I feel like I really thrive when it comes to Super Bowl appetizers or fun appetizers in general. I like to get excited about the food I’m putting out for guests. Don’t get me wrong.. I love when my chicken wings come with carrots and celery to dip in the blue cheese dressing, but I don’t want the veggies as the main dish! You really can’t go wrong with buffalo. Buffalo chicken dip being served? Devouring it. Wings? Forget about it. Buffalo MAC AND CHEESE??? Come on!
Buffalo Mac & Cheese Bites
Yield:
48 bites total (2 batches using a 24 cup mini muffin tray)
Prep Time:
5 minutes
Cook Time:
55 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb elbow pasta
- Small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 8 oz yellow sharp cheddar, shredded
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
- 1-2 tbsps olive oil
- Olive oil spray, or cooking spray
- Optional - panko crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven 425°F. Grease muffin tray, set aside. Arrange cauliflower on large baking sheet, toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta following cooking instructions to one minute shy of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta, cooking water. Once cauliflower is roasted, chopped into small bite-size pieces.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cream cheese and buffalo sauce. Whisk in 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. To a large bowl, add pasta, cauliflower, buffalo mixture and cheddar cheese. Mix to coat macaroni and cauliflower in buffalo sauce.
- Scoop mac & cheese mixture into each muffin cup (I used a small cookie scoop). Slightly press mac & cheese into each cup. Sprinkle Panko crumbs on top of each bite.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allowed to cool for 5-10 minutes. Use a butter knife to remove each bite from tray and enjoy!
