Mac & Cheese Balls (Fritters): Baked Cheese Decadence

Is there anybody who doesn’t like seeing cheese balls on the appetizer menu of a restaurant? And, of course, everyone loves mac and cheese. Well, we’ve found a way to put those two together.

Usually, mac and cheese balls are prepared by deep frying the ingredients. But, frying won’t help our health. It’s messy, dangerous, and not worth the trouble.

Baked cheese is just as amazing as its fried counterpart. And don’t question that until you try our baked mac and cheese balls.

So, we’re actually going to be baking instead of frying the cheese fritters to make things a bit healthier and save you the trouble of cleaning up the kitchen.

And, we’re going to teach you how to make baked cheese with our recipe. Keep on reading to get the full instructions and the ingredients list.

And, to try the best fritters you’ll find in Miami, visit Burgermeister and check out our app menu.

Ingredients

• 1 batch of already prepared mac and cheese
• Two eggs
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 cup seasoned Breadcrumbs

Instructions

Step 1 – Prepare the Mac and Cheese

Your cheese fritters are going to be only as good as their base. And, the base of these baked mac and cheese balls is obvious. So, we’ll start by preparing the mac and cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Elbow pasta
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1 1/2 cups of Milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 1/2 cups Half and Half
• 2 cups of Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cups of Gruyere Cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika

Instructions

Start preparing the food by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water is bubbly, you can add the dried elbow pasta.

Follow the instructions on the box for the cooking time and reduce it by one minute. 

Then, drain the pasta and drizzle with some olive oil. This will give it some more flavor and keep the macaroni from sticking.

While the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the cheeses. Shred both the Cheddar and the Gruyere and mix them together. Separate into two piles of 1 1/2 cups of mixed cheese.

Next, it’s time to melt the butter. 

Put a large saucepan on the stove, set it to medium heat, and add the butter. Once it’s melted, sprinkle some flour and whisk the ingredients to combine. Keep whisking for the next minute, then slowly pour in 2 cups of milk and half and half mixture.

Keep constantly whisking until the mixture reaches a smooth texture. Then, pour the remaining milk and half and half and continue whisking to achieve the same smooth texture.

Your sauce will be ready for the next step once it reaches a thick texture resembling a condensed soup.

Then, remove the pan from the stove, add the spices, and 1 1/2 cups cheese. Stir to melt and combine the ingredients, then add another 1 1/2 cups cheese and repeat the process.

Finally, get a large mixing bowl. Add the pasta and the cheese sauce and stir to combine. And there you go, you’ve made a perfect batch of mac and cheese.

Now you’re ready to proceed and start making our famous cheese fritters.

Step 2 – Refrigerate the Mac and Cheese

Once you’ve finished the first step and your mac and cheese is ready, you’ll have to refrigerate it for a while. 

Our advice is to leave the pasta in the fridge for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Place in it an airtight container, leave it in the refrigerator, and use it once enough time has passed.

That step is crucial because it allows the macaroni to dry out and the cheese to fully solidify, making it easier to work with. So, make sure you plan ahead and leave enough time for the mac to cool.

If you are in a hurry, try using a freezer to speed up the process.

After the mac and cheese have chilled, you can proceed to the next steps of making cheese fritters.

Step 3 – 15 Minutes Before the Start

Fifteen minutes before you start making our famous baked cheese, you’ll need to do some final preparations. 

Place the mac and cheese container into the freezer to give it a final blast of cold. Then, prepare the remaining ingredients for work.

Place eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls and leave them on the counter for later.

Step 4 – Preheating the Oven

Step 4 is pretty straightforward—Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Then, line two baking sheets and drizzle some olive oil on each of them. Smear the oil around using your hands, and set the sheets aside.

You can use aluminum foil or parchment paper if you don’t have baking sheets. Or, you could use neither, but that guarantees some pan cleaning after you’re done with everything.

Step 5 – How to Make Mac and Cheese Balls

This is the step where we show you how to make mac and cheese balls in detail. The most important part starts with removing the pasta from the freezer.

The size of the cheese balls is up to you, but if you wish to follow our recipe, a tablespoon is the way to go. So, scoop a tablespoon of mac and cheese and shape it into a ball. Follow the same process for the rest of your prepared pasta.

Depending on how well you chilled the mac, you might need to use your hands more or less. Regardless, prepare the balls and roll each one through the flour.

Then, dip it into the egg and roll through the breadcrumbs. 

That fritter is ready for baking. So, you can leave it on the sheet with olive oil. Finish the remaining cheese balls and place them on the baking sheets, and you can proceed to the final steps.

Step 6 – Baking

It takes less than 20 minutes to bake the fritters to perfection. Don’t be scared if the smoke detector goes off. It’s a small price to pay for these fantastic mac and cheese balls.

After the first 10 minutes, remove the trays from the oven and smear all the fritters with olive oil.

Then, flip the balls over, and return the trays to the oven for another seven to ten minutes.

Once the fritters are golden brown, take them out and serve immediately. 

Feel free to include a dipping sauce as a follow-up. Spicy mustard, chipotle mayo, and many others work well with this recipe.

Visit Burgermeister

If you’re ever hungry in Miami, visit Burgermeister. Not only do we serve mac and cheese fritters as an appetizer, but we have the best burgers in the city. If you don’t believe us, come and see for yourself.