New England Mac & Cheese with Lobster and Linguica
Nothing says New England to me like Lobster, Linguica and Macaroni and Cheese. Mix them all together and you get one hell of a hearty dish. That's why this is by far our favorite Macaroni and cheese recipe. I swear I have tried every mac & cheese base from the easiest to the most difficult and not only does it taste the best it's also very easy and forgiving. I have found that most recipes just don't taste right if you are low on one ingredient or too salty if you try to mix in meats or seafood. Honestly you can skip the Linguica, Lobster and just do cooked bacon or skip that too and it's pretty amazing on it's own, but where's the fun in that.
It's the perfect amount to serve as a main course for about four people or as a side at a gathering.
Not only will I make it for dinner but I found that it freezes really well if you enjoy meal planning or if you wish to bring with you on a camping trip. Yes, we brought this camping this past summer by putting it in a foil baking pan and it reheated perfectly. If you decide to save for later just skip baking it until later and freeze instead.
To jump into it the ingredients you will need are 1 Pound cooked lobster meat, chopped, 1/2 Pound Linguica or 1/2 pound bacon, diced, 3.5 cups uncooked macaroni elbow noodles, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup shredded Gouda or another cup of cheddar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper and for the Optional crust; Half sleeve of ritz Crackers crushed, 3 more tablespoons of butter.
Begin by starting a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Next grate your cheese. You can use all cheddar if you don't have Gouda, I prefer gouda as it has a more mild and flavorful taste. Once your cheese is grated, start prepping by chopping your lobster and linguica. Crush the crackers by placing them into a ziplock baggie and hitting them with either your hand or a meat tenderizer.
If you're a newbie to making a roux, this is what it should look like before you add your milk.
Cook pasta according to box. Start your Roux by melting 4tbs of butter in a medium sauce pan on med/low heat, slowly whisk in 4tbs of butter until well blended. Next slowly whisk in your milk then add your cheese, salt and pepper until melted.
Make your topping by melting 3tbs of butter and mixing in your ritz crackers, cooking until browned. When done remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 or skip if you plan to freeze it for later.
Drain the pasta and return to the large pot it was cooked in. Fold in your cheese mixture then the lobster and linguica.
Pour into a 9x13 greased baking dish, sprinkle Ritz and butter mixture on top then bake uncovered for 30 minutes. When done, let sit for 5 minutes and enjoy!
To reheat when freezing, preheat oven to 350 and cook with foil on for 1 hour or until heated all the way.
Ingredients
-
1 Pound cooked lobster meat, chopped
- 1/2 Pound Linguica or 1/2 pound bacon, diced
- 3.5 cups uncooked macaroni elbow noodles
-
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
-
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-
1 1/2 cups milk
-
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, grated
-
1 cup shredded Gouda or another cup of cheddar, grated
-
1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- Optional: Parsley for garnish
- Half sleeve of ritz Crackets, crushed
- 3 more tablespoons of butter for topping
- Preheat oven to 350. (skip if you plan to freeze)
- Cook and drain pasta according to box. Prep you cheese by grating it then chop your meats.
- Melt 4tbs butter in a medium pan on med/low then whisk in 4tbs flour until blended then slowly whisk the milk in. Blend in your salt, pepper and cheese until melted.
- Make your topping by melting 3tbs butter in a small pan on low and mix in crushed ritz crackers, cook until browned then remove from heat.
- Add your cheese mixture and meats to the pasta and mix until well incorporated.
- Add your mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle with topping (maybe even more cheesy if you really like it cheesy) and cook for 30 minutes. Remove, sprinkle some parsley on top and let sit for 5 minutes then enjoy!
Note: If you plan to freeze and enjoy later, skip baking. Just add your macaroni and cheese to a Foil pan, let cool and cover tightly with foil then freeze.
I also highly recommend wrapping the foil tray in plastic wrap or if it's an 8x8, put inside a gallon zip lock baggie to prevent freezer burning.
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Loved this recipe! Just as good as a restaurant