Spicy Mac N Cheese Balls

Ever look at those beautiful Pinterest recipes and think “I could never figure that out.”. Well, I promise you; this one you can! Also, family tested I did 90% of this recipe while wrangling a small child, a dog, and a puppy while I let my wife nap. (Yes, I know, husband of the year). So, turn up some tunes, embrace the chaos and feed your kids the leftovers of the macaroni and enjoy some homemade delicious, spicy treats!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Augusto’s Green Sauce
• 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• ¼ tsp. Paprika
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
• ¼ tsp. Sugar
• 1 Cup Italian Style Breadcrumbs
• ½ cup Mild Cheddar Cheese Shredded
• 1 box Mac N Cheese
• Olive Oil spray
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp. Butter
• Optional- Cheese Puffs or Cheese Balls, Balsamic Glaze, and Chives. These are all extra that I used to decorate with.

Directions:

1. Mac N Cheese- Bring 6 cups of water in a pot to an ongoing boil. Stir in the macaroni noodles and return to a boil. Cook the noodles for about 7 minutes (per box directions). Drain, add in the 4 tbsp of butter, ½ cup Augusto’s Green Sauce, ½ cup of Cheddar Cheese, cheese from the box, and mix.
2. Place the mac n cheese in a freezer friendly container lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 60 minutes. Using a small scoop (such as a cookie scoop) scoop the mac n cheese into ball shapes and place back into the freezer for an additional 60 minutes.
3. In a mixing bowl add the 4 eggs and stir until mixed well. Now in a different mixing bowl add the 2 tsp Italian Seasoning, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp sugar, and 1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs.
4. Remove the mac n cheese balls from the freezer.
5. Dip the mac n cheese balls into the egg wash, then the breadcrumbs mix, then add into the air fryer. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F. and cook for 9-11 minutes (until golden brown). Before cooking, spray the mac n cheese balls with a mist of olive oil (this will help them get crunchy on the outside).
6. (Optional) Do you want to add a little something extra to your appetizer? Try taking some cheese puffs or cheese balls and grind them into a powder. You can use a blender or a food processor to achieve this. Dip one side of the mac n cheese balls into the Augusto’s Green Sauce, then dip into the cheese puff powder.
7. Top off with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of chives. Serve warm and enjoy!