Got leftover macaroni and cheese from last night’s dinner? Don’t just heat it up in the microwave. Waffle it!!!!
Homemade mac & cheese is the best. Isn’t it! Before we had kids we liked to make our mac & cheese and bake it in the oven. Not everyone likes it that way in our family now, so we haven’t done it much.
That is until I thought about putting the finished mac & cheese in the waffle maker. That way I can get that delicious brown cheese bites wihout having to take 30 mintues to bake the whole thing. It’s also THE way to heat up leftovers.
Let me show you how it’s done!
What Type of Mac & Cheese?
Use your favorite homemade mac & cheese recipe. In the recipe card below you will find the instructions to make my version of mac & cheese along with how to cook in the waffle maker.
You can use mac and cheese you make fresh, or pull out some leftovers and use that.
Can you do it with boxed mac & cheese?
Yes. I gave this a try too. Here are the results.
While it worked for sure, I don’t think the pasta in a box of regular mac & cheese has enough body to it, so it tastes more like you are eating some cheese with a little layer of pasta inside. It’s still delicious though.
Regular vs. Mini Waffle Maker
I prefer to do this in a mini waffle maker over a full size one. I think the smaller waffles are just easier to cook and eat. Plus I think these turn out pretty rich, so eating an entire regular sized mac & cheese waffle would be too much.
But if you only have a regular sized waffle maker, go right ahead, you can just cut them into wedge using a pizza slicer.
Add Cheese to the Waffle Maker
For this to be a success you need to add more cheese. This will help bind the waffle together so that is comes off as a waffle. I tried doing it without that and it just falls apart. You need to do it on both sides as well.
You will need about 1 oz. or slight more per waffle of shredded cheese. I always buy whole blocks of cheese and shred it myself. When you buy bags of already shredded cheese they contain extra ingredients to help the cheese from getting moldy. Sometimes they even contain dextrose. So I avoid them. Plus when you have more options when you just buy a block.
Here is the steps to cook:
- Head up the waffle iron
- Add the shredded cheese to the bottom in a single layer
- Add in the mac & cheese in a single layer
- Add shredded cheese on top.
- Close the lid tightly.
Wait until the cheese cooks enough so that it won’t it comes off. If it’s sticking that means it needs to cook longer. You can check by just barely lifting the lid up.
⌚ For reference it should take about 4-6 minutes to cook each waffle.
Removing the waffles can be tricky. You want them off in one piece without smushing them or scratching up your waffle maker.
🔨 Tools to Remove Them – The key is to using a tool that won’t scratch your waffle maker. Gently begin to lift the waffle around the edge and then it should just come off in one piece. I used a large plastic two-prong fork to start it and then use a silicone spatula to lift it off.
What Pasta?
Elbows are certainly traditional and for waffling they work the best. I tried it with shells and it still works for sure but they are kind of large for the waffle maker. You need something that is flatter, so elbows just fit the bill. Cavatappi would work as well as I am sure would rotini or ziti.
Youtube Short
Check out the short our family video maker made for these waffles and then subscribe to our channel.
Macaroni and Cheese Waffles
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow pasta
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard powder
- kosher salt to taste
For the waffles
- more sharp cheddar cheese
- butter for greasing the waffle maker
Instructions
How to Make Mac & Cheese
- Bring a large pot of water to boil to cook the pasta. Cook until done, drain, and set aside. You can start the cheese sauce at the same time.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt to taste, and ground mustard powder.
- In a large pot, add the butter over medium heat. Allow to melt.
- Once the butter is completely melted at the flour/salt/mustard powder mix to the butter. Stir to combine well.
- Pour in the milk and stir. Bring to a simmer. Keep a close eye on the milk or it could overboil and make a mess. Reduce the heat once the milk comes to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until completely melted. Add the pasta into the pot with cheese. Taste and add more salt if needed.
How to Turn Into Waffles
- You can make the waffles with the mac & cheese you just made fresh, or you can turn leftovers into waffles.
- Heat up your waffle iron until the light indicates it's ready to use.
- Butter the top and bottom of your waffle maker.
- Add a layer shredded cheese to the bottom of the waffle maker.
- Add in a layer of cooked mac & cheese. Then top that with a layer of shredded cheese.
- Close the waffle maker. Allow to cook until you can open the lid and the cheese doesn't stick to the top. This could be around 4-6 minutes per waffle. Usually the light on the waffle maker will go off before your waffle is done, so for this ignore it.
- Carefully remove the waffles by gently prying up one side and then using a silicone spatula to remove the waffle completely. Make sure whatever you use won't scratch your waffle maker.
- Repeat until you have made all the waffles you like.
Notes
More Savory Waffles to Try
If you are down for making more savory waffles for lunch or dinner, here are some other recipes to try out.
Sausage Waffle Sticks with Tomato Dipping Sauce
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