Baked Mac 'n Cheese Balls with Bacon and Roasted Garlic

Mac 'n Cheese, who doesn't love it? Childhood memories, comfort food...and I'm not talking about the stuff that comes in a blue box, I'm talking real, made from scratch cheesy goodness. Mac 'n cheese balls seem to be very trendy right now, time to try them out!

Last time we had mac 'n cheese, I made some extra, and left in to chill in the fridge overnight.

There was already cooked, chopped bacon in the mac 'n cheese, so I gave it another boost by adding some roasted garlic, more grated cheddar and grated mozarella, a good handful of each.





A good mix with clean hands to blend everything and then it was time to make the balls.

 I used a 4oz ice cream scoop, pressing the pasta in well and rounding it slightly before removing it from the scoop.

Rolling the balls into rounds was tricky as the sauce was sticking to my hands, but that problem was solved by dipping them in cold water every now and then. After the balls were formed, they went into the freezer overnight.
They can be prepared to this point and kept in the freezer until you are ready to finish them off, which gives you something quick and easy when you are pressed for time.

While the oven was pre-heating to 425F, I set up a breading station:

• flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 whisked eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper
• breadcrumbs

The mac 'n cheese balls went into the flour to coat, then into the egg and lastly into the breadcrumbs. I had an ovenproof dish ready and waiting....they were baked for 30 minutes and came out of the oven golden, crispy, hot and gooey inside, thanks to the mozzarella I had added.

 

We ate them for lunch, with some warmed tomato sauce, yummy on a rainy day! Try these, your kids (big and small) will thank you!