
Portable Mac ‘n cheese. The new frontier!
One of these things is not like another…Baked balls on the left, fried on the right
In the years since, I’ve become a bit of a connoisseur, sampling truffle mac ‘n cheese, bacon mac ‘n cheese, even caprese mac ‘n cheese. It’s possible that nothing will ever top the lobster mac ‘n cheese I had in Denver at a place called Mizuna, but when I got the opportunity to write this post for Land O Lakes® 4 Cheese Italian Blend*, I decided to try making my own.

The anatomy of a mac ‘n cheese ball. Can you tell which is which?
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Dinner of champions-Mac ‘n Cheese Balls, Lamb Burgers with Pesto in Land O Lakes® 4 Cheese Italian Blend Cheese Buns (recipe coming) and Watermelon for dessert.
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Macaroni and Cheese Balls
This macaroni and cheese recipe is a little thicker than what I usually make, but I wanted something that would stand up to frying. The dried chives really highlighted the combination of the American, Asiago, Romano and Parmesan cheeses. One other note: while I’ve always been a bit fry-shy, if you want something special try frying these. I also experimented with baking a batch, they weren’t as golden brown and were a little less gooey but were still crunchy and delicious. I have added instructions for both cooking methods below.
I’m frying, I’m really frying!
Macaroni and cheese
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 Tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
10 ounces Land O’Lakes® 4 Cheese Italian Blend, shredded
Dried chives, to taste (about 2 teaspoons)
Coating
1 1/2 cup of flour
3 eggs
2 cups of bread crumbs
Instructions
1. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions, drain and return to the pan (off the heat). Add the 4 T butter and stir to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs, 6 oz evaporated milk, 1 t salt, and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the macaroni.
3. Place the saucepan on the burner on low. Then add the 10 oz Land O Lakes® 4 Cheese Italian Blend and chives, stirring until the cheese melts and becomes creamy, about 3 minutes.
4. Take the mac ‘n cheese off the heat and let it cool until the cheese sauce thickens significantly and you can make balls easily by hand without them falling apart.
5. While you are waiting for the cheese to set up, set up three bowls in a row. Put 1 1/2 c flour in the first bowl, 3 eggs in the middle and 2 c bread crumbs in the last bowl.
6. Take a small spoonful of mac ‘n cheese and place in the middle of a piece of saran wrap. Use the plastic wrap to squeeze the mac ‘n cheese tightly to form a ball.
7. Take the ball out of the plastic wrap and dunk into the flour, then into the egg, and finally into the breadcrumbs. Repeat until the mac ‘n cheese is used up. Gently squeeze the balls as you are moving them between bowls to help maintain their shape.
If you are frying:
8. Pour enough oil into a large saucepan (I used a 4qt pan) to cover the balls (about 3 inches deep). Heat on medium until the temperature reaches 350 degrees.
9. Once the oil is ready, place as many balls as you can into the hot oil,without crowding the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with metal tongs or metal slotted spoon. Let cool for 2 minutes and eat hot.
If you are baking:
8. Preheat the oven to 350.
9. Spread the balls out across the baking sheet and spray each with nonstick spray to promote crispiness
10. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip the balls at the halfway point. Let cool for about 2 minutes and eat while hot.
adapted from Food Network
Serve with easy tomato sauce.
*Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Land O’Lakes as part of the Kitchen PLAY SideCar series. All opinions given are my own.