Home » Appetizer » Mac and Cheese Appetizer

Mac and Cheese Appetizer

Name: Easy Baked Mac & Cheese Appetizer
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 28 min
Ingredients: 1/2 pound elbow macaroni; water to boil; salt for water; 1/2 jar RAGÚ® Double Cheddar Sauce (or more); 1/4 cup crushed butter cracker crumbs or bread crumbs

Last updated on August 14, 2020. Originally posted on January 29, 2018 By Elaine 52 Comments

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This post is sponsored and this shop has been compensated by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of RAGÚ^®. All opinions are mine alone. #RAGUPartyPleasers #sponsored

This baked mac and cheese appetizer recipe is super easy because you use a pre-made cheese sauce. The recipe only has 3 ingredients and is perfect for game day. It is saucy, delicious and fun to eat right out of the muffin cup!

A hand holding the mac and cheese cup that has been bitten and there is a blue plate under the hand

Cheesy goodness

Can you see how saucy and cheesy this baked mac and cheese appetizer looks?! It actually sticks together better than the photo above because I took a bite and then had to take a photo and then another photo. All the while trying to keep the muffin cup filled with cheesy goodness in my hand.

Where is Christopher when I need him?

I talk about how easy it is to make the Best Appetizers for game day in my other RAGÚ^® post: saucy beef appetizer cups. But I will touch upon it here as it bears repeating.

I encourage you to go to the RAGÚ website for tips and other recipe ideas.

Have you tried this RAGÚ^® Double Cheddar sauce yet? This delectable sauce features cheddar, Parmesan and Romano cheeses! Truth be told, I could eat it by the spoonful, straight out of the jar. It’s that creamy smooth and cheesy rich.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and buy something. You can read my disclosure here.

How to make this appetizer

Pre step

Fill a stockpot with water and set it on to boil.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – elbow macaroni, cheddar sauce and crumbled Ritz crackers.

Elbow macaroni, cheddar sauce and muffin tins in the background

Step two

Once the water comes to a boil, salt it and add the elbow macaroni. Stir and set the timer to 8 minutes.

Step three

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Set a colander in the sink and drain the macaroni and place it in a metal mixing bowl.

Elbow Macaroni cooked, and cheese sauce in the background with muffin tins

Step four

Time to pour the RAGÚ^® Cheddar on the macaroni. Look at how thick and creamy that is!!

A hand pouring cheese sauce in the cooked elbow macaroni

Step five

Fold the cheese in with the macaroni with a rubber spatula until it coats all the elbow macaroni!

The elbow macaroni mixed with the cheese sauce in a metal bowl with muffin tins in the background

Mmm. I let the messiness of the bowl stay just as it is, because we love keeping it real here on Dishes Delish.

Step six

Fill each muffin cup with the cheesy macaroni.

The mixed cheese covered macaroni in the muffin cups with the bottle in the background as well as ritz cracker crumbs

Step seven

Time to sprinkle the crushed butter crackers on top.

Butter crackers sprinkled over the cheese covered marcaroni in the muffin cups

Step eight

Bake for 15 minutes.

Plated little mac and cheese cups on a blue plate with bottles of sauce in the background

Then I pick one up and take a bite, but you’ve seen that one already!

So delicious! When you serve these at your next game day party, all you are going to hear are people saying, “Mmmmm!”

I hope you enjoyed this mac and cheese appetizer recipe!

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

A hand holding a mac and cheese in a muffin cup with a bite taken out of it

Easy Baked Mac & Cheese Appetizer

Saucy, delicious and so easy, this appetizer is a standout for game day.

