Hey everyone, welcome to my recipe site, looking for the perfect Not Quite Lobster Cajun Mac N Cheese recipe? look no further! We provide you only the best Not Quite Lobster Cajun Mac N Cheese recipe here. We also have wide variety of recipes to try.
Before you jump to Not Quite Lobster Cajun Mac N Cheese recipe, you may want to read this short interesting healthy tips about Ways To Live Green Plus Conserve Money In The Kitchen.
It was not really that long ago that hippies and tree huggers were the only ones to show concern about the well-being of the surroundings. Those days are over, and it appears we all recognize our role in stopping and conceivably reversing the damage being done to our planet. Unless everyone begins to start living much more eco-friendly we won’t be able to resolve the problems of the environment. These changes need to start occurring, and each individual family needs to become more environmentally friendly. The cooking area is a good starting point saving energy by going a lot more green.
While it may not taste as good, baking food in the microwave rather than in the oven will save you a packet of money. The energy used by cooking in an oven is greater by 75%, and possibly this little bit of knowledge will spur you on to use the microwave more frequently. When it comes to boiling water and steaming vegetables, you can save a lot of energy and do the job faster with countertop appliances rather than a stove. You might reckon that you save energy by washing your dishes by hand, nonetheless that is definitely not true. A dishwasher is specifically effective when it’s full before a cycle is started. Don’t dry the dishes using heat, utilize the cool dry or air dry functions to increase the money you save.
The kitchen by itself offers you many small methods by which energy and money can be saved. Natural living is actually something we can all accomplish, without difficulty. Typically, all it requires is a bit of common sense.
We hope you got insight from reading it, now let’s go back to not quite lobster cajun mac n cheese recipe. To make not quite lobster cajun mac n cheese you only need 17 ingredients and 13 steps. Here is how you do it.
The ingredients needed to make Not Quite Lobster Cajun Mac N Cheese:
- Prepare 10 oz Cellantani pasta (looks like actual corkscrews with holes in the center, or "twisty tubes")
- Take 1/2 medium onion - minced
- Take 1/4 cup butter
- Provide 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Get 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Take 1 1/2 cup milk
- Take 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (start with just 1/4 tsp for less heat, adjust to taste as necessary)
- Provide 1 tsp Sriracha (again, you may want to start with half and add more to taste)
- Provide 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- Get 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- Use 1 tsp salt (more or less to personal taste)
- Prepare 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Provide 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Use 3 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese - shredded
- You need 12 oz Crawdad/Crawfish tails (fresh or frozen)- cooked, shelled, deveined
- Get 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Prepare 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Steps to make Not Quite Lobster Cajun Mac N Cheese:
- First and foremost, you will prep your crawdads. For simplicity I use a 12oz bag of frozen, fully cooked and prepped tails I can find at our local grocery story. The brand is Bordeaux's. To prep these, place the frozen package in cold water until thawed, about 30 minutes. When thawed carefully cut open package, pour crawdad tails into a colander and rinse under cold, running water. Shake excess water out of colander and pour out onto a paper towel lined plate (several layers thick). Cover with a few more paper towels and gently press to absorb moisture. Set aside. If you WANT to start from fresh, raw crawdads and go through all the extra work to get their tails that's up to you. I prefer to cut out a lot more work and mess. Plus you'll have to buy (or find, if you hunt your own) a LOT of crawdads for 12oz of tails.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole dish with about 1 tsp butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray (we used a deep dish). In a small bowl combine panko breadcrumbs and olive oil, stir well with a fork to coat. Set dish and breadcrumbs aside for later.
- Now, onto the actual makin'! Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over medium high heat. Add pasta, bring back to a boil for 10 minutes, until pasta is barely al dente. When done drain pasta in colander (do not rinse!) and set aside.
- While your pasta is cooking you can begin making your sauce. In a large sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter. Add minced onions and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add flour to sauce pan. Use whisk to stir into butter and onion to make a rue. Cook for about 2 minutes and rue begins to turn golden. This cooks out that raw flour taste and gives a more nutty flavor.
- Turn heat up to medium high. While constantly whisking, slowly add heavy cream followed by milk. Whisk quickly until completely smooth, no rue clumps remain.
- Bring to a low boil while whisking regularly. Turn heat back down to medium and gently simmer, whisking constantly, until sauce begins to thicken. About 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Add all seasonings and spices (I attached them to this step for quick reference). Whisk until well incorporated. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese and whisk until completely melted and sauce is smooth.
- Transfer crawdads from plate to sauce. Gently fold in until they're all combined. Taste your sauce. Adjust seasoning as needed to suit your taste for salt and spiciness.
- Add drained pasta to sauce. Gently stir until completely combined. It should look kind of "soupy" at this point.
- Transfer mac n cheese to prepared casserole. Top with remaining cup of cheese followed by breadcrumb mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until top is bubbly and breadcrumbs are golden.
- When done carefully remove from oven. Let rest 10 minutes. Serve as your main dish with a salad or favorite veggies on the side.
- Note: You can use other pastas good for mac.n cheese such as elbow macaroni, rotini, penne, shells, etc., but we prefer cellantani because we think its shape holds the sauce and any mix-ins we add to mac n cheese perfectly.
If you find this Not Quite Lobster Cajun Mac N Cheese recipe valuable please share it to your friends or family, thank you and good luck.