Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with Herbed Breadcrumbs
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with Herbed Breadcrumbs is one of our favorite summer dinners. Honestly, what could be better than creamy, cheesy macaroni full of fresh lobster? I love this dish for several reasons. First, of all I can make the entire dish in less than a hour. Secondly, I love that this dish can be made early in the day, and then baked right before dinner. And, lastly, we all really savor every bite of this creamy, dreamy dish.
The Equipment I Used
- A Food Processor- I use this to turn my bread into breadcrumbs. But, if you don’t have a food processor, try just cutting your bread in tiny pieces.
- A Baking Dish- You can bake this dish in a 9×11 baking dish, or use four cocottes. Here I’ve used Le Creuset cocottes.
- A Dutch Oven- I like to make my cream sauce in a Dutch oven, but you can use a four quart pot of any kind.
The Ingredients Needed for Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with Herbed Breadcrumbs
- Macaroni- You can use elbow macaroni, but I used shell pasta, to go with the beachy theme of the lobster.
- Butter- Be sure and use unsalted butter.
- Shallots- These add great flavor. You could use onions instead.
- Flour- Use all purpose flour.
- Chicken Stock- I always use my homemade stock. The recipe is attached below.
- Heavy Cream- Be sure and use heavy, not light, cream.
- Lobster- To save time, I used a half pound of cooked lobster meat. If you want a more luxe dish, double the lobster. But, my half pound of lobster meat cost $30, and that’s all I wanted to spend. If you want to cook your own lobster, one to two pounds of lobster should be plenty. I’ve attached a recipe below that explains how to cook lobster.
- Cheeses- I wrote this recipe to use fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese. But, I had some burrata to use up, so I used that instead of the mozzarella.
- White Bread- I used Pepperidge Farm white bread for my breadcrumbs.
- Herbs- Fresh parsley, chives, and thyme add so much fresh flavor to this dish.
How I Made my Mac and Cheese
- Frist, I boiled the macaroni.
- Then, I made the cheese sauce. It’s important to temper the egg yolk so that it doesn’t scramble.
- Next, I cooked the breadcrumbs.
- Finally, I filled my cocottes, and baked them off.
If you’re a lobster lover, you need to try this delicious Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with Herbed Breadcrumbs.
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with Herbed Breadcrumbs
Creamy macaroni and cheese filled with lobster chunks and topped with herby buttered crumbs.
Equipment
- 9×11 baking dish or four cocottes
- a Food Processor
Ingredients
- 3 cups macaroni or shell-shaped pasta
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- ¼ cup minced shallot
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 beaten eggs
- 2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ pound cooked lobster meat, chopped in bite sized pieces
For the Herbed Breadcrumbs:
- 2 cups soft white bread, cubed
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. each thyme, parsley, and chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter either a 9×11 baking dish or four cocottes.
- Boil the pasta according to the directions on the box for al dente pasta. Drain it well.
- Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, on medium heat, melt the butter and cook the shallots until they're tender, for about five minutes.
- Add the flour to the shallots and cook for two minutes. Then add the chicken stock and the heavy cream and cook for two more minutes. Add the salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
- Stir a half cup of the sauce into a bowl with the beaten eggs. This is to temper, or heat up the eggs, so that they don't scramble in the hot sauce. Mix it with a spoon, and then add the warmed up eggs to the warm pot. Stir in the pasta, lobster, and the cheeses, and pour it into either one 9×11 pan or four small cocottes.
- In a small skillet, melt the rest of the butter, on low heat. Make breadcrumbs out of the bread in the food processor. Cook them in the butter for three minutes. Stir in the herbs.
- Scatter the bread crumbs over the pasta and cheese and bake for thirty minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls and Noodles
Chicken soup with carrots, celery, chicken and matzo balls.
Ingredients
- 4½ pounds chicken breasts and wings with skin and bones
- 10 cups water
- 2 peeled onions
- 2 peeled carrots
- 3 peeled parsley roots
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 peeled parsnip
- 2 tbsp. garlic
- 1 cup fresh parsley and dill
- 4 eggs
- ⅓ cup melted chicken fat
- ⅓ cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup matzo meal
- 3 cups cooked egg noodles
Instructions
- Put the chicken and the salt in a large tall pot and cover with 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any scum that forms.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the chicken fat, chicken broth, pepper, and a teaspoon of salt. Slowly stir in the matzo meal with a fork. Refrigerate for two hours, uncovered.
- Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. Add a tablespoon of salt. Wet your hands and form golf ball sized balls of the matzo mixture and drop into the water. Cover and simmer for thirty minutes without peeking. Drain the balls, and add to the soup when it's served.
- Add all the vegetables and herbs and simmer for two and a half hours. Pour the soup through a strainer to remove everything but the broth. Reserve any vegetables or chicken meat you want to serve with the soup.
- Serve the soup with the matzo balls, noodles, chicken, carrots, and celery.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Summer Lobster Salad BLT Sandwiches
Lobster Salad, bacon, lettuce, and tomato piled high on toasted white bread.
Equipment
- large lobster pot
Ingredients
- 4 one pound lobsters
- 1 cup minced celery with leaves
- 4 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. minced tarragon
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup minced red onion
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 4 leaves green leaf lettuce
- 8 slices white sandwich bread
Instructions
- In a very large pot, bring two inches of water to a boil.
- Add the lobsters, and hold down the lid to kill them quickly. Steam them for 12 minutes.
- Remove the lobster meat from the shells and chop it into half inch pieces.
- In a large bowl, gently mix the lobster with ¾ a cup of the mayonnaise, the celery, lemon juice, garlic, onion , pepper, and tarragon. Chill for a couple of hours.
- In a cold frying pan, cook the bacon over medium heat.
- Toast the bread and spread it with the remaining mayonnaise. Top the bottom slices with lettuce, bacon, tomato, and lobster salad, and serve right away.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