5 from 17 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: mac & cheese, mac and cheese appetizer

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Servings: pieces

Calories: 76kcal

Author: Elaine Benoit

Ingredients

½ pound elbow macaroni
water to boil
salt for water
½ jar RAGÚ® Double Cheddar Sauce or more
¼ cup crushed butter cracker crumbs or bread crumbs

Instructions

Make it

Set water on to boil
Salt water
Place elbow macaroni in boiling water
Time for 8 minutes until al dente
Preheat oven 350 F
Drain elbow macaroni and place in a mixing bowl
Pour as much RAGÚ® Double Cheddar sauce as you want over the macaroni
Mix to combine
Fill 12 muffin cups with mac & cheese
Sprinkle butter crackers on top of mac & cheese
Bake 15 minutes
Plate
Eat
Smile
Enjoy

Equipment

stockpot

muffin pan

rubber spatula

See all my favorite tools and gift ideas at my Amazon Store page!Check out Elaine’s Amazon Store!

Notes

If you used a lot of this delicious sauce, you can serve the muffin cups with spoons if the mac & cheese is too gooey

Nutrition

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Comments

Abby @ WinsteadWandering

January 29, 2018 at 11:24 am

Oh. My. Goodness. Not only are these adorable, but they look SO good, too! Appetizer, though? I think I’d rather call them dinner. 😉

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 29, 2018 at 12:39 pm
  
  Hehe Abby! You could have them for dinner too!
  
  Reply
Molly Kumar

January 29, 2018 at 11:35 am

These look so delicious and pretty!! I bet they would go quickly once served… al that warm cheesy goodness n that also baked is definitely a Hit!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 29, 2018 at 12:38 pm
  
  Thanks so much Molly! They are a hit, for sure!
  
  Reply
Suzy | The Mediterranean Dish

January 29, 2018 at 12:30 pm

What a fun idea! Bite-size mac and cheese!!!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 29, 2018 at 12:39 pm
  
  Thanks Suzy!!
  
  Reply
Valentina

January 29, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Yum! These would be so great to have waiting for my kiddos after school. Love it.

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 29, 2018 at 1:14 pm
  
  Thanks Valentina!! It would be a great snack!
  
  Reply
Teri Stephens

January 29, 2018 at 1:10 pm

Shut the front door! How cute are these. Great for football parties, birthday parties, tonight…love!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 29, 2018 at 1:17 pm
  
  Hehe Teri!! Thanks for your comment. It made me smile!
  
  Reply
Dannii

January 29, 2018 at 1:13 pm

You just can’t beat Mac and cheese – it’s classic comfort food. I love that this is perfect party food size.

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 29, 2018 at 1:18 pm
  
  Thanks Dannii, they are so easy and delicious!
  
  Reply
Kate

January 29, 2018 at 4:52 pm

Oh man, danger danger! I would eat allllll of these morsels of goodness! Mac and cheese is my weakness!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 30, 2018 at 8:52 am
  
  Don’t I know it Kate! It’s my weakness too!
  
  Reply
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy

January 29, 2018 at 5:03 pm

Mac n Cheese is good in EVERY way, shape and form. What a fun little party app this would be. I know they would not last long on the tray either. Double batch for sure.

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 30, 2018 at 8:51 am
  
  Thanks Gloria! I agree. People go for this like it’s going out of style!
  
  Reply
Sharon

January 30, 2018 at 10:12 am

Simple and mess free eating. These would make a fun replacement for regularold mac & cheese at cookouts and parties.

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 30, 2018 at 10:36 am
  
  Definitely. Thank you Sharon!
  
  Reply
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen

January 30, 2018 at 10:28 am

This is such a great idea – especially for us mac n cheese lovers! So easy too!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 30, 2018 at 8:52 pm
  
  Thanks Carrie!! It’s so good!
  
  Reply
Brian Jones

January 31, 2018 at 3:16 am

I love the sound of these, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and savoury is always my mojo… I reckon I could even do these as a “dessert” 😉 😮

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 31, 2018 at 11:04 am
  
  Hehe Brian! I’d rather some cake for dessert but hey, they are so delicious that you’d be satisfied having these for dessert. 😉
  
  Reply
Patty

January 31, 2018 at 10:02 am

These bite size mac and cheese look so good, I need to get me a jar of that Ragù sauce and make it! 🙂

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 31, 2018 at 11:05 am
  
  Thanks Patty!! It’s super yummy!
  
