Taste Test: Trader Joe's Mac And Cheese Bites

Macaroni and cheese is inherently pretty hard to screw up, barring a major disaster. The folks at Trader Joe's managed to take a very good recipe for the dish, ball it up into little nuggets, bread them, freeze them, and turn it into a very solid snack.

The macaroni and cheese itself is made with Cheddar, mozzarella, Romano, Monterrey Jack, and cream cheese, as well as a dash of hot sauce. It's rolled in a breadcrumb mixture, and, after about 10 to 15 minutes in a 425-degree oven, they come out piping-hot, oozing a bit, and golden brown.

Our panel of tasters was overall impressed by the bites, although most found it to be overly greasy (it's recommended you blot them on a paper towel before serving, and we agree). The breading is similar to the crust that you'll find on a batch of mac and cheese, which is a very nice touch, and the cheese had just the right amount of meltiness. "It's good in an 'I know this is bad for me' kind of way," said one taster.

Overall, these mac and cheese bites will most likely be a hit should you decide to bust them out at your next gathering. The recipe that they use is of a really high quality, but be warned that they're not exactly good for you: each bite has 4 grams of fat and about 50 calories.