Makes 30 cupcakes
- 8 ounces ditalini pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
- 1 small onion, diced small
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
- ½ cup panko crumbs (or regular dry bread crumbs)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Tomato chutney (recipe follows or use good quality jarred chutney or salsa)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
Cook ditalini according to package instructions. The pasta must be fully cooked, not al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Sauté onion over medium heat in butter until soft. Sprinkle flour over the butter and onions and cook, stirring, until mixtures bubbles.
Add milk while stirring and cook stirring all the while until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens.
Remove the sauce from the stove and stir in 6 ounces of the grated cheddar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Mix pasta with the sauce.
Mix panko crumbs with chili powder.
Spray mini muffin tins with Pam and sprinkle the seasoned crumbs in the muffins wells.
Spoon the ditalini mix into the muffin tins and top with remaining grated cheese.
Bake at 350 F for 5 minutes or until set. Muffins may be refrigerated at this point and reheated for 2 to 3 minutes until warm.
Spoon a small amount of chutney on top of each mini-muffin and garnish with scallion.
Tomato Chutney
- 3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 3/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
Mix together all ingredients and cook over medium heat until thickened. Cool before serving.
