Beth’s Mac-and-Cheese Poppers Recipe

Recipe Note From Beth

Everyone thinks running a food truck is glamorous. Spoiler: it’s mostly grease, paper napkin math, and praying the fryer doesn’t die in the middle of a lunch rush. But every now and then, I get to whip up something that makes the chaos worth it.

Enter: Mac-and-Cheese Poppers.

They’re gooey. They’re golden. They’re portable. Basically, they’re everything Seth claims he doesn’t need until he eats six in one sitting. These little guys have been my secret weapon on Food Truck Showdown—perfect for impressing judges who like their food creative but secretly just want comfort carbs.

The best part? You can make them at home, no truck required. (And unlike me, you won’t have a camera crew hovering while you drop breadcrumbs all over the floor.)

Mac and Cheese Poppers Recipe

Makes 30–36 bites (depending on how much you "taste-test" before baking)

Ingredients

• Special equipment: 2-3 mini-muffin pans, mini-muffin liners

• Nonstick cooking spray

• Kosher salt

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• 2 large eggs

• 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

• 1 small clove garlic, finely grated

• 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese (about 6 oz)

• 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

• Hot sauce, ranch, or marinara for serving (optional, but highly encouraged)

Directions

Step 1

Whisk lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic, half the oil, black pepper, salt, cayenne, and oregano in a large bowl. Add wings and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 2 hours (or up to 12 if you like to plan ahead).

Step 2

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with foil. If you have wire racks, set them inside—this helps the wings crisp. Arrange marinated wings on sheets. Bake for about 1 hour, rotating trays halfway through, until deeply browned and crisp.

Step 3

Whisk remaining oil, lemon juice, and grated garlic in a small bowl. Season if needed.

Step 4

To serve, stir parsley into dressing. Pile wings onto a platter, drizzle with dressing, and top with crumbled feta. Then stand back before they vanish.

Beth’s Closing Note

These poppers have a 100% success rate in two very important areas:

• Disappearing from the plate in under five minutes.

• Keeping Seth too busy chewing to criticize my driving.

Snack wisely because these poppers are dangerously delicious and have been known to cause temporary food envy. But take it from me, if you can make these perfectly golden bites, you can survive anything. Long days on a competitive food truck show that somehow involves fried chicken, flour chaos, and the occasional murder.