When I get short on time, I try to stop, breathe and be thankful for whatever is going on that is keeping me so busy. The other day was filled with doctor’s appointments for the kids, physical therapy for me and a long day for my husband. By the time we got home, it was late and everyone was starving. I hate to buy fast food as it is just not in our budget nor is it fitting into my healthier lifestyle. I looked to see what I had on hand, and I had what I need to make Baked Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Cups. From prep time to being ready to serve, it takes just about 30 minutes to make them, so that appeals to me.
My mom made us baked mac and cheese often. With 6 kids, you have to find things everyone likes that won’t make you a slave to the kitchen. Mom would add diced ham ad lots and lots of cheese. It was a favorite dish for all of us kids and my dad would always ask for seconds or even thirds! The only thing about making macaroni and cheese as a casserole, is it takes longer to cook. To hasten the cook time, you need to bake them in the muffin tins.
30 Minute Baked Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Cups
As with most of my recipes, this Baked Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Cups recipe is totally adaptable. You can add the ham or Canadian bacon instead of the bacon. You can use any type of shredded cheese you like, add garlic, or top it with crushed Rtiz crackers, which I do pretty often. Whatever you want to do, the key is this is a fast meal the whole family will gobble up. Just serve it with a side salad and my no bake caramel apple pie mini cheesecakes, and you have a winner of a meal! And, for a dessert that the kids will love, make up a batch of my Homemade Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Bread! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 Cups cooked elbow macaroni, (cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes.
- 1/2 Cup seasoned bread crumbs (you can use plain and season yourself)
- 1/4 cup real bacon bits
- 3 Tbsp. butter, melted, divided
- 1/2 Tsp. salt
- 1/2 Tsp. pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 4 Cups Mexican blend cheese (or any flavor you prefer)
- 1 Cup of milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350, melt butter and spray a standard size muffin tin with cooking spray
- Combine bread crumbs and 1 tbsp. butter. Mix well.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni, bacon, 2 tbsp. butter, milk, salt, pepper, and 3 1/2 cups cheese. Mix until macaroni is evenly coated.
- Divide the mixture into muffin cups. Gently press down on each cup.
- Top each cup with bread crumbs mixture and remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
What is you favorite side dish to serve with your Baked Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Cups?
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Kelly Hutchinson
DJ says
November 13, 2015 at 12:23 pmThese look delicious! They would be great for breakfast.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
November 13, 2015 at 3:57 pmI love you, I love you, I love you. You are my hero right now. I NEED these. Every day for the rest of my life.
Rachel @ Bakerita says
November 13, 2015 at 4:06 pmYum! Mac and cheese is debatably my favorite food, and adding bacon only makes it BETTER! These cups are so cute and I love that they’re done in 30!
Catherine S says
November 13, 2015 at 4:26 pmThese look so yummy. I love bacon and mac n cheese. This is the perfect combo.
Liz Mays says
November 13, 2015 at 5:14 pmOh these are so fun! I think my family would love them! The bacon was definitely a good choice.
Pam says
November 13, 2015 at 6:25 pmI am a huge fan of simple recipes like this. My kids will eat it and it’s easy to make when I am in a hurry. Another winner! 🙂
Liz Mays says
November 16, 2015 at 10:41 pmThat’s just what I was thinking! They’re simple, fast and they look delicious!
Dina says
November 13, 2015 at 7:05 pmthat looks so yummy. I’m so hungry right now I may have to go make this.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
November 13, 2015 at 8:12 pmThis looks like a great recipe! My kids love mac & cheese, I bet they would love this!
Theresa says
November 13, 2015 at 9:15 pmThis would make such a fun dinnertime side dish! I love that it’s ready in 30 minutes too!
Dogvills says
November 14, 2015 at 2:39 amThat looks so yummy! We love mac and cheese. I love the idea of making cheese cups.
Jeanine says
November 14, 2015 at 10:50 amYum these look SO good! I would love to make these for my kiddos. With bacon they’d be a HUGE hit!
Sarah Bailey says
November 14, 2015 at 12:23 pmOh my goodness this sounds like the perfect food, delicious – I do need to make them. x
Rosey says
November 14, 2015 at 8:41 pmWhat a fun way to make mac and cheese. I bet this would fly off the table at a party too.
Toughcookiemommy says
November 14, 2015 at 10:37 pmI love baked mac and cheese and this is a great way to enjoy it. I think I would probably eat more than one cup.
Marielle Altenor says
November 14, 2015 at 11:52 pmOh Yumfest! I love macaroni and cheese but never thought of doing them bite size like this. Will have to keep this recipe in mind for my next cookout.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
November 15, 2015 at 5:11 amThis would be a great appetizer or an after school snack. Mac and cheese is a favorite everywhere and to have them in bite size servings is a great way to enjoy it even more.
Amber NElson says
November 15, 2015 at 3:47 pmThose look so good. I can’t wait to try this!
Jennifer says
November 16, 2015 at 3:44 pmWhere has this been all my life! There’s nothing better than mac & cheese with bacon. Except for this. This is better.
