About
Grown-ups rejoice! Oven-Baked Lobster Mac adds a more mature spin to your childhood favorite. And boy, is it tasty! You'll never be happier to be all grown up than when you dig into this ooey, gooey, three cheese mac that's loaded with tender lobster and sprinkled with crunchy breadcrumbs. Are you drooling yet? Never feel embarrassed about pining for mac and cheese again. Oven-Baked Lobster Mac is for all those adults with a child-like heart (and craving)!
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) box cavatappi or cellentani pasta
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 1/2 cups milk, warmed to 115 degrees F
- 4 cups Gruyère cheese, shredded
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, divided
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 pounds lobster meat, cooked
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- fresh parsley, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 -Coat a 4-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
Step 3 -In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the cavatappi to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the water.
Step 4 -While the cavatappi is cooking, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter.
Step 5 -Stir the onions into the melted butter and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 6 -Add the garlic to the onions and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Step 7 -Sprinkle the flour into the onion-garlic mixture, then reduce the heat to low. Cook, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes.
Step 8 -Whisk the chicken broth into the onion mixture, scraping any of the browned bits from the bottom of the saucepan.
Step 9 -Increase the heat to medium.
Step 10 -While still whisking, add the milk to the chicken broth mixture and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook the sauce until it is smooth and has thickened.
Step 11 -Transfer the saucepan from the heat, then add the Gruyère, the cheddar, 3/4 of the parmesan, the salt, the pepper, and the nutmeg to the sauce mixture and stir until all of the cheese is melted and the ingredients are combined.
Step 12 -Add the cooked cavatappi and the cooked lobster to the sauce and stir well to coat.
Step 13 -Pour the lobster mac into the prepared baking dish.
Step 14 -In a small bowl, melt the remaining butter in the microwave.
Step 15 -Stir the breadcrumbs and the remaining parmesan into the melted butter.
Step 16 -Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the lobster mac.
Step 17 -Bake the lobster mac until the sauce is bubbly and the breadcrumb topping is golden-brown, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 18 -Serve the lobster mac garnished with the parsley.
