Crab Mac And Cheese

My favorite way of making mac and cheese is baked mac and cheese. This time, I decided to make it extra special so I got some 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.

To make baked mac and cheese even better, I also like to use more flavorful cheeses. I like to use sharp cheeses or smoked cheeses to really give it that extra oomph. Sharp white cheddar is one of my favorites! Of course, there’s nothing like fresh grated parmesan as well.

Serving a comforting seafood dish, like crab mac and cheese or lobster mac and cheese, at your next big dinner party, or any other special occasion will make it extra special. Of course, you could just make it on a random weeknight to really treat yourself. There’s never a bad time to enjoy a mac and cheese this good.

Tips to Make Crab Mac and Cheese

• Baking dish tip: use a 9×13 casserole dish (or a deep 9×9 baking dish). Note that is using a larger (9×13) baking dish, bake time will be less, when using smaller but deeper baking dish, bake time will be slightly more. (About 5-7 more minutes.)
• Cook the pasta al dente. Since you will be baking the mac and cheese, make sure not to cook the pasta until it’s completely cooked though.
• Shallots: shallots are small, light purple in color, and they are closely related to onions but with a more delicate and slightly sweeter flavor. When I need to substitute it, I prefer to use a Vidalia onion. You will just need to use less since shallots are so much smaller.
• Crab: You can use claw or lump crab meat, either will work just fine. Remember to SIFT THOROUGHLY through the crab meat with your hands because there are always pieces of crab shell left behind.

• Grate cheese yourself! This is one of the most important part of a smooth cheese sauce. Do grate your own cheese off a BLOCK not pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese always had additives like separators and preservatives that will affect the texture of your sauce.
• How to prevent lumps in cheese sauce: whisk in flour and butter until smooth and as soon as it’s combined and looks like paste, start slowly pouring in milk while constantly whisking. Keep whisking and pouring until all incorporated. Slowly stir until the milk mixture heats through and starts to thicken (Don’t let it boil!)
• Never let the cheese sauce or mac and cheese boil! Cook the cheese sauce over medium to medium-low heat to let the milk heat through and the cheese melt. After adding the pasta, you will only cook for additional couple of minutes to heat up the pasta.

Gluten, Lactose, and Dairy Allergy Alternatives

• Gluten free: First, you’ll of course need gluten free pasta. I’ve found that the Tinkayada brand of pasta is the least crumbly and is the closest to regular pasta. In the cheese sauce, swap the regular flour for 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour.
• Lactose Free: Instead of regular milk, use lactose free milk. Use your favorite plant-based butter.
• Tip about cheeses: Cheese that is aged 6 months and longer is naturally lactose free because of the aging process. Keep in mind that soft cheeses like blue cheese, brie, feta, cream cheese, and a few others are not lactose free. However, cheeses like cheddar, Monterrey jack cheese, parmesan and even some mozzarella are lactose free because of how they’re aged. (Check the label: almost all brands will put the lactose content under the nutritional information. Look for keywords like “contains 0g of lactose per serving.” If you can’t find the wording there, you can look at the sugar content instead. If sugar is 0g, there’s a low chance of lactose.)
• Dairy free is tough in mac and cheese! While milk and butter can be substituted with non-dairy alternatives (like almond milk, cashew milk, or unsweetened oat milk), I have not found a vegan cheese that tastes good. If you have a vegan cheese that you love, try that!

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Storing and Reheating Instructions

• Storing: Keep any leftovers you have of crab mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Feel free to use the same dish you used to cook it in! If you have a lid, great. If not, wrap it twice in plastic wrap.
• You can reheat several portions at once on stove-top. Make sure to reheat it over medium-low heat and add about 1/4-1/3 cup of milk. Cover the pot as mac and cheese reheats and stir every few minutes.
• When reheating individual portions in the microwave, add a couple of tablespoons of milk to the bowl with pasta and use a microwave cover if you have one. Reheat the mac and cheese in 30-45 second increments, stirring in between. Make sure to reheat only until heated through.
• PRO TIP: remember to add a few tablespoons of whole milk when you reheat baked mac and cheese. This will help invigorate the pasta again and add moisture. Pasta tends to soak up moisture, so adding a little milk will help bring it back to life after sitting in the fridge.

Make Crab Mac and Cheese Ahead of Time

• You can prepare the mac and cheese up to the step of baking it.
• Spread the pasta mixture in the baking dish and top it with bread crumbs. Make sure it’s cooled completely, then cover it airtight and refrigerate. You will want to make it just 1 day ahead for the best freshness of the dish.
• The next day, take off the covering from the dish and let it warm up on the counter for about 30 minutes before baking. Bake per the recipe recommendation but add about 5-10 minutes since you’re starting with a cold dish.

Enjoy More Mac and Cheese Recipes

• Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese
• Smokehouse Mac and Cheese
• The Best Baked Mac and Cheese
• Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
• Parmesan Baked Mac and Cheese
• Beer Mac and Cheese

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in April 2013.