Daisy says
November 16, 2015 at 3:48 pmThese are so cute and delicious! I want to make these for an upcoming playdate since the kids love mac & cheese and these are super cute.
Jeanette says
November 16, 2015 at 4:31 pmMy son would LOVE this!! I need to make this for him, he is a mac and cheese lover! Great idea for a quick and easy meal.
Aubrey says
November 16, 2015 at 6:32 pmWhat an awesome after school snack or easy dinner idea. My kids would love this.
Aimee Smith says
November 16, 2015 at 7:03 pmMacaroni and cheese and bacon!? A match made in heaven!
Stacie says
November 16, 2015 at 7:31 pmThese look so yummy. They wouldn’t last long in my house with the bacon as part of the recipe.
Kristen says
November 16, 2015 at 7:55 pmAnything is great with bacon isn’t it? These are perfect for the kiddos too! THanks for sharing!
Mary Larsen says
November 16, 2015 at 8:23 pmYummy, right-sized, and fun? Sounds perfect. I might bring these for Thanksgiving next week!
Shauna says
November 16, 2015 at 8:39 pmOh my goodness, those are so much fun. These would be perfect for this kids Thanksgiving party at school. Thanks so much for sharing.
Jenna Wood says
November 16, 2015 at 8:47 pmMost of the year in SoCal, quick or no bake are my thing- I can’t bear to heat up the house in 90 degree weather. This time of the year I’m looking for fuss free, simple recipes, and this satisfies that!
Ann Bacciaglia says
November 16, 2015 at 9:50 pmThese baked Bacon Macaroni and Cheese cups look so delicious and easy to make. My kids are going to love them. I will have to make them this weekend.
Elizabeth Lampman says
November 16, 2015 at 9:51 pmMy kids are going to love this recipe. I will have to get the ingredients i need so i can make this for dinner this week. I am sue they will be a big hit at my house.
Ourfamilyworld says
November 17, 2015 at 4:57 amThat looks so yummy. I like the idea of making them in a muffin pan.
Sabrina says
November 17, 2015 at 5:27 amMy kids love mac and cheese! This would be a great dish for them!
Nancy @ Whispered Inspirations says
November 17, 2015 at 9:12 amMmmm, those look amazing. 🙂 Anything with cheese and bacon is awesome.
Valerie says
November 17, 2015 at 9:30 amThis is such a fun and less messy way to eat macaroni and cheese. It looks so good.
Amy Desrosiers says
November 17, 2015 at 1:52 pmThese sound good to me! I love baked mac n cheese recipes!
Janis @MommyblogExpert says
November 17, 2015 at 2:19 pmWhat a great way to change up mac & cheese. I don’t eat bacon but I could easily subtitute veggie Morningstar Farms fake bacon in your recipe. Looking forward to making this.
Krystal says
November 17, 2015 at 10:01 pmYou’re speaking my language., These look REALLY good! Would love to remake them.
Mindi Eden says
November 18, 2015 at 9:08 amGreat idea for individual portion sizes!
Maureen @ Wisconsin Mommy says
August 26, 2016 at 10:58 amI love mac and cheese and I love bacon. These sound like a great way to combine the two and are cute to boot!!
Sherry says
August 26, 2016 at 3:06 pmI love that they only take 30 minutes. My son loves his mac and cheese. And everyone loves bacon at my place.
Olivia Douglass says
August 26, 2016 at 7:51 pmOh these look delicious! Thanks for sharing the easy recipe. I love ones that I can do quickly 🙂
Alicia says
August 26, 2016 at 9:46 pmMy kids would love these! They are huge mac and cheese fans and I love that they have bacon 🙂
Kathy says
August 26, 2016 at 10:35 pmThose look really good. I bet my daughters would love them. I’ll be giving these a try soon.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
August 26, 2016 at 11:19 pmWe love macaroni and cheese around here. Adding in bacon makes it even better, you can’t beat the taste!
Claudia Krusch says
August 26, 2016 at 11:47 pmThese look so good….. I love bacon and mac n cheese, also love the small portion!
Oriana @Mommy's Home Cooking says
August 27, 2016 at 12:01 amI would serve this with a salad. The combination of pasta, bacon and cheese sounds so good and I love the presentation of the cups.
Dawn Lopez says
August 27, 2016 at 2:15 amMacaroni and Cheese is always a hit in our family so I bet making it this way would be a fun twist. Plus the bacon too? Total win!
shelley zurek says
August 29, 2016 at 11:05 pmThese little cups are so cute. I love the idea of individual servings like this.
Karen says
September 3, 2016 at 4:40 pmI just made this with a mix of cheeses: cheddar, cream, parmesan, blue and gouda (cleaned out the cheese drawer) and added spinach. I couldn’t keep my husband out of the pot — and that’s before it got to the oven. Making it again when my son comes home from college in two weeks. GREAT RECIPE!
Thanks!
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Michelle Ayers says
October 16, 2021 at 5:57 pmLooks so good!