Around here, we’re all about comfort food, and if you aren’t aware that macaroni and cheese is synonymous with comfort food… well, let me educate you.
Macaroni and cheese equals all that is good in this world. It’s a hug in a bowl, a bit of solace after a long day, and always easy and quick to prepare for even the most inexperienced cook. But there’s no better way to dress it up – or sneak in a good serving of veggies – than by topping it with a colorful, delicious medley of roasted broccoli and plump tomatoes!
These are so ridiculously easy, you won’t even believe it. And the quicker you can have this out of the oven and into your mouth, the better. Am I right?
Just boil some pasta – use whatever you like, but I’m an elbows devotee – then toss it with some Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. No need to make a sauce. Press the mixture into your muffin pan molds, top with cut-up broccoli and tomatoes, and a little sprinkle of breadcrumbs, and voila! A quick snack for yourself or kids, an elegant party appetizer, or a simple yet stunning side dish.
You can also use small-diced asparagus, zucchini, carrots, peas, bell peppers, squash or any vegetable you like. Also, make these ahead of time for a party and refrigerate up to two days. Pop them in the oven again for 10 minutes, and they’ll be toasty warm and ready for serving!
I know you’ll enjoy making these and gobbling them up just as much as I did, so give them a try for yourself. Your comfort food craving tummy will thank you!
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Roasted Vegetable Macaroni & Cheese Cups
Yield: Makes 6 cups
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (I used panko)
6 ounces small pasta, such as shells or elbows
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes or small diced plum/Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped broccoli, blanched*
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray 6 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Coat inside of each muffin cup with bread crumbs, reserving any excess.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring, 8- 10 minutes. Drain pasta, add back to pot, and stir in Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon pasta mixture into muffin cups, filling almost to the top and pressing gently to set. Top each cup with tomato and broccoli. Sprinkle a pinch of remaining bread crumbs on each.
Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes and carefully unmold with a butter knife.
Enjoy!
* Tip: To blanch vegetables, bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the vegetables and cook for 1-2 minutes. Using a small strainer, remove the vegetables and immediately plunge into a bowl of iced water. Drain and use.
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
These are adorable! And they’re so pretty to look at.
I can’t wait to host my next dinner party because these will definitely be on the table.
Thanks for sharing! :)
Hello Georgia, I love the idea of adding veges to Macatoni and cheese. This sounds like something the kids will love!
This looks lovely! Can’t wait to try!!
Sending you a big High 5 for this one, fantastic idea!
Oh this is just brilliant – genius! Why have I never thought of making individual mac’s ‘n cheese before and I love everything individual! Lovely recipe and such a pretty result too.
:-) Mandy
I love that you combined the comfort of macaroni and cheese with veggies into a cute little cup! I totally would eat these up. Cute, miniaturized food is always more pleasing for some reason :)
Absolutely loved the idea of making those in muffin tins – adorable indeed, and a great way to do portion control (as long as I don’t allow myself to wolf down 12 of them.. ;-)
I also like mac and cheese with veggies in it, sometimes the pure version feels a bit too “monochromatic” as far as taste is concerned
great post!
What a fun idea! Going to try this for sure.
Lovely pictures and this looks fantastic!! Thanks so much for sharing, I love mac and cheese and I love vegetables so I can totally see this happening!
This is so fun, Georgia! I love individual-sized anything. The roasted veggies sound perfect!
so adorable! single serving, bite sized foods are always a great idea. especially for mac n cheese!
Oh man. This looks SO GOOD!
What a great idea to sneak some extra veggies into the teenagers!
These look fantastic! I love the added veggies :) I tried to make mac and cheese cups over the Super Bowl and they wouldn’t stay together :( I like how you used bread crumbs in the pan!
These are so cute and what a great idea! My kids will eat anything surrounded by mac and cheese :)
Gorgeous! I’ve got a picky 4-year old, but he LOVES mac and cheese, so this looks like a great way to get in some added veggies. Um, I’ll be eating them, too! =)
These are just fantastic. Such a clever idea and roasting the vegetables on top as it bakes really works for me. I love this.
These would be a big hit in my house. Love it!
These look great and a wonderful way to sneak in some veggies!
I am always on the hunt for more savory as well as healthier appetizers! Looks like I landed in the right place. Perfect for a snack or for entertaining. Love the vibrant colors and the individual servings. Saving this one-great post!
I’ll take 20, please. I love the addition of veggies.
Georgia! This looks fabulous! I agree with you. To me…mac and cheese is one of the ultimate comfort foods! But I’m happy to sneak in a few veggies, too! I love how these cups get all crunchy brown on the top. And better yet…they are little portable cups of comfort! Definitely have this bookmarked! Hope you have a great week! : )
I love the colorful veggies on it. What a great kid’s meal!
I didn’t grow up eating mac & cheese so I actually tried it in recent years as my kids love to eat. There are even fancy mac & cheese specialty restaurants in Bay Area too. I love your idea – this is wonderful food for kids play date and parties. I’m definitely trying this recipe!
Love the individual mac & cheeses – looks like such a fun idea!
these are so cute! love it!
These are so darn clever Georiga! What a perfect idea for a party spread!
I love tiny food and I love pasta. SO you can imagine how cute I find these :)
Oh these look fab. Did I just see them on Foodgawker? I think I just hit <3 on them. YUM
Oh yummy, I just made mac and cheese and I wish I had used the muffin tin method. Love the idea of adding veggies. Makes me feel better about the mac and cheese portion. Love the colors.
