No, not those kind of cupcakes.
Cute, little savory cupcake-formed stacks of mac and cheese.
Healthy ones, too – made with whole wheat bread crumbs and whole wheat pasta.
Are you sold yet?
I figured this would be a good way to sneak in some veggies. Since I obviously have to cook for myself the way a mother needs to cook for a 3-year old.
When I look for vegetable recipes, I often turn to the masters of the kitchen – Giada in this case.
I also have my share of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks. No, I will never give up bacon and cheese, but I figure if anyone knows how to make vegetables taste good, it has to be vegetarians.
But I’m still stuck on the theory that vegetables taste like mud when I make them and like diamond-crusted, chocolate-stuffed bacon when someone else makes them for me. In other words, can you come over and cook some veggies for me?
Let me just say that I loved the cherry tomatoes in here. They were the best part – adding a bit of sweetness to the cheesy pasta.
Another thing I love is how versatile this dish is. Different cheeses, different pastas, different veggies (or not…) can all be substituted to personalize the cupcakes.
Baked Mac and Cheese Cupcakes
from Giada
Makes about 12 cupcakes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 zucchini, chopped
1-2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400.
Boil pasta as the box states. Set aside in a large bowl. Chop tomatoes and zucchini, and season with salt and pepper.
Spray cupcake tins with non-stick spray, and coat with breadcrumbs, shaking any excess off.
In pasta bowl, add provolone and cheddar and combine. Add 2-3 tablespoons pasta mixture to each muffin tin. Place tomatoes and zucchini throughout pasta in each muffin top. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan and breadcrumbs.
Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely, then gently remove with a spoon.
These would be a great weekend treat.
And you can eat a lot of them too, because you know, weekend calories don’t count.
I’m Jessica and this is where I share my stuff. You will find a balance of healthy recipes, comfort food and indulgent desserts.
Those would be great for a party as an appetizer.
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oh my gosh….i so have to make these for my daughter!!! they look delicious!
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This is such a great idea! You’re right – a perfect thing to cook for little tots…and picky veggie eaters.
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How fun! Those look wonderful! Is it 1 grape tomatoe? 1 cup? 1 pint? :)
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Jessica — July 9th, 2010 @ 8:57 am
Oops! 1 pint. :) But really, it would be like me to only use ONE tomato, right?
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SERiously!!! This is such a great idea!! I love how crispy the cheese looks. Must try this soon! I can think of sooo many different combos. Yummmm
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Oh wow these look amazing! I love that baking them in the muffin tins makes little individual portions. Maybe it would keep me from eating vast quantities of mac and cheese. Maybe…
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This is such a cute (and delicious) idea! My boyfriend loves mac and cheese so I just might have to make these for him
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YUM!! it’s like a mini-version of spaghetti pie, sorta!
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dear lord woman, you are the devil
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NO YOU DIDN’T ! :)
these look so delicious.
thank you for the weekend calorie information… I eat really clean during the week, and generally have one free day on the weekend, so I’m doing it the right way, it seems!! :)
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Now, these are my kind of cupcakes!!! I would choose these over a sweet one any day :-)
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I love these!!! I made mac and cheese cupcakes for a party once, but they weren’t nearly as cute as yours. Plus, I love the addition of little veggies… Perfect :)
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Ohhhh that is a great concept. I like it because first off they look delicious and I can observe portion control
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scott’s dream food, totally!
your email, macro setting, ummm hello yes!!!
and the other stuff, I have seen it happen over and over, not properly referenced and things getting lost in the shuffle about who did what and who did it first. Grrr.
SUper late gotta boogie lovie :)
xoxo
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Those look amazing. What a great idea.
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Aw, they’re so cute! I can see myself scarfing these little guys down for breakfast.
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Totally making these for me and my girls! They will love them!
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I’ve seen these magical mac and cheese cupcakes from Giada before and have wanted to try them. They look so delicious!
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Holy smokes! These look so lovely I could eat 10!
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These look and sound wonderful! And, yes, they seem a great way to “sneak in” some veggies…
Have a great weekend!
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OH YUM!
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ooh yes, those would be perfect for little appetizer, finger, party foods :) I would have a hard time stopping at 2 . . . or 10 :)
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you had me at the post title :) seriously, i couldn’t resist commenting on this post. These sound INCREDIBLE.
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Brilliant idea!
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What an amazing idea!!! I love these. I am a huge mac and cheese fan and I love the idea of making it portable. I’m thinking that with mini elbows and a mini muffin tin these would be an awesome hors d’oeuvre too.
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I’m so excited to try these! In fact I have a get together tomorrow and had no idea what to make! Guess what! Now I do! Thanks.. I’ll let you know how this goes over with the folks!
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“…weekend calories don’t count.”
Love ya for that!
The savory muffins…cupcakes… look wonderful. I can absolutely see myself making them too. My only fear is that they would be a bit too crunchy. Are they?
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Jessica — July 9th, 2010 @ 3:13 pm
Nope, not really crunchy at all – just a bit on top from the breadcrumbs. You can always leave those out.
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Such a cute idea!
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Looks yum!! Have you ever tried Vosges Bacon Chocolate?? I have a feeling you would love it!
~Alyssa
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Jessica — July 10th, 2010 @ 10:27 am
Oh yes I have. It is a sin.
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Those look fantastic! Very creative and fun, yet still tasty and healthy!!
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Can I come over? And you can make these for me for dinner for the rest of my life? That would be good. Thanks.
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Now THAT’S my kind of cupcake! I’m not really good with regular type cupcakes but I could dig this.
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Amazingly creative! These look scrumptious, and with a little modifying they will be beg friendly! Thanks for posting! Have a great weekend!
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Shut up!!! Jessica… that is the coolest. My kids would go nuts for this!! You are brilliant!
Blessings-
Amanda
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What a cute and fun idea! I bet kids and adults love these equally. Oh Giada–you’re so good!
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It’s so great to know that weekend calories don’t count, especially since today is Saturday! This would be a great way to get my kids to eat veggies too!
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I am totally stealing that idea! Brilliant!
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OH my, these are too cute! I must make these. YUM!
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The cuteness is killing me here! Your blog is awesome and I’m not even a foodie! Nor am I skilled in the kitchen, but this is something I would totally make…I’m gonna give it a try! Thanks for the idea :)
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I’m totally sold. As I was when I saw Giada make these. They look super delish.
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These are so cute!!
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Looks good… I like the mac and cheese cupcake idea. They would make cute appetizers for a party, I think. :)
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This looks really yummy! And original! I would love to try this soon.
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Wow. You’re so creative!! :) I made actual Mac & Cheese a few nights ago but this is so original! I willl definitely be trying these soon!
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Wrote about this post on my new blog. Yummy! http://mallicious.blogspot.com
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My daughter would surely love these delicious treats.
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I love this recipe. Made it right away with mushrooms, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes and everyone ate them up. A new favorite. thanks for sharing :)
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Do you use regular size cupcake pan or the mini cupcake pan?
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Jessica — May 30th, 2011 @ 2:00 pm
I use regular!
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These are amazing! I used trader joes shredded smoked 4 cheese mix (smoked cheddar, gouda, provolone and mozzerella) instead of only cheddar and provolone and it was great!
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I used bacon instead of zucchini. They were soo good!! I brought them to work for a party, and they were the first to go. Everyone loved them! The bacon was perfect too!! I’m sure zucchini is good too, I guess, but I couldn’t find any. Thanks for sharing!!
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