Here’s a great Macaroni and Cheese recipe, but wait there’s more! Ever wonder what to do with any leftovers? I don’t know about you, but I’ve been known to  wake up in the middle of the night, grab a fork out of the kitchen drawer, head for the icebox and dig into the leftover mac and cheese. I really don’t care if it’s cold ’cause it tastes so good. Then, the next day, I’ll heat it up  for supper, but still have some  leftovers. So, what’s a good Southern girl to do??
Well, here’s the perfect solution: Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls! They’re dee-lish-us! I like ’em cold or hot and gooey! I just plain like ’em and  so will you! So, fry yourself up a few, pop ’em into your sweet little mouth and enjoy!! YUM!
This is the perfect summertime picnic dish! Fry 'em up and keep 'em in a heated carrier. They're great!
Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls
Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan
Recipe type: Appetizer/Side-Dish
Cuisine: Country
Serves: 12
PREP TIME
20 mins
COOK TIME
20 mins
TOTAL TIME
40 mins
INGREDIENTS
Macaroni and Cheese Balls
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups evaporated milk(warmed) plus 3 tablespoons for egg wash
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese (grated)
1 pound smoked Gouda (grated)
1 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs (beaten)
3 cups seasoned bread crumbs or one box panko bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
Optional Dipping Sauce
1 jar marinara sauce (your favorite brand or your homemade) optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the macaroni according to package instructions.
Drain the pasta into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. You don’t want the noodles to be mushy, so you might undercook by about one or two minutes.
Git yourself a saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat.
Sprinkle the flour into the butter and whisk it around for about 2 minutes.
Slowly, whisk the warmed milk into the flour mixture making sure there’s no lumps.
Cook until the sauce thickens, about another 2 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and add the cheeses.
Stir mixture until melted and smooth and then season with the salt and pepper. Fold the cheese sauce into the macaroni.
Pour the mac and cheese into a shallow pan and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. You want it good and cold in order to make it into balls.
After it’s been in the ice box and is cold, take it out and shape the cold mac and cheese into meatball-sized balls and place them onto a waxed paper-lined tray.
Freeze those balls in your freezer overnight.
The next morning, beat the eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk together to form an egg wash and pour it into a small bowl.
Put the bread crumbs into another shallow bowl.
Remove the mac and cheese balls from the freezer and dip the frozen balls into the egg wash then into the bread crumbs and place back on the cookie sheet.
Once they’re all done, I put the balls back into the freezer until I’m ready to fry ‘em up.
Heat the oil in a deep- cast iron skillet. (Once it sizzles when you sprinkle a little flour into the hot oil, you’re skillet is ready to fry up them balls.)
Now, fry up the mac and cheese balls (don’t get ‘em too crowded in your skillet, though, so they’ll fry up evenly) until they are golden brown and the center is hot and gooey, about 5 minutes.
Serve ‘em up hot with your favorite marinara saucefor dipping. (Frankly, I think these little babies taste so good on their own, I don’t need no dippin’ sauce!)YUM!
NOTES
While it says the prep time is 20 minutes, this does NOT include freezing the Mac and Cheese Balls overnight in the freezer. This is also a great recipe for any leftover mac and cheese!