Cubano Mac and Cheese Egg Roll
Creamy mac and cheese rolled up in an egg roll wrapper with Cubano sandwich ingredients like ham, pickles, and roast pork! This is a decadent over the top appetizer or snack that is perfect for watching the game! The mac and cheese flavors work so well with the ham and pork in the crispy wrapper. It all comes together in a perfect and super tasty way!
The inspiration for this recipe
I was looking through an old email where I suggested this idea to a mac and cheese company and they said no. I couldn’t believe I had totally forgotten suggesting it! With the superbowl coming up, I had to make it immediately and share it with you all! I used to not make many egg rolls, and preferred the thin crispy spring roll wrappers, but lately I have come around more to the thick egg rolls that can hold so much food.
Rolling your Cubano Mac and Cheese Egg Roll
I used leftover ingredients to make this, so let’s get right to the rolling part, and I will tell you more about the mac and cheese, and the roasted pork later. Put an egg roll wrapper down and brush egg on two of the edges, then we load up the Cubano ingredients and mac and cheese! A slice of swiss, then ham. I cut the ham to be the same size as the swiss. Then pickles, pork, and the mac and cheese.
Roll it up!
Starting on the edge that has no egg on it, roll the egg roll half way, then fold in the sides, then roll it the rest of the way. Squeeze the egg roll tight so the Cubano and mac and cheese ingredients are packed in good!
Time to fry the Cubano mac and cheese egg roll
Preheat the oil to 350 and fry until brown and crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Serve the Cubano mac and cheese egg rolls
I like to slice them before serving. Then each person doesn’t have to commit to a whole huge mac and cheese egg roll. I also think it helps the outside stay crispy cause the steam has somewhere to escape.
I served them with a standard honey mustard dressing I had in the fridge.
Twists on this recipe
I mentioned I used leftovers for the components of this Cubano mac and cheese egg roll. I still wrote out the mac and cheese below, but did not write out the pork. I love this recipe for cuban style pork, but you could use your favorite!
I also used what I consider my trashy mac and cheese recipe. It’s very simple and makes a perfect mac and cheese that tastes like it’s from a fast food restaurant or a high end box that comes with a squeezable cheese pack. Here is more info on that recipe if you are interested. I also used it for these mac and cheese bites.
For more info on rolling egg rolls, this is a great guide.
Cubano Mac and Cheese Egg Roll
Equipment
Ingredients
Simple mac and cheese
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces lumache (or elbow mac)
Rolls
- oil for frying I use peanut
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- 12 slices swiss cheese
- 12 slices ham
- 36 pickle chips
- 1 cup chopped roasted pork (details above)
- honey mustard dressing for dipping
Instructions
Mac and Cheese
- Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add in the pasta. Cook according to package to al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water just before straining it.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the evaporated milk and cornstarch in a bowl until combined.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and add in the milk mixture. Bring to a simmer and watch as it thickens. Remove from heat
- Add the pasta, cheese, and pasta cooking water to the pan and stir. Continue to stir until all the cheese melts. Be patient- if you added it all when the pasta is still hot it should eventually melt. If it doesn't melt, put it over low heat for a minute, and continue to stir, taking it on and off the heat every minute or so. Just be careful about overheating because the sauce will break if it gets too hot.
Egg Rolls
- Preheat oven in a heavy pot to 350. Start making the rolls as the oil heats, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't get too hot.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl with a splash of water.
- Lay one of the wrappers out on the work surface. Brush two sides and a corner with the egg wash.
- Add a slice of cheese so it is a square of cheese within the square wrapper. Add the ham on top, cutting off any extra ham so that the ham is pretty much the same size and shape as the cheese.
- Place down 3 pickle chips in a line, so that the line is dividing the wrapper between the egg washed corner and the dry corner. Top with some pork and a small scoop of the mac and cheese.
- Roll the wrapper around the filling starting with the dry side. Roll it over half way, then fold in the sides and roll it the rest of the way. Make sure it is sealed on all edges. Continue to make the rest of the egg rolls.
- Fry in batches of 2 -4 depending on how big the pot is. Fry until uniformly brown and crispy, and remove them from the oil if you see any of the cheese leaking out.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then serve with the honey mustard.