Baked Seafood Mac and Cheese

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Discover the perfect seafood mac and cheese recipe with lobster, cheddar, and a crunchy topping, perfect for any special occasion.

I love this baked seafood mac and cheese recipe. If you love mac and cheese and seafood, this is the dish for you. It has all the parts. It has the amazingly creamy cheese sauce, the buttery and seasoned seafood, and the crunchy panko topping. The is the most luxurious side dish.

I’m such a sucker for any type of pasta meal. Spaghetti, fettuccini, orzo, you name it. However, I really am a sucker for mac and cheese recipe. There are so many ways to make a mac and cheese. However, I love this seafood option.

Allen is a huge steak eater. He wants to find the best steakhouse in every town, always. I feel like good steakhouses always have some sort of a baked mac and cheese or a lobster mac and cheese. Well, this is my rendition. I made it like any good mac starts, in my opinion, with Velveeta and evaporated milk. Those are my go-tos. Then, I just sauteed up some lobster and crawfish tails, mixed them in and topped them with a panko and butter crust topping. This seafood mac and cheese recipe turned out to be perfect.

Questions You Might Have:

What type of pasta should I use?

I used the cellentani pasta. I personally like it the best, but you can substitute with whatever pasta you’d prefer. I would not use a spaghetti or a fettuccini.

What seafood goes in seafood mac and cheese?

I used lobster tails and crawfish tails. I live in Louisiana, so I put crawfish tails in everything. However, you can also add or take away any seafood. The recipe will be the same.

You can use shrimp and crab meat in this recipe, as well. You can use any size shrimp. I would make sure that they are peeled and deveined with the tails off before adding them into the pasta.

Can I substitute the cheddar for something else?

Yes. You can substitute the cup of cheddar cheese for another shredded cheese of your choice. However, I would still use the Velveeta as the main cheese for the base sauce. You just cannot beat the flavor and creamy texture.

Equipment You’ll Need:

There are several things you’ll need to make this baked seafood mac and cheese. You’ll start with a large pot. I used my Cuisinart round Dutch oven, but any pot will work. You’ll also need something to make the sauce in. I used the same pot, but you’ll need to save a tiny bit of the pasta water.

Next, you’ll need a baking dish, a skillet, a knife for chopping your seafood into pieces, a spoon or spatula and a microwave safe bowl.

What size baking dish?

I used a 9×14 Staub oval baking dish. I really like oval dishes when making mac and cheese. They give me the steakhouse feeling. You could also use a 9×13 square dish. The contents will still fit.

What type of skillet should I use?

You’ll need a skillet to sauté your seafood in. As much as I love using cast iron, you’ll want a nonstick skillet for this. Once you’re finished sauteing your seafood, you’ll pour all the contents, butter included, straight into the mac and cheese pot.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Pasta:

I used a 16-ounce box of Cellentani pasta. You don’t have to use this kind of pasta. I just feel like it works the best with this recipe. Another option would be elbow noodles, rotini or ziti. You don’t want a noodles like spaghetti or fettuccini.

Velveeta Cheese:

You’ll need a 16-ounce block of Velveeta cheese or half of a large block. I use Velveeta for most all of my mac and cheese recipes. It’s makes it so perfectly creamy and adds a perfect cheesy flavor.

Evaporated Milk:

I used one 12-ounce can of evaporated milk. I love the Velveeta and Pet milk combo. It makes for a great sauce. If you don’t want to use it, substitute it for regular milk or half and half.

Sharp Cheddar Cheese:

I used a cup of shredded, sharp cheddar cheese. This just adds a little more cheese to bake into the pasta.

Seafood:

You can use any type of seafood you’d prefer. I used two lobster tails and some crawfish tails. However, you can use shrimp, crab, whatever. Make sure that your seafood is fully cooked before you sauté it as instructed in the recipe.

Seasonings:

As for seasonings, I used a teaspoon of Cajun seasonings aka Tony’s. Then, I used a half teaspoon of Old Bay then a dash of salt, and pepper.

Butter:

You’ll need a stick and a half of butter. You’ll need a half stick of butter to sauté your seafood with then a whole stick to drizzle over your breadcrumbs for the crunchy topping.

Panko Breadcrumbs:

You’ll need about two cups of panko breadcrumbs. You’ll sprinkle them all over the top of the mac and cheese once you place them in the baking dish.

How to reheat this recipe?

I think that microwaving an individual serving or heating the baking dish in the oven at 250 for around 20 minutes would be best. However, the cheese is not going to be as tasty as it would be freshly made.

What to serve with seafood mac and cheese?

Pan Seared Tuna Steak with Parmesan Cream Sauce

Lemon Parmesan Green Beans

Easy Cast Iron Filet Mignon

More mac and cheese and similar recipes:

Easy Baked Velveeta Mac and Cheese

Loaded Brisket Mac and Cheese

Loaded Queso Mac and Cheese

Before you go…

Please let me know if you made this baked seafood mac and cheese. What did you think? What all seafood did you use? Please let me know here or in the comments below. Happy cooking!