, and garlic powder.
4. Make breadcrumbs. If you already have whole wheat breadcrumbs on hand, feel free to use those! I love making my own breadcrumbs because it helps me reduce waste (use up bread). Simply toast two pieces of bread and blitz them in a food processor until crumbs form. Sometimes I even toss in some Everything Bagel Seasoning...

You, my friend, are ready for mac and cheese bites.

Now that you have prepped all your ingredients, you are officially ready to get in on some healthy mac and cheese bite action.

1. Make the roux. The roux is the base that thickens this creamy cheese sauce, which you'll start off in the sauté pan by heating the butter together with the flour and spices. Allow the butter to melt over medium heat, and then add the flour, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir gently in the pan until the mixture is heated and combined.
2. Add the milk. Slowly pour the milk into the pan, whisking the mixture all the while. Continue to whisk over medium heat until the mixture is well combined.
3. Add the cheese. When the milk just starts to bubble, turn off the stove heat and immediately add the grated cheese. Stir the mixture until the cheese has all melted in.
4. Fold in the pasta. Once the cheese has melted, immediately fold in the pasta and stir until well-coated. If you're adding herbs, sautéed veggies, or other add-ins to the entire batch, you can stir them in as well. If you're only adding them to part of the batch, wait until you've filled some of the muffin cups before folding add-ins into the remaining mac and cheese.
5. Mix in the egg. Allow the mac and cheese to cool for five minutes before stirring in your whisked egg, evenly distributing throughout the mac and cheese mixture. Make sure you don't skip the part where you allow the sauce to cool slightly, as this will prevent the egg from scrambling.

Assemble and Bake Mac and Cheese Bites!

In your prepared mini muffin tin, scoop the mac and cheese mixture into each cup, dividing it evenly across. Sprinkle the tops with breadcrumbs.

Bake the bites at 400 for 25 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden and tops slightly crispy.

For best results, allow the mac and cheese bites to cool for ten minutes before removing -- they tend to fall apart easier when they're piping hot...

Then, DEVOUR!

Some Flavor Combination Ideas

• Jalapeño Chipotle: Add diced fresh or pickled jalapeños and chipotle seasoning.
• Garlic Rosemary: Add in couple cloves of minced garlic and fresh rosemary.
• Pineapple Bacon (or Ham): Add diced pineapple and crumbled bacon, chopped Canadian bacon, or ham.
• Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Green Onion: Add black beans, chopped roasted sweet potato, and green onions.
• Smoky Chicken: Add cooked (chopped or shredded) chicken and smoked paprika.
• Bacon. Just straight-up bacon.

Freezing & Storing Mac and Cheese Bites

To Store: You can store mac and cheese bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

To Freeze: Freeze healthy mac and cheese bites in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to three months.

These bad boys are best reheated in an oven to bring those crispy-topped breadcrumbs back to life, but the microwave will work in a pinch.

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