Description
These jalapeño popper mac & cheese bites combine the creamy goodness of mac and cheese with the awesomeness of jalapeño poppers! Baking these in mini muffin tins makes them easy to enjoy and perfect for any casual gathering.
Ingredients
- 1 large jalapeño
- 1/3 pound (5 ½ ounces) pasta (we used small elbow macaroni)
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon (7 grams) flour
- 1 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 ounces (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces (½ cup) cream cheese
- 5 strips bacon, cooked crisp and roughly chopped (½ cup or 1-2 ounces cooked bacon)
- blue cheese crumbles or extra bacon crumbles for topping (OPTIONAL)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Set a medium-small pot of water on the stove to boil. While the water is coming to a boil, prep the jalapeño.
- Cut the jalapeño in half and remove the seeds. (We recommend wearing gloves when working with hot peppers. Wash your hands multiple times when finished. Remember NEVER touch your face when working with hot peppers.)
- Slice 12-15 thin slices from one half of the jalapeño and cut these in half so you have 24 small slices (you’ll use these to top the mac and cheese bites before baking). Set aside.
- Dice the remaining jalapeño into small pieces by slicing into strips and then cut the strips into small pieces. Set aside.
- Once the water boils, salt the water and stir in the pasta. Cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions for al dente. Drain, rinse in cold water (to stop the cooking process) and set aside.
- Return the empty pasta pot to the stovetop on medium heat. Add butter and flour and stir together. Cook for about a minute until the flour is just starting to turn golden brown and smelling like toasted almonds.
- Add the milk slowly into the flour-butter mixture and whisk until well combined. Adding the milk slowly and whisking constantly will help eliminate any lumps forming.
- Reduce heat to low, add salt and pepper to taste, and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Turn the heat off and add the shredded cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Add the cooked pasta, chopped crispy bacon, and diced jalapeños to the cheese sauce and stir until everything is well coated.
- Fill the muffin pans over the top with the jalapeño mac & cheese and gently press down to fill the cup. Add more pasta to the cup as needed to fill it to the top.
- OPTIONAL: Sprinkle the top of each cup with some crumbled blue cheese or additional bacon.
- Place a slice of jalapeño on top of each cup.
- Loosely cover the top of the mini muffin pan and place in a 450°F oven. You can use a piece of parchment, another pan, or foil.
- Bake for 10 minutes, remove the cover and continue baking another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the sides of each bite are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes (so you don't burn your hands) then remove from the pan.
- Serve warm with a side of Blue Cheese Dip.
Notes
Cook pasta 3-4 minutes less than the time recommended on the package, drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven and undercooking now will help prevent a mushy bite.
Additions and Substitutions. Use white cheddar cheese, fontina, havarti, goat cheese, gruyere, or smoked gouda for some or all of the cheddar cheese. Add garlic, roasted garlic, or shallot to the sauce when you add the jalapeño for extra flavor. Use our favorite Magic Cauliflower Cream from Life As A Strawberry in place of the butter, flour, and milk.
It may seem like a lot of sauce in the mac and cheese, but this will help keep the bites from drying out and also help form a nice crisp exterior as they bake. This recipe can easily be doubled!
These bites are perfect for making ahead of time. Refrigerate the baked bites or the unbaked pasta mix for up to 4 days. Reheat baked bites in a 300°F oven until warmed through. For unbaked mixture, fill muffin tins and bake according to the recipe when ready. Adjust the spice levels. Use less of the pepper if you’d like less spice or for more spice, use additional jalapeños. Roast the jalapeños first for a milder flavor.
How to remove from the tin. Simply glide a spoon around the edges of each muffin cup and use it to gently lift the bite out. Transfer to a cooling rack (if making ahead of time) or serving platter (if serving immediately).
Silicone vs metal muffin pan. We tested this with a silicone muffin pan and a metal muffin pan, and both yielded excellent jalapeño popper mac & cheese cups! Silicone pans will take about 5 minutes longer than metal to achieve that desired crispiness. If using metal, after removing the cover, check at the 10 minute mark.
How to serve. Place on a platter and serve hot. A side of Blue Cheese Dip adds another layer to this bite.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bite
- Calories: 82
- Sugar: 0.9 g
- Sodium: 178.1 mg
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
- Cholesterol: 13.4 mg