These look great! I like the idea of adding vegetables to macaroni and cheese.
Oh my gosh! These looks amazing! Your photography is fabulous. I’m subscribing now and I’ve gotta pick out something to make – which is NOT going to be easy. Glad you found me and I am thrilled to have found you!
Must pin! Always looking for yummy ways to sneak some veggies in.
I love anything individual, these are too cute! And the roasted veggies make it a complete meal!
Yummy! I can eat this everyday!
Not only are these too cute, but they sound so tasty too! Love this idea, thanks for sharing :)
Ive been loving some mac and cheese, these look delightful and full of fresh flavor.
I am just in LOVE with these little buggers!!
These are so cute! What a great combination of comfort food and veggies!
These are so creative! I love the color that the veggies add (oh ok, the health value too). What a great party food!
I am a comfort food lover too and this adaptation is so fun! Plus, the addition of veggies makes me feel like I can eat an extra :)
My kiddos would love this!!
Oh the things you could stuff in the mac and cheese cups.. the possibilities could be endless!!
This looks delightful! My boys would definitely eat this up!
What a delightful way to serve veggies to the family. I must try this. Thanks for sharing it & thanks for the blog-love ! I love yours, too. Will be back for more soon.
These look amazingly delish and I’m sure my kids would love it! I look forward to looking around your blog and reading more! Have a great week!
That is a great idea! Even more so because you can do some with and some without so everyone is happy!
Oh my goodness… these little “muffins” are too cute for words! I love a gooey, cheesy mac n’ cheese, and based on the gorgeous strings of melty cheese in the photo, this is definitely a winner (plus I can feel less guilty, because there’s healthy veggies in there… score!). This is totally going on the must-try list.
Love these. They are so clever and would taste amazing!
Love this one, Georgia!
Wow those look delicious and are so simple, what a great idea! Can’t wait to try them :)
Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food and you’re right – just like a hug. I love the addition of veggies. Baking in the muffin tin must add a nice crisp crust to the muffins?
WOW your blog rocks! These looks so yummy and all your food pictures are SO so good.
Comfort food indeed! I absolutely love these. Such a great idea, Georgia. I would gobble that entire tray up in no time. Woops! x
I love all kinds of mac and cheese, but I love the simple kinds the most. This is great that it’s so easy to make and I can use use all different kinds of veggies! Doesn’t hurt that they’re cute too :)
Georgia my dear!!!
These look adorable!!! I could have never thought of this.
How creative and healthy and delicious.
Roasted macaroni & cheese?!? Sign me up!! That looks so drool-worthy :)
Georgia..very nice to meet you – speaking of gorgeous blogs, that is. I need to self-host soon aka put on my makeup l) These macaroni and cheese cups look so incredibly good, the veggies not only add nutrion and all that good stuff, but they turn them into little, colorful beauties. I will definitely try these. Stunning photos! Looking forward to reading through your blog and everything that comes after :)
Thanks for your kind comments, everyone! I’m so glad you all like this recipe.
@Lisa (The Gonzo Gourmet) – The crisp crust comes from surrounding the muffin cups with bread crumbs before placing in the mac and cheese.
Wow.. I am totally in awe over these wonderful mac and cheese cups. They just look so darn cute and wonderful for any day of the year. Wonderful post
Yum…what a cute side dish or appetizer. And Lent-approved too!
My family will love this!
What a deliciously clever idea!
I think every member of my family would break my door down for these! Very clever idea – Wonderful post!
This is the most fabulous idea I have seen in a long time!! What a fun little appetizer or snack! I love the broccoli on top, too.
Mac and cheese is the best comfort food ever. These cups are so cute!
Wow! Great!
These cups are super cute and healthy – a meal on the go :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Latest: Giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Peanut Butter M&M Cookie For One
My kids will love these! I’ve seen variations around the internet but love yours the best for the stacked veggies. Plus, your gorgeous photos could sell me on making just about anything!
So cute! This would make a great easy side dish since it has the veggie and the starch all in one little cup. Will definitely try this out:-)
what a great twist on mac&cheese. I love individual size portions and these cups look great! and the roasted veggies on top, perfect dinner!
So cute! I always have trouble coming up with appetizer ideas, and this looks like a great one to keep in mind! :)
I want this right now! That is my idea of comfort food!!
Amazing recipe. your photos are superb. I am definitely tyring these.
You seriously know the way to my heart…Wow, is about all I can say, just wow!
I love the idea of roasting the pasta in individual servings in a muffin pan. Thanks for the tip and off to read more of your blog!
How CLEVER! Love it!So glad I found your blog.
Georgia, u have a lovely blog and thanx for dropping by my blog, glad to have discovered ur blog and count me as ur new reader.
Georgia, these are BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Would this work if I wanted to make regular size servings? If so, what would the baking time be and what would the size of the pan be? Thanks, they look delicious!
Hi Anonymous – Not sure what you mean by “regular size servings,” could you clarify? These are made in a standard size muffin tins, not mini. If you mean to say you just want a full pot of mac & cheese, just roast the vegetables quickly and toss them in.
Has anyone tried freezing these? I love the idea of just pulling one out of the freezer and popping it in the microwave, but I’m curious to know how the tomatoes will hold up (obviously, I could omit but my 2 year old loves them).
I’ve never frozen them, but I think they would do just fine in a resealable bag or container. Just warm up in the oven or microwave!
My goodness, I can’t wait to try these. This is also going on my “must have” party menu. Thank you