Muffin tins the perfect vehicle for miniature meals

Sometimes, you just don’t want to bother with pots and pans. Sometimes, you want small portions, like tapas. Sometimes, you just want a change.

It is for all of these times that muffin tins were made. Sure, you can use them to make muffins or cupcakes, but the trend these days is to use them to make dinner, or at least party appetizers.

I set out to explore the limits of muffin-tinning by making four radically different entrees. One is a breakfast, another is a muffin-tin version of macaroni and cheese, because, frankly, it’s macaroni and cheese. No further explanation is needed, right? Another dish just uses the muffin tin to make exceptionally clever buns for muffin-sized sliders.

And I simply couldn’t resist the concept of miniature chicken pot pies with store-bought crescent-roll dough as the crust. These little cups are delightful simply by virtue of being small and portable — like ordinary chicken pot pies, but more fun.

MAC AND CHEESE CUPS

By Daniel Neman

This dish requires making your own macaroni and cheese from scratch, but it is a simple, pared-down version — no Worcestershire sauce, no ground mustard, no eggs. This mac and cheese is just the basics: butter, flour, milk, cheese and macaroni.

Once you make it, you bake it. The point is to get the macaroni and cheese to set, so you can eat it with your fingers. You get all the wonderful flavor of mac and cheese, without any of the cheese goo.

• 1-1/2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 12 liners in a muffin tin, and grease or spray them with nonstick spray.

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk; bring to a boil. Add cheddar cheese, stirring until melted.

Stir in macaroni; season with salt and pepper. Divide among muffin cups, sprinkle with Parmesan and bake until golden, 15 minutes. Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional information per serving: 171 calories, 9 g total fat, 13 g carbohydrates; 8 g protein, 241 mg sodium.

RAMEN SLIDERS

By Daniel Neman (adapted from Taste of Home magazine)

The muffin tin is used for just half of this dish, but it’s the showy half — the bun. Only it isn’t a bun, it’s ramen noodles. Placed in the bottom of muffin tins and baked, the noodles become crisp and crunchy.

The slider part is also creative: Mix ground beef with the seasoning packet from a package of beef or pork ramen and chopped scallions.

Cook it into tiny burgers and top with a slice of hard-cooked egg, a squirt of Sriracha and, if you like, a piece of kim chee.

• 2 (3-ounce) packages beef or pork ramen noodles
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled
• Sriracha, to taste
• Kim chee (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 24 muffin cups.

Set aside 1 seasoning packet from noodles; discard the other. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Divide noodles among prepared muffin cups. Bake until crisp and light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Meanwhile, combine beef, green onions and contents of the reserved seasoning packet, mixing thoroughly. Shape into 12 (2-1/2-inch) patties. (Do this by hand or roll meat out between 2 sheets of waxed paper, remove the top sheet and use a cookie cutter to make the patties.)

Cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until they are as done as you like.

Cut each egg into 6 slices. Serve burgers on ramen buns with egg slices, Sriracha and, if desired, kim chee. Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 304 calories, 10 g total fat, 9 g carbohydrate, 13 g protein, 304 mg sodium.

HASH BROWN CUPS

By Daniel Neman (adapted from Food Network)

These are just what they sound like, shredded potatoes cooked inside a muffin tin and then filled with scrambled eggs.

The potatoes are baked, not fried, so you might think they would be relatively healthful. Alas, something is needed to hold the potatoes together, a glue of sorts, and that glue is 4 tablespoons of butter. That works out to a teaspoon of butter in each cup. No wonder they taste so good.

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, shredded
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pepper, to taste
• 4 eggs, scrambled

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil 12 muffin cups.

In a bowl, mix shredded potatoes, melted butter and salt; season with pepper. Press mixture into muffin tins, forming 12 cups. Bake until brown and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes.

Fill cups with scrambled eggs. Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional information per serving: 88 calories, 6 g total fat, 7 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 173 mg sodium.

CHICKEN POT PIE CUPS

By Daniel Neman (adapted from Delish.com)

If you are tempted to believe that meals — or at least appetizers — cooked in muffin tins are easier to make or less time-consuming than their full-sized siblings, you would be mistaken. To make these Chicken Pot Pie Cups, you begin by making chicken pot pie.

That means a fair amount of chopping and dicing, and the making of a roux. And if you don’t have any cooked chicken on hand, you also have to to cook some chicken.

The only part that is simplified is the use of refrigerated crescent-roll dough in place of homemade pastry. You could also use store-bought puff pastry.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups diced chicken
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 2 tubes crescent roll dough

Heat oven to 375 degrees and grease 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with nonstick spray.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add carrots, celery, onion and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 3 minutes, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth and cream; bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in chicken, peas and corn; simmer until warmed through. Remove from heat; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll crescent-roll doughs and pinch diagonal seams together. Cut each tube’s worth of dough into 12 squares, and place squares in muffin tin slots, on the bottom and up the sides of each cup. Spoon heaping spoonfuls of chicken mixture into each crescent cup.

Bake until crescents are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly in muffin tin before removing to serve. Serves 24.

Approximate nutritional information per serving: 104 calories; 5 g fat; 10 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 270 mg sodium.