Do you have a favorite appetizer you like to make? A go-to recipe that you know everyone will love? Even though the Holiday Season is over, there are always occasions that I need a good appetizer to serve. You may belong to a book club, a wine club, host girls night out or a get together with neighbors and/or some close friends. Maybe your husband has poker night with his buddies and you want to make some food for them. Whatever the occasion may be, having a good selection of appetizers to choose from is a must. Everyone loves having bite size food that is easy to make and even easier to serve & eat. I love having a selection of cold appetizers as well as some hot appetizers to serve.
Some of you may be asking yourself, how do I know how much to make for your party. I get this question quite often when I host a party. A good rule of thumb is to make:
- 12 total appetizers per person if hosting a cocktail party, with no dinner.
- 6 Total appetizers per person, if serving dinner after your appetizers.
What you need to figure into this is how many different appetizers you are serving to your guests. If you need to bring a dish to a party, you can always ask approx. how many people they are expecting. If you are unsure how many dishes are being served, it should be safe to make about 4-5 bites/appetizers per person of whatever you are making (for a cocktail party) and about 1/2 of that if they are also serving dinner. I try to always ask if the host would prefer a hot or cold dish or if there is something specific they could use or would like.
I have made these Mac n Cheese Bites several times. I recently made them for a Holiday party that was all appetizers. I made about 5 per person. These Mac n Cheese bites are simple to make, easy to transport and even easier to re-heat and serve. They are so addicting so I always make a big batch of them because they tend to disappear quickly.
If I need to bring them to a party, I will make them ahead. Sometimes I will make them the day before, cover and place in fridge until I need them. If I make them ahead, I will cook them for about 1/2 the amount of the cooking time. Just enough to get them to setup. I then let them cool completely, transfer them to a baking sheet and cover. I then transport them to the party, top them with a little extra shredded cheese, pop them in the oven to finish cooking and heat them through. Transfer them to a serving platter and garnish with your fresh herbs. If I bring any food that needs to be heated, I like to use a disposable baking tray whenever possible. That way it is an easier cleanup for the host. They will love you for that!
Give the recipe a try at your next party. Let me know what you think or feel free to share your favorite go-to appetizers. Would love to hear from you.
Mangia! Enjoy!
Mac n Cheese Bites
Makes approx. 48, Appetizer size
Ingredients
2 sleeves, Ritz Crackers, crushed
2 Cups, White Cheddar Cheese, grated
2 Cups, Colby Jack Cheese
8 Tablespoons, Butter, melted
1 Box, Elbow Macaroni
5.2 oz, Garlic & Herb cheese spread
4 Tablespoons, Butter, melted
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup, Milk
1/4 Cup, Sour Cream
1/2 Teaspoon, Salt
Pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons, Fresh Parsley, plus more for garnish
Instructions
Mac n Cheese Bite Size Appetizer
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Spray mini muffin tins and set aside.
Cook the pasta according to the package. I cook mine al dente since these will also bake in the oven. I also add about 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil and 1 Tablespoon of Kosher Salt to the water when cooking my pasta.
Crush your Ritz crackers in a food processor, then transfer them to a mixing bowl. I used my mini food processor so I had to crush the crackers in a couple of batches. You want them to be somewhat fine. Add 1 Cup of the White Cheddar to the crackers plus 1 Cup of the Colby Jack Cheese and mix well. Add the melted stick of butter and toss until all combined and the mixture is nice and crumbly. Transfer about 1 teaspoon of the mixture to each mini muffin tin and press the mixture down and up the sides. As you are pressing the mixture into the cups you may find that you need to add a little more of the cracker mixture to the cups. Set the muffin tins aside.
When the pasta is done cooking, drain it (do not rinse the pasta) and then transfer it to a large mixing bowl. To the hot pasta, add the Garlic & Cheese spread, adding a spoonful at a time to evenly distribute it. Also add the remaining melted butter, 1/2 Cup of the White Cheddar and 1/2 Cup of the Colby Jack Cheese. Mix the pasta well so that it gets coated with the cheeses and butter.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sour cream, S&P. Add this mixture to the pasta and stir well. Add a spoonful of the pasta mixture to each muffin tin, without it overflowing.
Add the remaining shredded cheeses to the top of the mac n cheese bites. Bake in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
Remove from oven, let them cool for a minute or so. Transfer the mac n cheese bites to a serving platter. I usually run a sharp paring knife around the mac n cheese bite to loosen it from the muffin tin. Garnish with your parsley.
Mangia! Enjoy! I bet you can’t just eat one of these! or two or three!! they are so addicting!
Tips
You can make less of these Mac n Cheese bites if you have a smaller crowd. But, I can tell you that once you try them you will want to eat several of them. So, small or large crowd, I usually always start with 48 of these!
The crust with the Ritz crackers, butter and cheese give these such a rich taste. They really do make this recipe.
You can play around with and add or substitute any cheeses that you like. If you like a little spice or heat you could add a spicy cheese like Pepper Jack. Or you can add a little Cayenne Pepper or some red pepper flakes.
If I have any leftover Mac n Cheese I place it into a larger ramekin or baking dish and cook off the leftovers. My kids love to eat whatever is leftover from making the appetizers.