Macaroni and Cheese Muffins ~ Kid Friendly Finger Food

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We love homemade macaroni and cheese around here anyway we can get it but this version, made as a muffin, is a great kid-friendly food that is perfect for dinner, as an appetizer, as a side dish for a cookout or anytime you're looking for something fun and easy.  I chose the Kraft Fresh Take Smokey Mesquite BBQ and the aroma and taste were absolutely perfect for this time of year {and an easy addition to this basic recipe}.  The bread crumbs that came IN the packet {Smokey Mesquite BBQ} enhanced the overall taste of the mac 'n cheese muffins without overpowering it and the cheese, that was also in the packet, was just what this recipe needed.

What gives this basic recipe a twist is the use of Kraft Fresh Take which is available in several different flavor combinations making this an easy meal to customize for different occasions.  The next time I buy the Kraft Fresh Take {which I definitely will be doing!}, I'm going to buy the Italian Parmesan and make a spaghetti casserole with meatballs ~ yum!

I found the Kraft Fresh Take on my shopping trip to Walmart right with all of the other fresh cheeses.

The Fresh Take is a single package with flavored bread crumbs on one side and fresh shredded cheese in a complementary flavor on the other {you can see all the details here on G+}.

These little Mac 'n Cheese muffins filled the house with the aroma of a good old fashioned Mesquite BBQ ~ as soon as they were cool enough the boys were more than ready to eat them.

In no time there was only one little lonely muffin left.....

but not for long!

📖 Recipe

Macaroni and Cheese Muffins ~ Kid Friendly Finger Food

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Ingredients

• Kraft Fresh Take Smokey Mesquite BBQ
• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin with butter.
• In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs from the Fresh Take packet with the olive oil and set aside.
• Cook macaroni according to the package directions cooking for about 8 minutes so that the macaroni are still a little bit firm. Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pan; stir in the butter and egg until pasta is evenly coated.
• Reserve ½ cup of sharp Cheddar cheese and stir the remaining Cheddar cheese and Kraft Fresh Take cheese packet, and milk into the pasta.
• Spoon into the prepared muffin tin.
• Sprinkle the reserved cheese and the bread crumb mixture over the top of the macaroni and cheese muffins.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the topping is nicely browned. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. This will allow the cheese to set and they will hold their muffin shape.
• Serve with BBQ sauce if desired.

As with any of my recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish.

Servings: 12 servings

Calories:

Author: Mary Beth

Now, let's put on those family meal thinking caps and think of what you could do with this easy-to-use addition to your go-to recipes.  There are so many Kraft Fresh Take flavors to choose from ~ Cheddar Jack & Bacon, Chili Lime & Panko, Italian Parmesan, Rosemary & Roasted Garlic, Savory Four Cheese and Southwest Three Cheese.

Watch for the Kraft Fresh Possibilities Tour truck which will be making stops across the country from March through the end of July. To see if they are making a stop in your town you can check this website: Fresh Possibilities Tour: https://www.tryfreshtake.com/tour.html

Coupon alert!  There will be an IRC (immediately redeemable coupon) stuck on packages of chicken in the meat department.  The coupon takes $1.00 off the price of one (1) chicken item with the purchase of Fresh Take. The coupons will run 5/1-7/31.

You can find more product info regarding Kraft Fresh Take at www.KraftFreshTake.com.

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