Mac-N-Cheese – Mini Burgers level up the appetizer platter at your next game day party. A deep fried creamy mac-n-cheese circle forms the base for a juicy mini (think white castle) burger with all of your favorite fixings. Bacon, cheese, onion, tomato, and lettuce. Watch them disappear.
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Make the Mac - N - Cheese
How do I Make the Mac-N-Cheese for the Mac-N-Cheese – Mini-Burgers?
This super cheesy and creamy recipe is an all-time favorite recipe for Mac-N-Cheese of my grand kids and Farmer Fred. Here is how you can make it:
- Cook and drain the macaroni. The macaroni should be al dente.
- Add the 3 different cheeses and the butter to the macaroni. Mix in.
- Beat the egg and add it to the half and half. Pour this over the macaroni and cheese.
- Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch baking dish. The macaroni will only be about 1 inch deep. Cover with Aluminum Foil.
- Bake until the center is hot and bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for several hours.
- Take the Mac-n-cheese out to the pan as one big piece.
- Cut into 2-inch circles and freeze the circles for 1 hour. Reheat the leftover pieces for lunch or dinner the next day.
SIS TIP
Double the recipe and put half in a 9 X 13-inch pan. Put the rest in a 9 X 9-inch pan. Cover the 9 X 9-inch pan with aluminum foil and freeze the pan for a quick meal at another time.
Prep the Toppings:
While the Mac-N-Cheese circles are freezing, prep the topping.
- Fry the bacon and cut it into two-inch pieces.
- Cut the American cheese slices into two-inch squares.
- Cut some red onion into squares.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Assemble the stack. Stack the toppings and piece with a plastic sword cocktail pick.
- Have the toppings ready to go.
Make the Mini-Burgers
- Season the hamburger with salt and pepper and flatten to about 3/4 inch thick disc.
- Use the 2 inch circle cutter and cut the burgers.
- Cook the mini-burgers in a grill pan or on the cuisinart griddler.
- When the burgers are rare removed and set aside. You will finish cooking them just before serving them on top of the fried macaroni.
Fry the Mac-N-Cheese.
- I use a 3 stage breading for the Mac-n-cheese. Dip the frozen circles in flour, then beaten egg, and finally bread crumbs.
- Fry in a deep fryer or frying pan with at least an inch of oil in the pan. When circles are golden brown, drain briefly on a wire rack.
Assemble and Serve the Mac-N-Cheese – Mini-Burgers.
- Arrange a bed of lettuce on a serving platter.
- Finish cooking the mini-burgers.
- Assemble as soon as the mini-burgers and fried mac-n-cheese is done.
- Stack a mini-burger on top of a fried Mac-n-cheese circle. Add a piece of American cheese and then the stack of toppings.
- Arrange on the bed of lettuce.
- Add a few baby pickles and serve while the Mac-n-cheese – mini-burgers are still hot.
Servings: 24 mini burgers
Calories: 273kcal
Equipment
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- 1 baking pan, size 9 X 13.
- deep fryer (optional)
- grill pan or griddler
Ingredients
Mac and Cheese Casserole
- ½ lb macaroni (225g) elbows
- ½ stick butter (55g) melted
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (55g) sharp grated
- 1½ cups Shredded Mexican cheese blend (170g) (see notes)
- 5 ounces Velveeta cheese (140g) cut into small cubes
- ¾ cups Half and Half (180ml)
- 1 egg beaten
- salt and pepper to taste
3-stage breading mix
- ½ cup flour (60g)
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup bread crumbs (56g) plain
- oil for frying
Mini Burgers
- 2 lbs 85% lean Hamburger (1kg)
- salt and pepper to taste
Burger toppings
- 1 handful spring greens
- 1 red onion cut into 24 two-inch squares
- 12 cherry or grape tomato cut in half
- slices of american cheese cut into 24 two-inch squares.
- 6-8 pieces bacon fried until crispy and cut into 2-inch pieces.
- 24 sword toothpicks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
Mac and Cheese
- Cook the pasta in 3 quarts of salted boiling water until the pasta is al-dente, about six minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cool water to chill. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Melt the butter and mix it into the pasta. Add the cheeses and stir to mix in.
- Add the eggs to the half and half, whisk to combine, and pour over the macaroni and cheese.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well.
- Add the pasta to a greased 9 X 13-inch baking pan. The pasta should be about one to 1½ inches deep.
- Cover with aluminum foil and Bake 350° F for 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.
- Cut the pasta into 2-inch circles with a biscuit or cookie cutter. Freeze the circles for 30 minutes before breading.
Prep the toppings
- Fry the bacon until crisp, cut the onions and cheese into 2-inch squares, cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Set Aside.
Make the Mini Burgers
- Season the hamburger meat with salt and pepper. Then flatten into a disc that is about ¾ inch thick.
- Cut the burger into 2-inch circles with the same cutter you used for the mac-n-cheese. Freeze the burgers for 30 minutes.
- Heat a grill pan or Cuisinart Griddler. Fry the mini burgers until desired doneness. Set aside.
Breading and Frying
- Put the breading ingredients into 3 separate shallow containers.
- Remove the chilled mac and cheese circles from freezer.
- Bread each circle by coating it first with the flour, then the egg, and last with the bread crumbs. Set breaded circles aside.
- Put 1 inch of oil in a frying pan or use a deep fryer. Heat the oil to 350°F. Keep the oil at or slightly less than 350° to prevent the triangles from over-browning before they are hot in the center. Deep-fry the breaded circles until they are golden brown, about 1 - 2 minutes. Fry in small batches of 4 to 5 circles at a time.
- Serve hot. If the triangles cool down, reheat them just before serving in the microwave or oven until the cheese in the middle is hot and melted. (see notes)
Assemble the burgers and serve.
- Briefly reheat the mini-burgers in the grill pan or the Cuisinart Griddler.
- Stack a mini burger on top of the fried mac-n-cheese.
- Add the cheese, bacon, onion, and half of a cherry tomato. Secure the whole stack with a plastic sword cocktail pick.
- Place the mac-n-cheese mini-burger stacks on an appetizer serving plate with a bed of spring-mix lettuce, add a slice of pickle and serve.
Video
Notes
Mexican cheese mixture: This mixture is a mix of cheeses that are creamy, smooth, and semi-soft. They melt beautifully in the mac and cheese. Varieties include Monterey Jack, queso quesadilla, and queso asadero.
Use an instant-read thermometer to monitor the oil temperature.
Visit the SHOP MY KITCHEN page for small appliances, tools(instant read thermometer), and hard-to-find pantry items.
Nutrition
Serving: 1mini-burger | Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 263IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
