Hip Foodie Mom

Comfort Food Rewind: Mini Mac n Cheese Cups with Pork Shoulder Ragù for #SundaySupper

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Ah, comfort food. .  when I think of comfort food, two things immediately come to mind: 1) wearing loose pants and 2) forgetting all the calories, and just eating, enjoying the food and relaxing. Isn’t that what comfort food is all about?  Who cares if you eat that entire bowl of mac n cheese! The stress and the worry or whatever it is will be there tomorrow. What’s life without a little indulging anyway? For me, comfort food is best when enjoyed with others. .  so cook up something warm and gooey and enjoy, my friends. Life is too short to be counting those freaking calories all the time.

 

When I found out this week’s Sunday Supper theme was Comfort Food, I knew I had to bring back my absolute favorite of all time. Pairing two of my favorite things: Macaroni and Cheese and Pork Shoulder Ragù. I would have just prepared a baked mac n cheese but these are so much cuter and fun to eat + they add the wonderful Pork Shoulder Ragù which – seriously-  takes these mac n cheese cups to the next level.

 

If you like mac n cheese, you simply must try this one. .  now, I know this isn’t a simple, under 30 minutes recipe. .  BUT you’ll remember this first bite forever. It’s that good.

 

I hope you enjoy!

 

Print Recipe

Mini Mac n Cheese Cups with Pork Shoulder Ragù

NOTE: For the Pork Shoulder Ragù, please note the braising time required. I highly recommend making the pork a day ahead just to make the cooking time easier.
Course: Appetizer
Servings: 8
Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

For Mac n Cheese Cups:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups Ritz crackers crushed (I placed all the crackers in a big ziploc bag and used a rolling pin)
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese grated and divided
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 4 and 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni about 8 ounces uncooked
  • One 5.2-ounce container of Boursin Garlic and Herb cheese or The Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb spreadable cheese
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch red pepper flakes optional; for a little heat
  • Fresh Parsley for garnish

For Pork Shoulder Ragu:

  • 1 pound boneless pork shoulder roast
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 small onion; chopped
  • 1 garlic clove; minced
  • 1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes or diced with juice
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4-5 sprigs fresh oregano
  • Small handful of fennel seeds optional
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce for smokiness (optional)
  • Fresh Parsley for garnish

Instructions

For Mac n Cheese Cups:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Generously spray 8 cups of your muffin pan with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, combine the crushed Ritz crackers, 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and the melted butter, mixing well until the mixture holds together and resembles coarse sand. Divide the mixture among the 8 muffin cups and, using your fingers, press the crust firmly into the bottoms and up the sides of each muffin cup.
  • In another large bowl, combine the cooked (and still hot) macaroni with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar, the garlic & herb cheese, and the butter. Mix well.
  • In a separate small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) and mix well. Add the egg/milk mixture to the cooked macaroni, mixing until all of the ingredients are melted and smoothly combined. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the macaroni mixture into each muffin cup.
  • Top each muffin cup with the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake the mac and cheese cups until lightly golden on top, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from the muffin pan. Use a fork to gently remove from the muffin pan.

For Pork Shoulder Ragù:

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Liberally salt and pepper the pork roast. Add olive oil and butter to large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until butter melts, but does not burn. Add pork roast to pan and brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes in all.
  • Add the onions and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, thyme, oregano, fennel and hot sauce (if using) and bring to a boil. Cover, and put in oven. Braise for about 2 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid (water, wine, or tomato sauce) if needed. I recommend adding more tomato sauce if you need to. (The liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up the pork.) Meat is done when it’s practically falling apart. Put on a cutting board and pull it apart with two forks, then add back to the pot and stir.

To Assemble your Mac n Cheese cups with the Pork:

  • Top your mac n' cheese cups with some pork shoulder ragù and top with fresh parsley. Serve while still hot.

Mac n Cheese Pie Recipe adapted from 

 

Comfort Food Around the Family Table #SundaySupper

This week’s Sunday Supper is being hosted by the lovely Isabel Foodie, with special guest Lee Woodruff.  Check out all the delicious comfort food dishes that will be served around our Sunday Supper table today!

