Mac and Cheese Cups

^{This post has been sponsored by Tipperary Irish Cheddar Cheese and Butter. All opinions expressed are my own.}

For me, a good mac and cheese will always have a special place as the ultimate comfort food. Crispy on top, cheesy and gooey in the middle, and deliciously satisfying. However, the same old mac and cheese casserole can become a little boring. Those coveted crispy corner bits are in short supply, and that beautiful golden top disappears all too quickly. But what if we could compact those same delicious qualities into every bite? If that sounds good to you, that's exactly what today's Tipperary Mac and Cheese Cups are designed to do.

These Mac and Cheese Cups ensure everyone receives their ideal ratio of crispy toppy, gooey center, and cheesy goodness. Each cup features a crispy panko top, a gooey interior, and copious cheese - similar to the ideal serving of mac and cheese casserole. However, what really transforms this recipe is the cheese itself - Tipperary Smooth & Mild Irish Cheddar, which is the result of generations of Irish cheese-making expertise, distilled through the lush green pastures that make Irish dairy products world-renowned.

Now, without further introduction, let's make some Tipperary Mac and Cheese Cups!

Tipperary Mac and Cheese Cups - Recipe Overview

Taste and Texture

If you're looking for restaurant-quality comfort food with a gourmet twist, that's also easy to prepare -you're looking for Tipperary Mac and Cheese Cups, prepared with Tipperary Smooth & Mild Irish Cheddar. This recipe achieves a smooth and velvety sauce that coats the pasta, and then crisps up to golden perfection through the baking process. Tipperary's distinctive character - being buttery and a little nutty, with that delicious balance of mild creaminess and authentic cheddar sharpness - is allowed to shine through on its own in this recipe. We're emphasizing the deliciousness of the cheese, which is the real star of this show.

Difficulty Level

Beginner-friendly from start to finish, and much more approachable than it might appear. The recipe starts with a bechamel-based Mornay sauce; a roux from which we're building the cheese mixture - and this really is the most technical part of the recipe. That said, the step-by-step process involved here does leave quite a bit of room for error and is very forgiving overall. Really, as long as you don't burn the sauce, you should be fine. In fact, even if you've never made a roux before, the visual cues involved in each step are very self-explanatory, making it easy to know when to move on to the next step - as I describe below in the recipe card. Once the roux is done and the pasta cooked, it's time to bake. You have flexibility here, as you can use either the oven or the air fryer.

Preparation Process

The entire recipe takes about 35-45 minutes from start to finish, with about 25 minutes of active prep time. The workflow is very straightforward. We start off by boiling the pasta (8-10 minutes, then we make the cheese sauce (10-15 minutes), assemble the cups (5 minutes), and then we bake or air fry (12 minutes maximum). These mac and cheese cups can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead of time, then set in the fridge and either baked or air-fried before serving. They also reheat beautifully (more on that below). No, seriously, they really do heat up deliciously, as I've been reheating these each night since making them, and they taste just as good as they did fresh from the air fryer.

Pairing Mac and Cheese Cups

• Entrees: Roasted chicken with herbs, grilled steak, or even pan-seared salmon are all great proteins to pair alongside these mac and cheese cups.
• Thanksgiving or Christmas Spreads: These are festive bite-sized treats, so serve them on festive occasions.
• Sides: A leafy green salad or coleslaw would pair nicely.
• Beverages: My go-to would be a Sauvignon Blanc, though a Pinot Noir would also pair nicely.

