I have an awesome recipe for you today. How can you make macaroni and cheese better? Add crab, lot’s of flavorful cheese and bake it!
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.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of dry macaroni
- 6 oz claw crab meat
- 3 tbs butter
- 2 tbs flour
- 1 large shallot chopped finely
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 oz fresh Parmesan cheese
- 8 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
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lisa says
Another great recipe! You always have the best food…can I come over for dinner? 🙂 I really want to try this. My family is also addicted to mac & cheese.
Tammy @ A Walk in the Countryside says
Sounds like a great combination! Thanks for the recipe!
Brenda @ ChattingOverChocolate.blogspot.com says
This looks scrumptious! Pinned 😉 Thanks for the recipe! Have a wonderful weekend!
Jeni says
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! This looks so delicious and sinful! I am pinning it right now!
ATasteOfMadness says
Yum! Any kind of mac and cheese is a-ok with me. This sounds fabulous!
Simplee Sue says
If there’s a better word than scrumptious, then that’s the word I want to use for this dish. Thank you for sharing.
Pinned.
Consider yourself hugged,
http://simpleesue.com/try-one-new-recipe-a-week-butterscotch-apple-fluff/
Chelsea says
My husband would fall over dead for these! Thanks for sharing! I’d love to have you visit me at Get Your Crap Together! We have a Pattern Party from the 1st of the month to the 10th and would love you to check it out. See you soon!
Christi says
Oh my gosh amazing! I just love your recipes!!
Michelle says
Visiting from Recipe Sharing Monday. Crab is probably my favorite type of seafood–especially the claw meat. This looks good!
Becca says
I’m so hungry now!!! Thanks for sharing! Found you over at Your Whims Wednesday.
amy says
Holy. Moly. Please please please come visit me and bring this along. I’ll pay for your plane ticket, lol.
Man. I literally want to lick the screen. This is bad.
lyuba says
Awww, that would be fun, wouldn’t it, Amy?!
Thank you so much 🙂
Rebecca @ My Girlish Whims says
Thanks for linking up to your whims wednesday, I featured this on my blog today! Come stop by and grab a featured button! http://www.mygirlishwhims.com/2013/04/your-whims-wednesday-109-and-features.html
Erin says
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!
lyuba says
That sounds great! I’ll have to add some veggies next time as well 🙂
Caitlyn says
How many does this serve?
lyuba says
Caitlyn, this made a full, 9-inch pie dish. I would say that it safely serves 6-8 (depending on how hungry they are 🙂 )
Penguins mom says
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!
lyuba says
I am so happy to hear that! Glad to help 🙂
Niel and Debbie says
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.
lyuba says
That sounds so fun, Niel!! I hope it turned out great 😉
Amanda says
I have this in the oven now! It smells delicious!
lyuba says
Yay, I hope everyone loved it!
Tari says
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.
lyuba says
Oh yes, I think it will be great to roasted peppers! Let me know how you like it! Thank you 🙂
Kristina says
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!
lyuba says
Oh gosh, that sounds like some like delicious improvisations! Love it!
Thank you, Kristina 🙂
Kristina says
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!!!!
lyuba says
I definitely will! Sounds awesome as a crab cheese fondue 🙂
Thank you.
Mari says
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..
lyuba says
I really hope you enjoyed it! Thank you, Mari 🙂