recipe share: Fried Mac & Cheese Balls

Hi all!

Sorry, nothing crafty from me today, but I thought I'd share a recipe. :) I still love cooking, but with my crafty mojo being as awesome as it is right now, I just don't have time! *lol*

Anyway, a few months ago I attended J's preschool Easter Celebration. Each of the kids (well, the moms) were assigned to bring a specific dish to share. We were assigned chicken nuggets. Unfortunately, I had to work the night before and didn't have time to create some awesome chicken nuggets so instead I had to resort to bringing Dinosaur Chicken. I know, *gasp*, right?

Anyway, there was a mom in the class who brought Fried Mac & Cheese Balls with warm Marinara Sauce to dip them in. Oh.my.goodness. Talk about party in tummy! I was lucky enough to get the recipe from her. So happy to be sharing it with you.

INGREDIENTS
1 family size box of Mac and cheese (the biggest one) - I used 2 regular-sized boxes.
1 bag of cheese (I like to use the 4 cheese mix) - I used the 2 cup shredded Italian blend.
1 bag of panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 jar of marinara sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. make the mac & cheese fallowing the instructions on the box. Then while still hot add the bag of cheese and a little bit more of milk (so it doesn't get too dry).
2. Let it cool down until is cold enough to make the balls. Once you have all the balls cover them and put them in the freezer.
3. The next day (or when the balls get firm) beat the eggs, put them in a shallow dish, and in a different dish put the panko breadcrumbs. Remove the mac & cheese balls from the freezer, coat into the egg wash, and then dredge in breading. When you are done with all of the balls put them back to the freezer.
4. When they are firm (wait overnight) you can fry them.... don't be shy with the oil. Just remember that the oil has to be hot, otherwise the balls get to oily. It usually takes 2 day to make the balls.

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It seemed like it was time consuming, but it really wasn't. I made the mac & cheese and formed them into balls on a Friday night and put them in the freezer. On Saturday I did the egg wash and dredged them in the breadcrumbs. On Sunday I cooked them. I could probably make a big batch to save for later if I wanted, but at the time we didn't have a big enough freezer. They were definitely a hit a get-together I had at my house! A huge tip though - serve them HOT! They get too soggy when they sit out for a bit.

Enjoy! Happy Saturday! (Thanks for the recipe, Pamela!)

Comments

[bruinbr]

Sounds delish! Thanks so much for the recipe!

[DIANA L.]

O my---- this looks pretty yummy never heard of fried mac and cheese balls.

[Susan]

Yummy Jo! TFS this! This sounds like some good old comfort food, always a good thing! ;)

Susan
cricutandgrasshopper.blogspot.com

[Rachel]

This looks like an EVIL recipe. It looks like the kind of thing I'd wanna make all the time. I mean, why does everything have to taste so good when it's fried and crispy?

[Corinne]

Mmmmm, that looks Soooo good!!!!! Thanks for sharing!

[moncler jackets netherland]

Wow. I've been reading your stuff for about a year now and this is basically the only sh*t I dont agree with. Give atleast a little credit where credit is due. Kobe got his ass kicked by this so called fluke. So what? Chill out. No one said the Rockets were the best team.