Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls
"This is a recipe from Paula Deen's magazine. Plan ahead, you will need to refrigerate the cheese sauce for 8 hours and the balls freeze for 2 hours. The chilling and freezing time is included in the prep time listed."
photo by Izy Hossack
- Ready In:
- 10hrs 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Yields:
-
5 1/2 dozen
- Serves:
- 66
ingredients
- 4 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1⁄2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 (12 ounce) package cheese spread, cubed
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1⁄2 cup yellow cornmeal
- peanut oil, for frying
directions
- Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish. In large saucepan, bring water and 1/2 t salt to a boil over high heat. Add pasta, and cook 6-8 minutes, or until tender; drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine hot cooked pasta, 1/2 cup milk, cheese spread, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; stir until cheeses are melted. Spoon into prepared baking dish; cover, and refrigerate 8 hours.
- Roll macaroni and cheese into 1-inch balls; place on a baking sheet, and freeze 2 hours.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and remaining milk.
- In a separate small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and cornmeal.
- Dip balls into egg mixture, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
- In a large Dutch oven, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches; heat to 350 degrees over medium heat.
- Fry macaroni and cheese balls in batches, 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Questions & Replies
-
Has anyone tried to bake these instead of frying. If so, how did they turn out.
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What is cheese spread?
Reviews
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What is cheese spread and what kind of cornmeal. Thank you
-
Very very yummy! I used cappalletti, which I thought might make it easier to shape balls in the end. I made this recipe in stages, I made the macaroni and cheese and refrigerated it, next day I formed the balls and froze them. And there they stayed for a couple of weeks until I was ready to use them, for a Mothers day picnic. Made on the Saturday afternoon, half of them didnt make it until Sunday! We agreed with a previous reviewer that these are especially nice with a dip, the children favoured mayo, but sweet chilli sauce and spicy mango sauce were also popular! I was glad that I made these, and would make them again for friends. Thanks, Lainey! -
Why peanut oil can olive oil be used instead
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Made these to share at a park social we have each week, & although the group is small, there was a huge dent made in the bowl of balls I took! AN UNUSUAL & NICE TASTING FINGER FOOD, & I'm happy to keep your recipe on file for much future use! Thanks for sharing! I look forward to trying these with a variety of dips! [Tagged, made & reviewed in Gimme 5 tag] -
I made my mac & cheese balls out of leftover mac and cheese. I followed the recipe pretty closely but used my own breadcrumbs. I fried them in a little Fry Daddy for just a minute or two and drained on paper bags (the best thing ever for soaking up grease or oil!). My neighbors still haven't stopped jumping for joy over these little morsels. I froze most of them just to snack on whenever. I tried to post a photo but the browser wouldn't work.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
CookingONTheSide
Carnegie, Pennsylvania
I want to thank all of you who review the recipes I post - good or bad. It's always good to get feedback and helpful tips and I really appreciate them all! I try to send a note when someone reviews one of my recipes, but I don't always get the chance. Please know that I really enjoy reading the reviews. I also love all the photos everyone posts, too! Thanks so much. Happy Cooking!
