Seafood mac and cheese bakes until bubbly and golden, then gets scooped into bowls for serving.
Photo by Gina Moore
Serves 8–10
1 pound cavatappi pasta or mini penne
1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and picked over
1 pound small (bite-sized) shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
8 ounces raw lobster meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon Old Bay or favorite seafood seasoning, divided
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
2 cups grated sharp cheddar (1 cup white and 1 cup yellow)
2 cups grated fontina cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan, divided
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 cups milk
2 cloves garlic, whole
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme (optional)
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup sherry (optional)
¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
Cook pasta according to package instructions. In a large bowl, combine seafood and season with ½ tablespoon Old Bay seasoning. In another large bowl, combine Gruyere, cheddar, fontina and half of the Parmesan cheese. When pasta is done, drain and return to pot and toss with 1 tablespoon butter to prevent pasta from sticking together. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons butter and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, add milk, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Warm until milk starts to steam and slightly simmer, about 10 minutes. Do not allow it to boil! Remove from heat and let the flavors infuse. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add remaining 4 tablespoons butter and flour. Cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes. Do not let brown. Strain milk and whisk into the roux to avoid lumps. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining Old Bay, pepper and sherry and remove from heat. Add 2 cups of cheese mixture and stir until melted and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add drained pasta to roux and stir well.
Layer half of the pasta mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle with half the seafood mixture and half the remaining cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer. Loosely cover with foil (so foil is not touching the top of cheese layer) and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. While baking, in a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with remaining Parmesan. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Return to oven and bake until breadcrumbs are golden brown and edges of casserole are bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.
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