Description
Creamy baked seafood macaroni and cheese made with lobster, crab, shrimp, and a rich three-cheese sauce.
Ingredients
- Penne or elbow pasta – 1 pound
- Whole milk – 3 cups
- Half and half – 2 cups
- Butter – 1 tablespoon
- Extra virgin olive oil – 2 tablespoons
- Onion – 1/4 cup diced
- Fresh thyme – 1 tablespoon chopped
- Garlic – 2 cloves minced
- All-purpose flour – 3 tablespoons
- Kosher salt – to taste
- Black pepper – to taste
- All-purpose seasoning – 1 to 2 tablespoons
- Hot sauce – 2 to 3 teaspoons
- Liquid crab boil – 1 to 2 teaspoons optional
- Gouda or Monterey Jack cheese – 3 cups grated
- Muenster or mild cheddar cheese – 3 cups grated
- Gruyere cheese – 1 cup grated
- Shrimp – 1 pound raw
- Lobster meat – 3/4 pound
- Lump crab meat – 3/4 pound
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook pasta in salted water until just al dente and drain.
- Warm milk and half and half together.
- Melt butter and oil, then sauté onion until soft.
- Stir in flour to form a roux, then add garlic and thyme.
- Whisk in milk mixture until smooth and thickened.
- Season sauce and melt in part of the cheese.
- Combine pasta with cheese sauce.
- Layer pasta, seafood, and cheese in baking dish.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Do not overcook pasta before baking.
- Use freshly grated cheese for best texture.
- Cover leftovers when reheating to prevent drying.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 720
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 980
- Fat: 42
- Saturated Fat: 22
- Unsaturated Fat: 17
- Trans Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 48
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 38
- Cholesterol: 185