Tipperary Mac and Cheese Cups - Ingredient Checklist

• 8 oz elbow macaroni
  • Gold Standard: Regular elbow macaroni is the traditional mac and cheese macaroni since it holds sauce perfectly and maintains its shape through baking.
  • Al Dente: Boil only until the macaroni is al dente, since we'll be cooking it a second time either in the oven or air fryer. If you fully cook the macaroni during boiling, you will overcook it during baking.
  • Don't Rinse: Rinsing pasta washes away the starch, and starch helps ensure the sauce sticks. Don't do it.
  • Substitution: The pasta of your choice. Nobody ever ruined a good mac and cheese recipe by using their favorite pasta.
    • Gluten-Free: As always, the gluten-free pasta of your choice will work just fine here.
• 4 tablespoons Butter
  • Unsalted Butter: Use unsalted butter. We do not want the added salt in the sauce.
• 1 cup All-Purpose flour
  • Use All-Purpose Flour: As a rule, for all of your baking and cooking needs, use all-purpose flour unless a recipe specifically calls for either bread flour or baking flour.
  • Substitution: To make this recipe gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour. The final texture of the mac and cheese cups may vary slightly.
• 2 cups whole milk
  • Fat Matters: We want the fat and richness of whole milk to achieve a creamy sauce. If you're feeling particularly decadent, use heavy cream.
  • Substitute: Half-and-Half will make a richer sauce, as will heavy cream. While you can probably use a reduced-fat milk such as 2%, I really would not recommend it.
• 2 cups Tipperary Smooth and Mild Irish Cheddar, shredded
  • The Star of the Show: This cheese features a buttery and slightly nutty flavor, with a delicious mild-to-sharp balance, and melts beautifully, making it ideal for recipes such as this one. It's also delicious on its own!
• ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • Why panko? Panko ensures a crispy texture without adding any bready texture to the cups.
  • Plain: We want to use unseasoned, plain breadcrumbs - whether using panko or regular - because we want the cheesy goodness of this recipe to shine through.
  • Substitute: Plain breadcrumbs, crushed crackers, or a plain, crushed cereal.
• Salt (for pasta water and seasoning)
  • Pasta water: Use at least a tablespoon of salt in the pasta water.
  • Plain salt: All you're looking for here is plain table salt, no need to get fancy.

Making the Perfect Cheese Sauce

No one wants a grainy mac and cheese sauce, or one that's too thin or too thick. The key to achieving a perfectly silky-smooth cheese sauce lies entirely in temperature control. Begin by ensuring that your roux (the butter and flour mixture) is fully cooked and smooth, and only then should you add in the milk (or half-and-half or heavy cream) - and add it gradually, whisking as you do. And you must whisk constantly. This creates a bechamel that is smooth and thick. From there, reduce the heat to low and add in the cheese. Do not use high heat, as this causes the cheese proteins to seize and separate, creating that icky, grainy texture that no one wants. Add the cheese one cup at a time, stirring thoroughly to ensure proper distribution. Let the cheese melt and distribute completely before adding the rest of the cheese.

Making Mac and Cheese Cups Ahead

For me, this is one of the best features of this recipe. There are actually a couple of make-ahead options here. For same-day serving, you can prep the mac and cheese cups up to six hours ahead of time, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When you're ready, bake or air fry them - just add 2-3 minutes to the bake time since they'll be cold. Second, you can prep them up to twenty-four hours ahead of time, and keep them in the fridge until ready. However, in this instance, I recommend letting them sit out at room temperature for about twenty minutes before baking or air frying. The cheese sauce itself can be made 1-2 days ahead of time, but you'll need to store it in an airtight container and then gently warm it up in a saucepan before using. They can also be prepared and then simply heated up in the toaster oven or oven. For tips on reheating, see below.

How to Reheat Mac and Cheese Cups

This depends on whether your mac and cheese cups are frozen or refrigerated. If refrigerated. Just set them in a 350 degrees F oven on a baking sheet covered loosely with foil for about 10 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 2-3 minutes. For easier reheating, pop them in the toaster oven on medium for 3-5 minutes. Conversely, you can set them in the microwave on 50% power for 1-2 minutes. For air fryer reheating, heat them at 320 degrees F for 5-7 minutes. However, if your mac and cheese cups are frozen, I recommend using the oven at 350 degrees F for a full 20 to 25 minutes. The key in all instances is gentle reheating to prevent them from becoming oily.

Print

And those are our Tipperary Mac and Cheese Cups. If you enjoyed today's recipe, or have any questions or suggestions, be sure to let us know in the comments below. Be sure to grab a block of Tipperary Smooth & Mild Cheddar, you won't be disappointed, I promise!

Happy Cooking!

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