Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls

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Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! 

Get ready to celebrate Game Day with these amazing Pace® products! Hover over the photo and click through to Walmart.com to purchase them!

If there is one thing that this house celebrates more than anything (except Halloween), it’s Game Day! It is a long-standing tradition to invite family and friends over to watch our favorite sport games, indulge in every kind of appetizer imaginable and spend the time making memories with stories that will be shared for years. What better way to feed that pack of hungry sports fans than running over to your local Walmart, picking up all the ingredients for this easy Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls recipe and really showing off both your cooking skills and your Game Day spirit? Forget scoring a one through 10… with Pace® these little golden bites of fried yumminess are kicked all the way up to 11!

Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! | Pack Momma | www.awickedwhisk.com
Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls

Now, I know I’ve said it before but I love shopping at Walmart. They always have everything I need, even when a recipe comes to me on the spur of the moment between aisle 3 and aisle 5. Everything is always so easy to find and I can usually run in and run out a lot quicker than I can my neighborhood grocery store. That is exactly what I did this past Saturday. I knew I was having people over so I ran to Walmart, picked up my 24 oz. Pace® Salsa Verde along with everything else I needed to make macaroni and cheese and was home before my husband even noticed I was gone.

Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! | Pack Momma | www.awickedwhisk.com
Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls

So not observant…

Since there is always a vast assortment of foods laid out when it comes to celebrating the Big Game, I sometimes worry that I am serving up the same things over and over again so I always try to bring new ideas to the munchie table. These Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are the newest addition to feed my rambunctious crowd of screaming sports fans and I KNOW these are going to be a huge hit. Plus I was really surprised at how quick and easy these are to make. Like many of us, I have enjoyed Macaroni and Cheese Balls out at a restaurant before but it wasn’t until I really sat down to think about it that I realized how easy these would be to make it home. And adding Pace® Salsa Verde to my macaroni and cheese recipe only made them even better! Adding Pace® into my favorite recipe kicked my macaroni and cheese up to the next level and really added a genuine southwest flavor. These Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are anything but bland and boring! The flavor Pace® adds is the real key to this appetizer and one that your friends and family will LOVE.

Simply make the macaroni and cheese ahead of time, earlier in the day or the day before, and let cool completely in the refrigerator.

Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! | Pack Momma | www.awickedwhisk.com
Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls

Once cooled, roll a scoop of your macaroni and cheese into a ball (I smooshed mine into a ball shape more than rolled it) then lightly dredge your macaroni and cheese ball through flour, beaten eggs and then finally Panko bread crumbs and you are set to go!

Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! | Pack Momma | https://www.awickedwhisk.com
Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls

Fry the macaroni and cheese balls for 4 – 5 minutes in 350-degree oil and then that is it! You are rewarded with golden fried crispy balls of creamy, cheesy, macaroni and cheese with a huge kick of flavor from the Pace® Salsa Verde.

Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! | Pack Momma | https://www.awickedwhisk.com
Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls

These have now become my all-time favorite Game Day food to the point where I probably eat more of these standing in the kitchen by myself than I serve up to the people invading my house!

So the next time you are entertaining or being invaded by hungry sports fans, grab a jar of Pace® Salsa Verde and whip up a batch of my Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls.. I promise Game Day will never be the same!!

Check out even more great ideas from the Pace® Game Time page HERE.

Looking for coupons? Check out an awesome Ibotta® deal on Pace® products at Walmart! Earn $0.50 cash back with Ibotta® when you purchase a jar of Pace®! (Offer is valid on any ONE (1) 15 oz. or larger Pace® Salsa or Pace® Picante Sauce.)

Enjoy!

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Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! | Pack Momma | https://www.awickedwhisk.com
Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls

 

Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls

Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! | Pack Momma | https://www.awickedwhisk.com
Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried Salsa Verde Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect Game Day appetizers with a crispy outside and creamy cheesy southwest mac n cheese on the inside! | Pack Momma | https://www.awickedwhisk.com
Heather - A Wicked Whisk
Serving Size 46 ea

Ingredients

  • 2 tbl butter
  • 2 tbl flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 cup Pace® Salsa Verde
  • 16 oz elbow macaroni
  • 16 oz cheese, shredded
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 eggs beaten
  • 2 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil frying

Instructions

  • Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, cook pasta following manufacturers instructions. Drain and set pasta aside
  • Using the same pot, melt butter over medium high heat and add in 2 tbl of flour.
  • Whisk until combined and then add in milk, salt, pepper and onion powder. Continue to stir until milk reaches a low boil
  • Once boiling, remove from heat and add in shredded cheese and Pace® Salsa Verde. Stir until cheese is melted and all is well combined
  • Pour in pasta and stir to combine. Cover and set in refrigerator for at least three hours or until completely chilled.  Overnight is best.
  • Once macaroni is completely cool, remove from refrigerator and set out three bowls / containers.  Add 1 1/2 cup flour to one, eggs to another and breadcrumbs in the final bowl.
  • Using a spoon, scoop out a generous tablespoon of macaroni and roll / smoosh the macaroni into a ball shape. Set aside and repeat using the entire pot of macaroni and cheese
  • Pour enough vegetable oil into your fryer or a large pot you can heat on the stove. You only need enough to cover the macaroni balls. Bring heat to 350 degrees
  • While oil is heating, lightly dredge macaroni balls in the flour, then eggs and finally breadcrumbs making sure they are completely covered. 
  • Gently (carefully!) drop balls into the heated oil. Do not overcrowd. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.  Try one to make sure the inside has completely warmed up and is ooey gooey perfect!
  • Serve immediately!!

Notes

Cheese is totally your preference but I like combining extra sharp cheddar and cheddar jack together.  You can't make a bad decision on this one 🙂

Nutrition

Serving: 46ea | Calories: 109.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.8g | Protein: 4.2g | Fat: 3.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 23.2mg | Sodium: 102.4mg | Potassium: 28.7mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 1.1g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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