Learn what to do with leftover mac and cheese using this collection of 15 fantastic recipes. Choose an appetizer, dinner, or even breakfast. There are lots of great dishes to try. Don’t let all the hard work of creating macaroni and cheese go to waste! Check out these amazing storage tips and then turn your leftovers into a new family favorite.
Leftover Mac & Cheese Recipes
Creamy mac and cheese is an amazing side dish or even a stand-alone meal. It’s classic comfort food that the whole family can enjoy. But what do you do with your leftover mac and cheese?
Because of it’s cheesy goodness, you want to make sure that you are eating the extras fairly quickly. Finding a new dish is a great way to make sure you are using up your food and not getting tired of the same old meal.
You can choose from a perfect finger food appetizer or a whole new meal for the next day!
Some of the recipes in this collection mention using a box of macaroni and cheese. But don’t worry, we made sure that these recipes have cooking the mac and cheese according to package instructions, so you can easily sub it with pre-cooked.
A lot of common ideas, like classic chili mac recipes, require you to cook the elbow macaroni while the dish is cooking. So those types of recipes are not included in this collection.
If you’re looking for an amazing recipe, check out this delicious homemade macaroni and cheese.
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Common questions
Can you freeze mac and cheese?
Yes! Make sure you let your dish cool completely before storing it in a freezer-safe airtight container.
How long is mac and cheese good for leftovers?
- A properly refrigerated batch of mac n cheese should last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- You can freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.
Other recipe ideas you may enjoy!
Each of these leftovers ideas will tell you:
- Type of recipe
- Number of ingredients
- How much macaroni you will need.
- The complexity of ingredients (aka, whether or not you might need to hit the grocery store first)
- How long it takes to prepare (including cook time)
- Special diet (Keto, Gluten-free, etc)
- Equipment needed. (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, etc.)
What to do with leftover mac and cheese
If you’re currently wrapping up some leftovers, don’t stress! Pin this to your favorite recipe board and it will be ready when you are!
Ingredients that work well with day-old macaroni and cheese
These ingredients will pop up in a lot of the recipes below. So if you have them on hand, you will be able to find more ideas to make.
- bell peppers
- cheddar cheese
- cream cheese
- panko breadcrumbs
- Italian bread crumbs
- garlic powder
- chili powder
What to do with leftover macaroni and cheese
Our goal is to help you find a dish with the ingredients you already have in your fridge.
Each of these macaroni and cheese recipes will give you some important details so that you can pick the best idea for your family.
Check out the blogger that published each dish to use their tips and get the full recipe.
Note: pantry ingredients include dry ingredient pantry staples like olive oil, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, corn starch, salt, black pepper, spices, etc.
Please check the recipe to make sure that you have the ingredients needed to create the dish. If you are making gluten-free recipes, it may include things like almond flour and other common gluten-free pantry items
TYPE: Breakfast
INGREDIENT COUNT: 3 plus basic pantry ingredients.
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 20 oz
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 15 Minutes
NOTES: Waffle Maker
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 3
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 4 cups
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 20 Minutes
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 2
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 1 Batch
INGREDIENT TYPE: You may have to hit the grocery store first.
TIME: 20 Minutes
NOTES: Gluten-free, Vegan
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 3
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 4 cups
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 27 Minutes
NOTES: Air Fryer
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 9 plus basic pantry ingredients.
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 20 oz
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 33 Minutes
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 7 plus basic pantry ingredients.
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 1 package Gluten-Free
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 45 Minutes
NOTES: Gluten-Free, Nuts-Free, Soy-Free
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 6
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 1 box
INGREDIENT TYPE: You may have to hit the grocery store first.
TIME: 30 Minutes
NOTES: Nut-Free
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 5 plus oil and salt
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 3 cups
INGREDIENT TYPE: You may have to hit the grocery store first.
TIME: 16 Minutes
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 6 plus oil
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 1 1/2 cups
INGREDIENT TYPE: You may have to hit the grocery store first.
TIME: 40 Minutes
TYPE: Appetizer
INGREDIENT COUNT: 6
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 1 box
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 1 hour 20 Minutes
TYPE: Dinner
INGREDIENT COUNT: 12 plus basic pantry ingredients.
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 16 oz
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 50 Minutes
TYPE: Dinner
INGREDIENT COUNT: 3 plus seasoning
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 2 cups
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 3 hours
TYPE: Dinner
INGREDIENT COUNT: 4
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 1 1/2 cups
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 10 Minutes
TYPE: Dinner
INGREDIENT COUNT: 3
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: 1 box
INGREDIENT TYPE: Simple ingredients you may have on hand.
TIME: 20 Minutes
NOTES: Grill
TYPE: Dinner
INGREDIENT COUNT: 4
AMOUNT OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: As much as you want
INGREDIENT TYPE: You may have to hit the grocery store first.
TIME: 15 Minutes
Which new recipe are you looking forward to trying first?
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