These luscious Bacon Mac and Cheese Cups loaded with two kinds of cheese and ranch flavor were sponsored by Farmland Foods. I was compensated for my time, but my love of bacon and cheese is genuine.
Did you know that Saturday is International Bacon Day? It even comes on a three-day weekend so we can fully celebrate this delicious occasion. The folks at Farmland recently sent me some of their classic cut bacon to try just in time for the holiday. Of course, there was no way that package of porky goodness was going to stay around long in our house. We devoured it in one weekend!
First I needed to bake a few slices for breakfast just to try it out of course. Do you bake your bacon? Not only is it fun to say, I think it’s the best and least messy way to cook it to perfect crispiness! Line a baking sheet with foil, place a baking rack on top, and lay out your bacon in an even layer. Bake it up at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes, and you are on your way to a great breakfast. The Farmland bacon cooked up beautifully, and I even managed to grab a piece for myself before the guys snagged the rest. To their dismay, the rest of the package got cooked up for these Bacon Mac and Cheese Muffins loaded with three kinds of cheese and bursting with Ranch flavor.
I really must insist you make these immediately since I can’t share the smell with you here. As if cooking bacon doesn’t smell good enough, combining it with the Ranch seasoning sent me to aromatic heaven.
Do I need to tell you when would be a good time to eat these bacon mac and cheese cups? “Anytime” is really the easiest answer, but they would especially be perfect for tailgating, parties, potlucks, or lunch boxes. It’s not always easy to transport and serve mac and cheese on the go, but these portable beauties can be eaten at room temperature with your hands just as easily as warmed and enjoyed with a fork.
Be sure to let these hot little devils cool until warm to the touch before removing them from the tin. You want them to hold together, but they might fall apart when the cheese is still melty. If you can’t wait, which I completely understand, don’t hold it against me if your cups crumble. They’ll still taste just as good. I promise.
Keep an eye out for Farmland products at your grocery store. They don’t mess around when it comes to pork and have several varieties of bacon including double smoked, center cut, fully cooked, and uncured. I, for one, would love to try them all! Now go stock up to prepare for a bacon-filled weekend!
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Ranch Bacon Mac and Cheese Cups
These savory mac and cheese muffins are perfect for tailgating, lunch boxes, or potlucks!
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 12 oz. macaroni or rotini (I used gluten-free pasta.)
- 10 slices Farmland classic cut bacon diced
- 1 egg
- 2 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 16 oz. ricotta cheese
- 1 c. plain yogurt or sour cream (2% milk is OK, but avoid fat free)
- 1 packet buttermilk ranch dressing mix or 2 tbsp. homemade ranch mix
- 1/2 c. milk
- 2 tbsp. fresh dill minced (or substitute 1 tsp. dried dill)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Spray a muffin tin liberally with cooking spray.
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Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside.
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While pasta cooks, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and most of the fat has rendered. Scoop out the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon, and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
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In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add two cups of shredded cheese, ricotta, yogurt, ranch seasoning, and milk. Whisk until smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and most of the cooked bacon, saving about 1/4 cup for the topping.
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Scoop the macaroni mixture into the prepared muffin tin. It’s OK for pasta to be mounded up above the edge of the pan.
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In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1/2 c. shredded cheese, 1/4 c. cooked bacon, and dill. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of this mixture on top of each mac and cheese cup. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until edges are brown and topping is melted and bubbly.
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Allow to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes. Carefully run a butter knife around the edge of each mac and cheese cup to loosen it from the pan, and serve immediately or place on a wire rack to cool before storing.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: Main
Thanks again to Farmland for sponsoring this post. Find more great recipes on their website, and follow Farmland on Twitter to find out about special offers, contests, and more!
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Sue hotten says
Hello, first time ever commenting.
Ive been hired at a children’s summer camp this summer in the culinary department.
My class is called “Camp Bacon”.
This is one of the recipes I’ve decided on.
I’m testing the recipe tonight for a party tomorrow.
So far very good.
I used mini muffins tins.
I’m getting 48 mini muffins.
I did need a little extra cheese for the tops. You’ll need 2 3/4 cups cheese.
Took about 15 minutes before I lifted them out of the pan easily.
I also added salt, pepper, and cayanne. Don’t omit the dill. These little Mac morrsels are delicious! Mini is the way to go. Pop in your mouth with a cktl in your hand. Party friendly.
Marianne Jones says
How long do you cook in the mini muffin tins?
Linda says
What size muffin tins & how many does this recipe make?
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Linda. Sorry I missed this sooner! I used a standard muffin tin size, and it made 12.
shauna says
do you think it would be okay to make these a night ahead of time and do everything except the oven , and then keep hem in the fridge overnight and baked them a little longer right before a party?
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Shauna! Yes, I think they will work well to be made ahead. Thank you for stopping by!
Susan Rogers Yakus says
Do you think these would hold up well enough to take as an appetizer to a party? I don’t want to get there and have them all fall apart. Is it better to cool them totally in the pan?
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
Hi, Susan! Once they cool, they hold together very well. It’s just when they are still hot that they are a bit delicate. As long as you let them cool 10-15 minuted in the pan, you should be fine. I hope you like them!
Sassy says
DOH!!! Of course the minute I hit send and the page refreshes the actual recipe shows up!! Turns out the page didn’t load correctly. Told you my brain was turning to mush from this cold! Oy! I’m going back to bed now that I’ve saved this recipe to use this weekend. Thank you for sharing and I’m sorry for the confusing earlier post :)
Andi Gleeson says
I’m glad it worked out. I usually find the moment I hit send on these kinds of things, the problems magically resolve. It’s like calling the delivery place asking where your pizza is, and then you hear a knock at the door right when the question comes out of your mouth. I hope you feel better and get to enjoy your weekend!
