Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Macaroni and Cheese is an American favorite. Leave it to the Cheesecake Factory to take this classic and make it better. This copycat recipe pays homage to the Cheesecake Factory’s wonderful recipe.

Serves 4–6 | Prep. time 15 minutes plus 3 hours chilling time | Cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 ¾ cups marinara sauce
• 1 ¾ cups alfredo sauce
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
• ¼ cup red wine

Balls

• 16 ounces grated white sharp cheddar, grated
• 16 ounces smoked gouda cheese, grated
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1 pound large elbow macaroni, cooked
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 cups panko bread crumbs
• Fresh Parmesan cheese for garnish only
• vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Make the balls. In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded cheddar and shredded gouda.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour slowly, whisking until there are no lumps. Gradually add the 2 cups of warm milk. Whisk until smooth, and continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken.
3. When the sauce is thickened, remove it from the heat and gradually mix in the cheddar and gouda cheeses. Stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated thoroughly.
4. Add the cooked macaroni and salt and pepper into the cheese sauce and stir well.
5. Butter a large cake pan and spread the mac and cheese mixture evenly into the pan, then place it in the refrigerator for at least two hours. You want the mixture to set and make it easier to form into balls.
6. After two hours, remove the tray from the refrigerator and form the mac and cheese into evenly sized balls about 2 inches in diameter. Cover, and put them in the freezer for at least an hour.
7. In a small bowl, beat your eggs and 3 tablespoons of milk together.
8. Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish.
9. In a deep skillet or large saucepan, heat enough vegetable oil so that the balls will be covered when you fry them.
10. When the oil is heated to 350°F, dip each ball in the egg mixture, then the panko crumbs, and drop them into the oil. Work in batches, and cook until the balls are a nice golden brown color, about 3–4 minutes. Transfer to the paper towel as they finish cooking to drain.
11. Make your cheese sauce by combining the marinara and alfredo sauce in a small saucepan. Heat over medium and when warm, add the ricotta, Italian cheese blend, and wine. Stir to combine.
12. When the cheeses have melted, remove the pot from the heat and add the garlic powder and heavy cream. Stir well.
13. Serve the macaroni balls with the cheese sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

 

 

Avocado Egg Rolls

This is one of the Cheesecake Factory’s most popular appetizers and for good reason. This recipe is a copy of the original but tastes just as amazing.

Makes 8 egg rolls | Prep. time 15 minutes | Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 avocados, halved, peeled, and seeded
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 lime
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 8 egg roll wrappers

Cilantro Dipping Sauce

• ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and deveined (optional)
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice of 1 lime
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. First, mix together all of the ingredients for the cilantro dipping sauce, and set it aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the avocados up a bit with the back of a fork. Gently mix in the tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
3. In a deep skillet or saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium to high heat.
4. Take your egg roll wrappers and fill each one with some of the avocado mixtures. Fold the sides over, and then fold down the top and bottom. You can wet your fingers and dampen the wrapper to seal the seams.
5. When the oil is heated, add the egg rolls and fry until they turn a beautiful golden brown. Then remove them and place them on a paper towel to drain.
6. Serve with cilantro dipping sauce.

 

 

Chicken Madeira

This Chicken Madeira recipe is a spin-off of one of the Cheesecake Factory’s most loved recipes.

Serves 8 | Prep. time 40 minutes | Cook time 40 minutes 

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• fresh parsley (for garnish)

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups beef stock
• ¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place each chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound until they are about ¼-inch thick.
3. In a plastic bag, combine the vinaigrette, brown sugar, and olive oil, then add the pounded chicken breasts. Refrigerate and let them marinate for at least an hour (but longer would be better).
4. When they are done marinating, you can either brown the breasts in a hot skillet by cooking for 2 minutes on each side, or you can skip this step if you are in a hurry.
5. Place the chicken breasts in a baking pan and bake for 12–15 minutes. Because the breasts are pounded thin, they won’t take long to cook.
6. In the skillet, you used to brown the chicken breasts and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sauce ingredients and cook until the sauce reduces to about half the original amount.
7. Change the setting on your oven to broil. Cover each chicken breast with mozzarella and cook until the cheese melts.
8. Serve with the pan sauce.

 

 

Cuban Sandwich

The Cheesecake Factory’s lunches are as good as their dinners. This recipe is inspired by the Cheesecake Factory’s Cuban sandwich.

Serves 4 | Prep. time 20 minutes | Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 8 slices artisan bread
• 8 thick slices deli smoked turkey
• 4 slices deli ham
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 12 dill pickle slices
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. Remove it from the heat and let it cool, then stir it into the mayonnaise.
2. Spread some garlic mayo over each slice of bread, and assemble the sandwiches using turkey, ham, cheese, pickles, and spinach.
3. Cook the sandwiches in a panini maker or grill them in a skillet until the cheese melts and the bread has browned up.
4. Serve.

 

 

Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake

This may take a little more time and effort compared to other dishes and desserts, but I promise it will all be worth it once you take that first gloriously perfect bite.

Serves: 16 – Preparation Time: 3 hours 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Cheesecake

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• ⅔ cup granulated white sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Hot water, for water bath

Red velvet cake

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup red food coloring
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Frosting

• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. For the cheesecake, preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt for about 2 minutes, until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs, mixing again after adding each one. Add the sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla extract, and beat until smooth and well blended.
3. Coat a springform pan with non-stick cooking spray, then place parchment paper on top. Wrap the outsides entirely with two layers of aluminum foil. (This is to prevent water from the water bath from entering the pan.)
4. Pour the cream cheese batter into the pan, then place it in a roasting pan. Add boiling water to the roasting pan to surround the springform pan. Place it in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, until set.
5. Transfer the springform pan with the cheesecake onto a rack to cool for about 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.
6. For the red velvet cake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
8. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Blend for 1 minute with a mixer on medium-low speed, then on high speed for 2 minutes.
9. Spray non-stick cooking spray in 2 metal baking pans that are the same size as the springform pan used for the cheesecake. Coat the bottoms thinly with flour. Divide the batter between them.
10. Bake for about 30–35 minutes. The cake is done when only a few crumbs are attached to a toothpick when inserted in the center. Transfer the cakes to a rack and let them cool for 10 minutes. Separate the cakes from the pans using a knife around the edges, then invert them onto the rack. Let them cool completely.
11. To prepare the frosting, mix the powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla using a mixer on medium-high speed, just until smooth.
12. Assemble the cake by positioning one red velvet cake layer onto a cake plate. Remove the cheesecake from the pan, peel off the parchment paper, and layer it on top of the red velvet cake layer. Top with the second red velvet cake layer.
13. Coat a thin layer of prepared frosting on the entire outside of the cake. Clean the spatula every time you scoop out from a bowl of frosting, so as to not mix crumbs into it. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set. Then coat cake the with a second layer by adding a large scoop on top and then spreading it to the top side of the cake and then around it.
14. Cut into slices. Serve.

 

 

 

***These recipes and more can be found in Lina Chang’s Copycat Recipes – Making the Cheesecake Factory Most Popular Recipes at Home. To get your copy, click on the cover or click here.

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