This past weekend was one of relaxation. We normally do not get these with the three kids having some sort of schedule, but my son had a sleepover, and my wife had pretty much came out and said ‘I don’t want to do much this weekend’. I’m game with that. Always. Â With that said, I decided I would make a nice meal for the family, a ‘surf and turf’ if you will. There were some ribeye’s on sale, so I picked up a couple as my boys are totally into seared steaks, and they are all now fans of shrimp, or any shellfish for that matter. I picked up some shrimp, and that’s when it occurred to me that I had some crab meat that I forgot to use about a week ago. As I was wanting a side dish to serve, that’s when the light came on and I decided to make a crab mac and cheese.
I’ve really been thinking of lobster mac and cheese lately, but I figured this would tie me over, plus I was interested in the outcome. The outcome was really good.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 16 oz half and half
- 1/2 lb Cellentani pasta, cooked al dente
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz crab meat
- 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 slices of cheddar cheese, cut into pieces
- 4 slices of American cheese, cut into pieces
- 1 cup of panko bread crumbs
- salt, to taste
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Start by melting your butter on medium-high heat. Once melted, add in the shallots and garlic, and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring along the way.
Preheat your broiler to 425 degrees.
Next add in the half and half, and stir. Add in the crab meat, and continue to stir. Once the sauce comes to a simmer, add in the cheeses and let them melt. Once melted, add in the cooked bacon, and the cooked pasta. Stir, and cook until the sauce thickens and completely coats the pasta.
Remove and place into a baking dish. Top with the panko bread crumbs, and place under the broiler until they get nice and golden brown. Remove, and serve.
First off you get everything you love in a creamy mac and cheese, and as I typically use flour when making my cheese sauce, this one was perfect and held up great with my curly pasta. When taking a bite, you get this awesome seafood flavor, and one that you would not expect at first glance, but then you get the great smokiness of the bacon, along with the texture from the bread crumbs. This was a real winner, and one that paired perfectly with the ribeye steaks.
Crab Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz half and half
- 1/2 lb Cellentani pasta cooked al dente
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz crab meat
- 4 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
- 4 slices of cheddar cheese cut into pieces
- 4 slices of American cheese cut into pieces
- 1 cup of panko bread crumbs
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Start by melting your butter on medium-high heat. Once melted, add in the shallots and garlic, and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring along the way.
- Preheat your broiler to 425 degrees.
- Next add in the half and half, and stir. Add in the crab meat, and continue to stir. Once the sauce comes to a simmer, add in the cheeses and let them melt. Once melted, add in the cooked bacon, and the cooked pasta. Stir, and cook until the sauce thickens and completely coats the pasta.
- Remove and place into a baking dish. Top with the panko bread crumbs, and place under the broiler until they get nice and golden brown. Remove, and serve.