Mini Mac n Cheese Pies
I’ve made a large Mac n Cheese pie and Mac n Cheese pot pies in ramekins, so it seems I’m getting smaller and smaller. Now it’s time the inevitable — mini Mac n Cheese pies made in a muffin tin! What is this a pie for ants? Zoolander references never fail.
The beauty of these are that you can make your own creamy mac n cheese from scratch like in my recipe below or if you’re in a pinch, box mac n cheese and pre-made dough is just fine too.
These make wonderful party hors d’oeuvres, but they are also perfect for serving to kids. Something they can easily pick up and eat, with very little mess. The great thing about these though, they control your pie intake. That is you can eat one, ok two, maybe three? Let’s just say they are irresistible.
Mini Mac n Cheese Pies
Ingredients:
you’ll need:
2 rounds of pie dough
egg wash, 1 egg whisked with 2 teaspoons water
kosher salt
pasta ingredients:
1 pound small pasta, elbows or shells
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 cups cheddar or jack cheese
Instructions:
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cook the pasta according to package. Drain, do not rinse.
Step 2: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Step 4: Remove pan from the heat and stir in mustard, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Step 5: Add the cheese and stir until thickened and combined.
Step 6: In a large bowl toss the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce until combined. Set aside.
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep two muffin pans by greasing them with melted butter.
Step 8: Roll out one batch of pie dough and cut out 5-inch circles. Press them into the greased muffin tins, using the bottom of a small glass. Set aside.
Step 9: Spoon the mac n cheese into the prepped muffins pans on top of the dough.
Step 10: Roll out the second batch of pie dough and use a 2-1/2-inch cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place them on top of the mac n cheese. Fold up the corners to crimp and cut an ‘x’ in the center to release the steam.
Step 11: Brush the tops of each pie with egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Step 12: Bake for 17-20 minutes until browned. Using an offset spatula, lift them out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.
