BLT Mac and Cheese Bites

This week, I was invited to help out with an entry into a macaroni and cheese cook off! And let me tell you, these BLT Mac and Cheese bites were a showstopper!

You could cook whatever kind of macaroni and cheese recipe you wanted, as long as it had the two main ingredients: macaroni and cheese. Other than that, the sky was the limit. I was recruited to help create an outstanding macaroni and cheese recipe, and I came up with the idea of BLT macaroni and cheese bites.

I chose the “bites” version of this BLT macaroni and cheese because it makes it so easy to take your mac and cheese on the go (should you find yourself in a sudden macaroni and cheese cooking competition)! It would also be a great way to serve macaroni and cheese as an appetizer at a party or as a snack for kids. I also chose to make it BLT mac and cheese, because…well…I love bacon. You probably already know, as most of my recipes on this site include bacon, but yeah, I just love it – plain and simple. The tomatoes and spinach really added great texture and taste to the mac and cheese too, though. So don’t discount the L & T!

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces elbow pasta
• 6 cups fresh spinach
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 pound bacon
• 3 cups Ritz cracker crumbs
• 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream

(Just FYI, this recipe makes a REALLY large amount of BLT mac and cheese, so don’t be afraid to halve all of the ingredients your first time around making it.)

Directions:

1. Cook your bacon in a pan on the stove top or in the oven (your preference). Place on paper towels and set aside to cool.
2. Boil the elbow pasta in a large pot of water until slightly less than al dente. Drain the pasta well.
3. While the pasta is cooking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
4. Mix together the Ritz cracker crumbs, 3/4 cup of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese and the melted butter until fully combined.
5. Line two standard size muffin tins with paper liners, spraying each liner as well as the top of the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the cracker mixture into each muffin liner, reserving the remaining mixture for topping. Using the flat bottom of a small glass, press the cracker mixture firmly into the bottom of each liner.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained pasta, the remaining shredded cheddar cheese, cold butter, and spinach.
7. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sour cream, and cream cheese.
8. Slice each grape tomato in half and add tomatoes to the pasta mixture.
9. Crumble bacon slices and add to the pasta mixture.
10. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the pasta mixture and thoroughly stir all of the ingredients together to combine.
11. Divide the pasta mixture between each muffin liner, placing on top of the cracker mixture.
12. Top mac and cheese cupcakes with the remaining cracker mixture.
13. Place in oven and bake until light golden brown – about 30 minutes.
14. Enjoy!

As a side note, I just want to say this is kind of a labor-intensive recipe. It could be because it was my first time making macaroni and cheese from scratch, but it seems like a good cooking project to get your kids or husband or a friend to help out with. Your helpers will also LOVE helping to taste test the BLT mac and cheese bites when they’re done!