Buffalo Mac and Cheese Cups

Buffalo Mac and Cheese Cups are a perfect, bite-size appetizer for any (and all) holiday gatherings or tailgating parties. This easy recipe is even easier to put together thanks to the help of pre-made macaroni and cheese; every bite is the right amount of pasta, cheese, ranch dressing, and buffalo sauce. 

If you love making small bites to nosh on like I do, then you’ll also love my BBQ Chicken Bites, my Cheddar Jalapeno Pretzel Bites, or my Spicy BBQ Korean Chicken Wings.

This post is sponsored by Bob Evans. All opinions are my own.

This year the big game happens to fall on a very special day. Nope, not my birthday (but thanks, you’re the best for making me a cupcake anyway…) it’s actually my wedding anniversary. Eight glorious years of marriage bliss, and eight glorious years of fun traditions, like tailgating at home with a slew of cheesy appetizers, at least one of which is always buffalo-esque.

I love that spicy buffalo sauce combined with a cool ranch or blue cheese counterpart, I don’t even care that much what vehicle I use to transport the flavors to my tastebuds, but if it involves cheese: mega bonus points.

HOW DO YOU MAKE BUFFALO MAC AND CHEESE CUPS?

These Buffalo Mac and Cheese Cups are so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of using Bob Evans Macaroni and Cheese as a shortcut to all your holiday and tailgating festivities before!

The first thing to do is preheat your oven then get out your trusty muffin tin and line all the spots with foil liners and then grease the liners (the mac and cheese will stick otherwise).

Prepare the Bob Evans Macaroni and Cheese according to the directions printed right on the package. When it’s heated through, transfer it to a bowl. Let the mac and cheese cool a bit so that when you stir in the other ingredients (especially the egg), it doesn’t start to cook. Stir into the mac and cheese the ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, Panko, egg, and cheese.

Give it all a good stir to combine all the ingredients together and then add the mixture to your greased and foil-lined muffin tin. Pop it in the oven to bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the bites start to brown. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes so you don’t burn yourself trying to eat their deliciousness immediately.

To add a little extra kick to the Buffalo Mac and Cheese Cups, drizzle more Buffalo sauce, ranch, or both over the top. You could also garnish them with parsley or chives or another herb of your choice.

HOW CAN I CUSTOMIZE BUFFALO MAC AND CHEESE CUPS?

These are great as-is but if you want to kick them up (another) notch, here’s how I would do it.

• Add cooked, crumbled bacon or bacon bits to the mac and cheese while you are stirring in the other ingredients before baking.
• Add those herbs you were going to put on top right inside before baking.
• Top with more cheese! There’s nothing wrong with more cheese — use cheddar, colby jack, monterey jack, Parmesan…whatever cheese you have on hand or love the most.
• Add canned chicken to the bites (cut into small pieces if not already). About a cup will do, after all, these are just bites!
• Make some cups even hotter than others by stirring in red pepper flakes before baking.
• If you don’t like ranch, you could add blue cheese dressing to these instead.
• Dice up some jarred hot or sweet jalapeno slices and stir them into the mixture for an even hotter bite.

Where will you serve these Buffalo Mac and Cheese Cups? Better yet, when? Right now sounds good right? Even if you don’t have all the ingredients on hand, it’s easy to find Bob Evans Macaroni and Cheese right in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Grab two containers and get to mixing…in just a little over half an hour you could be snacking on these babies! Or, add it to your grocery list to have on hand for that next appetizer occasion.