Ingredients
- 8 oz lobster meat cooked, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 16 oz dry pasta cavatappi,penne or shells
- ⅓ c butter
- ⅓ c flour
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dry mustard powder
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- ¼ tsp black pepper or to taste
- 2 ¾ c milk
- ½ c light cream
- 2 c sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 ¼ c Gruyere cheese shredded, can substitute with swiss, mozzarella or havarti
- ½ c fresh parmesan cheese shredded
Topping
- ½ c bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 tsp parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13 pan.
- Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Stir in flour and seasonings and cook 2 minutes.
- Combine milk and cream. Add to the flour mixture a little bit at a time whisking in after each addition. The mixture will be very thick at first but will smooth out as you continue adding liquid.
- Once all of the liquid is added, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-2 minutes or until thickened while whisking.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses whisking until the sauce is smooth and melted.
- Combine the sauce and the pasta. Gently stir in half of the lobster meat and spread into the prepared pan.
- Add remaining lobster meat on top and sprinkle with the topping mixture.
- Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and topping is browned. Do not overcook.
Notes
This recipe uses cooked lobster meat. Use tails or a whole lobster if you prefer. You can cook just tails by broiling them or boiling in water below. Two to three small tails should be enough but you can add extra if you'd like. No Lobster?! No Problem. Substitute other favorites seafood in this recipe such as lump crab meat, shrimp, scallops, salmon or a combination! To Boil Lobster Tails for Meat Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Place 3 lobster tails (approximately 3-3.5 oz each) in the boiling water and let simmer 3-4 minutes or just until cooked through. The thickest part of the meat should reach 140°F. Check them early to ensure they do not overcook.