The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Baked Crab Mac-n-Cheese

5.00 Mitt(s) 7 Rating(s)7 votes, average: 5.00 out of 57 votes, average: 5.00 out of 57 votes, average: 5.00 out of 57 votes, average: 5.00 out of 57 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5

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Level: Intermediate

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Description

Sinful and divine, ooey gooey crabby cheesiness sure to turn your significant other into a love slave or at least get them to do the dishes.

Ingredients

  • ½ pounds Medium-sized Pasta Shells
  • 3 slices Loaf Bread
  • 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Plus The Wrapper For Greasing The Casserole Dish
  • 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
  • ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 3 teaspoons Kosher Salt, Divided
  • ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1-¾ cup Milk
  • 1 cup Light Cream
  • ¼ teaspoons Cayenne
  • ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
  • ½ teaspoons Ground Mustard
  • 2 cups Medium Cheddar, Grated ( Grate Your Own, Please!!!)
  • 1 cup Fontina Cheese, Grated
  • 2 cans (6 Oz. Size) Crab Meat, Drained (I Used One “Fancy Lump” And One “Fancy White”)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375F. Set a large pot of water on to boil. Cook pasta for about 5 minutes or until the outside is cooked but the inside is underdone. Drain and rinse, set aside.

Meanwhile, tear your bread into pieces, place in a food processor and process make bread crumbs. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and toss with breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Add parsley, garlic powder, Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the crumbs and set aside. In a small bowl mix the milk and cream together, set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and cream until the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook and stir until milk has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Hey! You just made a Bechamel sauce!!!)

Remove from the heat and stir in cayenne, old bay, mustard, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in cheese until it has all melted. Taste and add salt if necessary.

In a large bowl, stir pasta, cheese sauce and crab meat together well.

Using the wrapper from the butter, grease the bottom and sides of a 1.5 quart casserole dish. Pour the mac-n-cheese into the dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until top is browned and mac-n-cheese is bubbly.

5 Comments

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CaroliniM on 7.14.2016

Omg. We just finished having this for dinner. I used harvarti cheese instead of fontina. I did spend the extra on a nice sharp cheddar cheese. I also used 2 cans of the fancy lump crab. I used a little more bread and butter because I wanted more crumble on top! I will do this again. This recipe is pricey but decadent. It serves more than 4!!! I will definitely be making this again. You will not be disappointed! Try it!!

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kimsmom on 2.13.2011

Sounds positively decadent. All the flavors I love in one casserole! Gotta go….off to grocery to buy the ingredients. I’m thinking valentine dinner here with a little salad and that mocha pudding cake dessert. YUMMMMM

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mommiecooks on 2.13.2011

Oh YUM. You had me at mac and cheese. Just delicious!

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dmwmom on 2.12.2011

OMG – this looks good!! My daughter LOVES mac & cheese and seafood…I’m going to need to make this for her. I’m sure she’ll love it!

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Ann Grismore on 2.11.2011

Oh, my goodness! This looks just wonderful. I’m very excited to try it soon!

7 Reviews

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Kelly on 2.3.2018

This is hands down the best macaroni and cheese I have ever had!!

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Eugenia on 12.2.2013

I’ve made this a number of times now and everyone always loves it! So much gooey cheese, mmm… If I’m not trying to impress anyone, sometimes I just use the super cheap canned crab meat and mix it with tuna to make it more chunky. Still tastes great, whatever you put in it!

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hopeinchrist on 12.19.2012

Delicious! Looks and tastes fancy with minimal effort. Very impressive.

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SpencerKate on 3.24.2012

So good!!! I tinkered with it and used panko as the topping, and added more old bay to everything, cause that’s how I roll. :)

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prairieprincess on 10.28.2011

This was restaurant and beyond quality. So decadent and rich. Loved it.

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