 

#SundaySupper Comfort Food |Soups

#SundaySupper Comfort Food  | Main Dish

#SundaySupper Comfort Food | Desserts

Pairing Wine with Sunday Supper Comfort Food Favorites! by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog 

 

We would be honored to have you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper.  We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 pm (Eastern) for our weekly #SundaySupper  live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite Comfort Food Recipes.

 

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat. We’d also love to feature your easy go to recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers, too.

 

 

 

 

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • hipfoodiemom

      Haha, thank you Veronica! I hope you give this recipe a try . . if you like mac n cheese and pork, you will LOVE this. I promise!

      Reply

  8. Kim Bee

    Dude, way to take the perfect recipe, take the perfect photo and make the rest of us look like slackers. Lol!

    You blew me away with this one. It’s a stunning picture and even more stunning recipe. Great job.

    Reply

    • hipfoodiemom

      Kim,
      OMG! Your Chocolate fudge brownie ice cream looks pretty damn amazing too!!

      Thank you so much for the kinds words. . you seriously made my day! I try really hard with the photos. . so this means a lot! Thank you!

      Reply

  10. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    Ok, that’s it – I HAVE to make your pork shoulder ragu. Every time you post about it, I literally start drooling. Or, I just need to get in my car, drive down to Seattle and come to your house so that you can make it for me. Either way – I wish I were eating this right now! I also can’t believe the gorgeous crispy crust you got on your adorable mac ‘n cheese cups. YUM!

    Reply

    • hipfoodiemom

      haha, thanks Nancy! and YES! You must make this OR come over! 🙂 This is seriously awesome. . and that’s why I make it so much!

      Reply

    • hipfoodiemom

      Thank you, Chung-Ah! 🙂 they are dangerous. . but remember it’s comfort food so I am forgetting the calories and everything and just enjoying myself! 🙂 I’ll do some extra sit ups tomorrow. 😛

      Reply

  16. Laura Hunter

    I want to forget all about calories right now and help myself to a large plate of these. Oh why oh why did I read this posting right before lunch. My sandwich seems so inferior now.

    Reply

    • hipfoodiemom

      haha! thank you, Linda! Sounds good! 🙂 Yes, I am always in my comfy sweat pants when eating comfort food. . only way to do it. Word up.

      Reply

  25. The Wimpy Vegetarian

    Oohhhh! Pork is such a weakness for me. I love a great ragu made from pork shoulder. And with a little mac n cheese? Perfect. And I just love your photo!!! Pinning this one – this is one of those wimpy vegetarian moments. I just know I need to make this!!

    Reply

  29. Sarah

    I love how you used the spreadable cheese. I’m going to have to try that next time I make mac and cheese for Josh. Like many Korean’s I’m not a huge fan of cheese. BUT! I am in love with your pork shoulder ragu. I’m going to have to make some with a whole package of thick rigatoni and eat it till my comfy pants feel tight! Great recipe Alice!

    Reply

    • hipfoodiemom

      haha, thank you Sarah! Let me know if Josh likes it! 🙂 He and my husband, Paul, seem to be very similar! 🙂

      Reply

  30. Anne @ Webicurean

    I think the first thing I did Sunday morning was pin this on my “recipes to try” board, and I keep going back and admiring the picture–it looks THAT good! I can’t wait to give this a try!

    Reply

  34. Alaiyo Kiasi

    May I say WOW! I’m finishing my rounds from Sunday, making sure that I respond to everyone’s post, and I’m still blown away by the lovely dishes–particularly yours. Cheers!

    Reply

    • hipfoodiemom

      I know! Oh my goodness! All of the dishes were great! And thank you so much, Alaiyo! So sweet of you to say that, thank you!

      Reply

  35. sunithi

    ooh, these are so cute ! Would make a great appetizer or snack . My kids love mac & cheese and will be floored if I make this ! So creative ! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

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