Sassy says
I think this cold must be turning my brain to mush because I totally don’t see the actual recipe. I’m a little lost here… guess I’ll wing it from pictures alone.
Ilene Johnson says
Please send the recipe to my email of the Ranch/Bacon Mac/cheese cups. Looks so delicious and want to try it out immediately. Sounds/looks so easy but yet so yummy…. Thank You.
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Ilene. Are you not able to see the recipe here. Let me know if you’re having trouble with the page. There should be an icon to email it over on the right side of the screen as well. Thank you!
melinda says
what about adding Jalapenos to it for a kick??
Andi Gleeson says
Heck yes! Jalapenos are always welcome. Thanks for the great idea, Melinda!
mary guzzardo says
I have done this technique for years but I am happy to learn about the fat free
product. For a surprise I will either put square of frozen seriously sharp cheese by Cabot in the middle or a square of spasm in the middle. And as for a change of topping I will use chopped cilantro & oregano, dices bacon, and crushed corn chips with shredded Seriously Sharp Cheddar by Cabot.
Another helpful hint if you want to remove the cups right away is to line the
cups with parchment paper with a slight overhang to be able to lift them out.
Another really cool thing I do is line the pan with parchment paper and spray lightly. Next crush club crackers, (I love the buttery flavor), crushed
pecans mix together with one tbsp of melted butter maybe alittle more, make a crust on the bottom of the cups and than go for the flow of the recipe.
Andi Gleeson says
Thanks for all these great ideas, Mary! I especially love the idea of sticking a square of sharp cheddar in the center!
Margie nelson says
The recipe made more than 12 servings. Did i do something wrong? I used a 12 oz box of rotelli.
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Margie! I’m sorry if you ended up with a little extra. I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong, but you could bake extra in a small oven-safe bowl and eat it that way. I hope you liked the recipe. Thank you!
Jen says
How much is 0.4 oz. of ranch dressing mix, lol? Like a pinch or two of the dry seasoning mix? I don’t want to overdo it. Thanks so much for sharing this cute and yummy sounding recipe.
Andi Gleeson says
Wait, you mean you don’t usually measure things in tenths of an ounce?? Just kidding! That’s the size of the buttermilk ranch packet, so you’ll use the whole thing. Just check the amount on the seasoning you have in case it’s a larger amount. Thank you, Jen!
Sharon says
When you say ranch seasoning, you mean the dry package seasoning ? Sorry I probably should re-read. Lol
Andi says
Hi, Sharon! Yes, the dry packaged kind. I like to make my own because it’s cheaper and has fewer additives. There are lots of recipes online, but I like this one. It calls for buttermilk powder, which costs a few dollars, but it makes a lot of Ranch mix, which would cost more. Thanks for stopping by!
Mama2DnG says
These look delish!! Do you think they would be just as good if I made them in mini muffin tins? I’d like to make them for an appetizer party and want to stretch it out :-)
Andi says
Yes! The cooking time will be decreased, but otherwise they should be fine. Hope you love them. Thank you!
Ally says
very awesome! Took me forever to make but like twice baked tatoes worth the wait!!!
Everybody loved them!
Thx
★★★★
Andi says
Yes, this isn’t one of my quickest recipes, but I’m so glad you felt like it was worth it. Thank you so much, Ally!
Mary Clark says
I’m very impressed with just the picture alone and knowing that there is bacon and mac and cheese combination in a cup really states a yummy dish even before I make it. I wish I could click my fingers and it would appear before me, but I guess I don’t have that magic touch. It will be cooked by the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Andi says
Thank you so much, Mary! I’m glad you like the recipe. If you have time, please come back to let me know how you like them!
Martha says
These look great….Have you tried to freeze them?
Andi says
Thanks, Martha! I haven’t tried to freeze them, but I think it should work. I should start freezing more food so I can answer that question better. We always just eat everything right away ;)
Beth says
Have you tried freezing them since posting this? Curious – it would be awesome to stock these in the freezer for the lunchbox or a quick dinner for my boys!
Andi says
I haven’t tried it, Beth. I think freezing them would work fine, but I can’t say for sure. The certainly reheated great out of the fridge! Have a good weekend :)
Mari says
Totally doing this for my daughter she loves mac n cheese great share:)!
Andi says
Thank you, Mari! I hope you guys like them :)
Danae @ Recipe Runner says
BACON!!!!! Love these mac and cheese cups! There couldn’t be a better combination than ranch, bacon, and cheese!
Andi says
I have to agree because those are three of my favorite things :) Thanks so much, Danae!
Kelly says
These mac and cheese cups are adorable, Andi! They sound awesome with the bacon and ranch! What a great and fun idea for a school lunch or tailgating party like you said :)
Andi says
Thanks so much, Kelly!
Catherine says
These look irresistible!! Blessings, Catherine
Andi says
Thanks so much, Catherine! I hope you are doing well.
Laura O| Petite Allergy Treats says
This is genius! My kids (and me) would love this! Bacon makes everything better, especial Farmland!
Andi says
Thank you, Laura! You are so right about bacon making everything better :)
Michelle says
Love this cheese cups, I am so excited to try these recipes. I have wrote down a bunch and bookmarked your page