Crab Mac and Cheese

Crab mac and cheese is everything you want it to be; oozy, smooth cheese sauce, and bitey pasta, with the elegant addition of sweet crab meat.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crab mac and cheese

Servings: people

450g / 1 lb This is an affiliate link.macaroni
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
500ml / 2 cups whole milk
240g / 2 cups (12 oz) grated cheddar cheese or a mix of cheddar and your favourite cheese
120g / 1 cup Comte cheese or Gruyere
Salt to taste
200g / 7 oz cooked crab meat

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, blend in flour with a wire whisk. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes while stirring the entire time. The mixture will turn yellow and start to smell pleasantly nutty. Now add the milk gradually while stirring to avoid lumps, allow the sauce to thicken for 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Stir in all but 1/2 cup of the grated cheese and allow it to melt and fully incorporate into the sauce. Set aside the reserved cheese for a topping.Then stir in the crab meat. Add salt to taste. (Don't forget the salt!)
Drain the pasta, then return it to the pot and pour the cheese sauce over it, stir to coat. Turn out the macaroni and cheese into a buttered baking dish (at least 3.5-4 Quart/3.5-4 L capacity). Top with grated cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. (Baking it longer will only dry out the sauce!)