Answer: DEEP FRIED Mac N Cheese!!

Mac and cheese balls.

The name doesn't leave me with much of an appetite, but the idea of melted cheese oozing out of a crispy deep fried crust drizzled with marinara sauce, well, that pretty much leaves my stomach growling.

My sister tweeted photos of this Cheesecake Factory masterpiece while she was eating it. I had to try it, and since I can’t stand the lines at CF, I decided to take on the challenge of making it!

As quick as it would've been to throw some Easy Mac in the micro, I figured "go big or go home"! I whipped out a mac and cheese recipe that I’ve used before, rolled up my sleeves, and got busy!

First, chop and saute the onions and broccoli, and cook the macaroni al dente (texture should be chewy). Put on the side and move on to the roux, the magical flour/butter mixture that makes mac and cheese thick and gooey.

Once the roux is blended, add in the milk, then the egg yolk. Temper the egg by slowly mixing some of the hot sauce into it.

Then add the egg mixture into the pan (while stirring):

Add the cheese and stir until melted, and throw in the garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper (don’t forget to taste, it really is the best part of cooking!). Then add the onions and broccoli.

Finally, mix in the macaroni until it’s covered in the cheese sauce. Yum!

Fight the desire to scoop it out and obliterate it right then and there. (Deep breaths work well here)
Use a muffin pan to portion and cool the mixture down in the freezer. Once cooled, roll them into balls and put them back into the freezer to set.

As they were freezing up, I threw a pan of oil on the stove and started heating it on medium heat. I also started making the marinara sauce. (You could use the bottled kind here, if you're looking for a quick fix, but I figure since I’ve already made the mac and cheese from scratch, I might as well keep the trend going!) I googled around and did a mashup of what most of the recipes called for.

First, chop up the onions and throw them in a pan with some olive oil on medium heat.

As those are going, blend a can of stewed tomatoes with the parsley, garlic and tomato paste (I used an immersion blender, but if you have a food processor or one of those nifty bullet things, go to town with it! hehe)

Add the tomato mix to the onions and stir it up to combine. Then add the oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Taste as you go!

Pour in the white wine. (This was tricky, as I’ve never cooked with white wine, nor do I have much expertise in the wine department. I went to twitter for some help and at @sojufied’s suggestion, went with a Chardonnay, which worked great! Thanks Jon!)

Cover and let simmer for about ten minutes.  Allow those flavors to cook together until you have a tasty homemade marinara sauce!

By now, the Mac and cheese should be good to go. Prep the egg wash (mix the eggs and milk), the flour, and the panko in three shallow bowls. Now for the fun (aka messy) part!

Dip each ball in the flour first, then in the egg wash, and finally into the panko.

 
 

Repeat until you've dipped em all, then put them back in the freezer until you're ready to deep fry.

If you have a candy thermometer, wait until the oil hits the 350-375 degree mark.
If you're without, the easiest way to test the oil would be to throw in a 1 inch cube of bread. Watch it like a ninja, and if it browns up in 60 seconds, you're good to go.

Sadly, I don’t own a thermometer AND I was out of bread. However, I managed to clone myself between mac and cheese and marinara sauce making to throw together a batch of Apple Fritters! You know, just to test out the oil.

After I merged back into one person, and the fritter’s tell tale browning signaled hot oil, I dropped a mac and cheese ball in. That’s the mini test fritter in the back. Hehe.

Patience is a virtue, and adding too many at once will drop the temp of the oil and you'll end up with soggy greaseballs instead of crispy katsu-like delights.

Also, you’ll notice in the pictures, I only used about 2 inches of oil, so I had to turn them halfway through. For whatever reason, I was trying to conserve oil. Feel free to go to town and fill the pot with enough to fully cover the mac & cheese balls (or you could make smaller balls). Go with your gut!

After they're golden brown and calling your name, use a slotted spoon to pull them out of the oil. Plop onto paper towels to drain. *Stomach growls*

Then pour on the marinara sauce and devour!

Sidenote: I wish I thought of this earlier, but if I ever do this again, I'm adding a ball of cheese in the middle! Cheese stuffed mac and cheese! Mmmmmm. :)

Ingredients and Recipe:

Mac and Cheese

• Your favorite pasta (I used the 7.25oz box of macaroni. it's what we had)
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 and 1/2 cups (12 oz) cheese (I used sharp white cheddar)
• 1/4 cup chopped broccoli
• 1/2 an onion, chopped and sautéed in olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• black pepper to taste
• garlic salt to taste
• 1 package Panko
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk

Marinara Sauce

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Wash/chop the broccoli, chop and saute the onions. Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain.
Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour, and stir. Let brown, then add the milk. Temper the egg yolks and slowly pour in while stirring.  Add the cheese, garlic powder and thyme. Then the pepper and garlic salt, to taste.

Mix in the broccoli and onions, then add the macaroni. Mix until the pasta is coated. Taste test again and let cool, then form into balls and pop into the freezer. You can leave them overnight, or for about 15 minutes, until it holds its shape.

Beat 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons of milk and pour into a shallow bowl.  Pour flour and panko into their own bowls. Dip frozen macaroni balls into the flour first, then the egg wash, then the panko. Freeze until ready to use.

Heat approx 2-3 inches of oil in a pan to approximately 350-375 degrees. Fry macaroni balls until golden brown and drain on paper towels.

Marinara Sauce:

In a saute pan, heat the oil on medium high and add the onions.
Blend the stewed tomatoes, parsley, tomato paste and garlic until smooth and add to onions.
Add wine, then oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens.

Pour over Mac and Cheese balls and chow down! :D

Please be short and to the point, and respect the other voices in the discussion. You may edit and delete comments for up to three days after date of post. We reserve the right to edit or delete inappropriate comments. For more information read our site policies »

In order to comment, you must be logged in. Login | Register | Help

Comment

Denotes required fields.