  Reply
Catherine Brown

February 01, 2018 at 10:42 am

Oh my goodness! Those look AMAZING! and what a fantastic idea to serve them in muffin cups so they can be eaten without utensils… wicked smaht! 😉

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:40 am
  
  Haha Catherine! Love that you used that phrase!!
  
  Reply
Amanda Wren-Grimwood

February 01, 2018 at 11:47 am

So cheesy and yummy! I love the fact that these are so easy to eat straight from the cups too.

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:40 am
  
  Thanks Amanda! They are fun to eat!!
  
  Reply
Analida @ ethnicspoon.com

February 02, 2018 at 7:33 am

Oh how I love mac and cheese! Any kind of mac and cheese is great with me! I’d love to pack a couple of these portable cups in my lunch! Thanks for sharing!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 02, 2018 at 1:00 pm
  
  Thanks Analida!! It’s so yummy!
  
  Reply
Meymi-Pastry and Beyond

February 03, 2018 at 5:52 am

These mac and cheese look so pretty in muffin cups! Easy and delicious appetizer!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:41 am
  
  Thanks Meymi! They are super easy!
  
  Reply
Laura

February 03, 2018 at 2:00 pm

Such a great idea to put the mac and cheese into a muffin paper. Your cheese ragu sounds fantastic and I would put it on everything. I am a cheese fanatic, you know

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:38 am
  
  Hehe. Thanks Laura!! Christopher is a fanatic too!
  
  Reply
Leslie Haasch

February 03, 2018 at 6:33 pm

Ahhh you always make the cutest little apps, and these are no exception!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:38 am
  
  Thanks Leslie! 🙂
  
  Reply
Tina Lindquist

February 03, 2018 at 10:23 pm

That is so clever making these in the muffin pan, so convenient. I am a big cheese head so saving this for maybe tomorrow if its not too late. Thanks for sharing your recipes!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 04, 2018 at 8:51 am
  
  Thanks Tina! It’s never too late for cheese 😉
  
  Reply
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness

February 04, 2018 at 12:03 am

What an awesome idea!! I love mac and cheese in every form.

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 04, 2018 at 8:50 am
  
  Thanks Cathleen. I love it too!
  
  Reply
Jenni LeBaron

February 04, 2018 at 9:09 pm

I find that alot of mac & cheese appetizer cups are baked until they resemble mac & cheese pucks, but these look nice and soft and saucy – just how I like it!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:36 am
  
  Thanks Jenni! It is very soft and delicious!
  
  Reply
Stacey

February 04, 2018 at 9:48 pm

I love all of that cheesy happening in these bites! My kids will love ’em and they’re perfect for parties!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:36 am
  
  Stacey, they will love them!
  
  Reply
Sara

February 04, 2018 at 10:00 pm

This looks incredibly tasty! I can’t wait to try your recipe!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:36 am
  
  Thank you Sara!
  
  Reply
Julie

February 05, 2018 at 1:43 am

Handheld macaroni and cheese — could it possibly get any better?! This is like the ultimate dream come true!

Reply
- Elaine
  
  February 05, 2018 at 10:37 am
  
  Hehe, Julie! Thanks!
  
  Reply
Christopher

April 15, 2018 at 3:42 pm

I never thought of myself as a “big” eater, but there’s something so satisfying about eating a bunch of these cups as opposed to a pile of mac n’ cheese on a plate that I have to wonder! Fun recipe and great appetizer.

Reply
- Elaine
  
  May 25, 2018 at 2:41 pm
  
  Thanks Christopher! 🙂
  
  Reply
Kim

January 20, 2020 at 9:24 am

Do you suggest paper or foil liners? Making for a cocktail party. How do I suggest to keep warm

Reply
- Elaine
  
  January 20, 2020 at 10:48 am
  
  I’ve used both paper and foil. Foil does seem to hold up better but either will do. I’ve never had to worry about keeping them warm as they usually go real fast. I have seen people use an electric griddle and set it on low with the individual mac and cheese cups on them, but I’ve never done it myself. Let me know what you came up with. Thanks for your question Kim.
  
  Reply

Mac and Cheese Appetizer

Cheesy goodness