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Home » Dinner » Baked Crab Mac And Cheese

Baked Crab Mac And Cheese

Created: April 18, 2013 Updated: September 13, 2022 by Lyuba Brooke 36 Comments

19.3K shares
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Just when you thought macaroni and cheese can’t get any better, we’ve added crab. This is a perfectly delicious and comforting mac and cheese recipe with crab and lots of cheese.

crab mac and cheese on a white plate with a fork in the front and the rest of the mac and cheese in a casserole dish in the background

I’ve been craving mac and cheese for the longest time! I don’t make it too often. It’s the weirdest thing, every time I make it, it tends to jump in my mouth no matter how full I am. Baked macaroni and cheese is so good and can be very addictive. The family loves it though, so I make sure they are around when I made it, so it doesn’t just jump in my mouth.

I’ve made a few different versions of mac and cheese before. It’s just one of those dishes where you can play with different flavors and find the ones that you like the most. My favorite way of making mac and cheese is baking it. This time, I decided to make it extra special so I got some claw crab meat and added it. Seafood is great paired with pasta and Parmesan cheese and crab is one of my favorite types of seafood. I didn’t have a doubt that it would turn out perfectly. It sure did!

I also like to use more flavorful cheeses. I like to use sharp cheeses or smoked cheeses. Sharp white cheddar is one of my favorite’s. There is nothing like fresh grated Parmesan too.

crab mac and cheese on a white plate with a fork in the front and the rest of the mac and cheese in a casserole dish in the background

3 picture collage of baked crab mac and cheese

Baked Crab Mac And Cheese

This is a perfectly delicious and comforting mac and cheese recipe with crab and lots of cheese.
3.75 from 4 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 519kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 6 oz claw crab meat
  • 3 tbs unsalted butter
  • 2 tbs all purpose flour
  • 1 large shallot chopped finely
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 3 oz fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • 10 oz sharp white cheddar cheese block, it will melt better
  • salt fresh cracked pepper (to taste)
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease a casserole dish.
  • Cook the macaroni according to the box instructions, drain well. Add the crab meat and set aside.
  • In a sauce pot, melt the butter (on medium heat) and add chopped shallot. Saute until fragrant.
  • Sprinkle the flour over the shallot, mix well. Slowly pour in the milk while constantly stirring with a rubber whisk. The mixture will start thickening.
  • Grate the white cheddar into the milk mixture. Add salt and pepper and keep stirring, slowly, until the cheese is melted.
  • Pour the cheese mixture into the macaroni and crab. Add half of the grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, until all combined.
  • Transfer into a baking casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and the other half of the grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  • **Recipe by Lyuba from willcookforsmiles.com

Nutrition

Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 833mg | Potassium: 304mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 865IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 609mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

crab mac and cheese on a white plate with a fork in the front and the rest of the mac and cheese in a casserole dish in the background

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baked crab mac n cheese in a white casserole dish

 Baked Crab Mac And Cheese collage

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

19.3K shares

Filed Under: 30 Minute Meals, Dinner, Lunch, Pasta, Seafood, Side Dishes

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Heather says

    February 19, 2019 at 4:11 pm

    What can you substitute for shallot? 🙁 I have red onion and green onion.. haha, not sure if that is even comparable.

    Reply
  2. Nana says

    December 6, 2018 at 3:08 am

    What kind of brewd crumbs did you used?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      December 15, 2018 at 12:05 pm

      Hi Nana! I usually grab wither the 4C brand or the Progresso brand. You can use plain or seasoned.

      Reply
  3. Mari says

    May 15, 2018 at 12:53 pm

    This sounds so good..I am going to make this for dinner tonight. we love seafood and to pair it with creamy macaroni and cheese will be the ultimate of both worlds. Can’t wait to get it together and in the oven..

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      May 25, 2018 at 11:29 am

      I really hope you enjoyed it! Thank you, Mari 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kristina says

    May 26, 2016 at 7:32 pm

    Lyuba, this is excellent! I did some improvisations using a couple scallions and flat leaf parsely. I added 1’2 cup dry white wine to the sauce and a tsp. crab liquor in the center before putting in the oven,. I also had some swiss, guoda and mozzerella cheeses so I used 2 oz of each and added 1’4 cup mozzerella to the top and a light dusting of paprika to top it off. We don’t do bread crumbs around here usually. It turned out delish! Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      May 27, 2016 at 10:35 am

      Oh gosh, that sounds like some like delicious improvisations! Love it!
      Thank you, Kristina 🙂

      Reply
      • Kristina says

        May 27, 2016 at 12:29 pm

        YW Lyuba! If you decide to try this dish the way I had made it……, I only used 3/4 cup of milk and also substituted white flour for rice flour…just 1 tblsp. This turned out similar to a crab cheese fondue I had once at a fancy restaurant in SLO, Ca. Injoy!!!!

        Reply
        • lyuba says

          June 10, 2016 at 11:49 am

          I definitely will! Sounds awesome as a crab cheese fondue 🙂
          Thank you.

          Reply
  5. Tari says

    October 7, 2014 at 10:19 pm

    This sounds so awesome as my all time favorite seafood is crab. And mixing crab and Mac and cheese has got to be the ultimate comfort food!!!! But, I’m going to try adding just one more thing. ROASTED RED PEPPERS. Oh my, that sounds so good, I think I’m drooling. I am going to get everything together and make this over the weekend. I wonder how it would do in a slow cooker? Not only the ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD but easy too. Couldn’t beat THAT. Think I’ll try it. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      October 8, 2014 at 7:49 am

      Oh yes, I think it will be great to roasted peppers! Let me know how you like it! Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  6. Amanda says

    December 10, 2013 at 8:40 pm

    I have this in the oven now! It smells delicious!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      December 11, 2013 at 3:10 pm

      Yay, I hope everyone loved it!

      Reply
  7. Niel and Debbie says

    December 1, 2013 at 8:07 pm

    Wife and I are trying it tonight. The only change is we spooned it into a cupcake pan to make individual sized servings. Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      December 16, 2013 at 6:12 pm

      That sounds so fun, Niel!! I hope it turned out great 😉

      Reply
  8. Penguins mom says

    December 1, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    I have tried making Mac & Cheese from Martha Stewart’s recipe to Kraft Mac & Cheese from a box, but my son just wouldn’t eat it until now! HE LOVES this recipe and asks for it specifically! Thank you!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      December 1, 2013 at 2:04 pm

      I am so happy to hear that! Glad to help 🙂

      Reply
  9. Caitlyn says

    June 27, 2013 at 11:39 am

    How many does this serve?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      June 27, 2013 at 11:15 pm

      Caitlyn, this made a full, 9-inch pie dish. I would say that it safely serves 6-8 (depending on how hungry they are 🙂 )

      Reply
  10. Erin says

    June 17, 2013 at 9:17 pm

    Its in the oven right now, can’t wait! Added some puréed cauliflower and shredded zucchini and squash to get some veggies into my family. Thank you so much for the recipe!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      June 17, 2013 at 9:18 pm

      That sounds great! I’ll have to add some veggies next time as well 🙂

      Reply
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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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