The ultimate upgrade to a comfort food classic – lobster studded, cheesy pasta baked underneath a layer of crispy breadcrumbs.

The second dish we made for our Ina Garten themed Supper Club dinner was this outrageously decadent Lobster Mac & Cheese.

The mixture of Gruyère and extra-sharp Cheddar really intensifies the cheesiness of this dish in the best possible way.

This was my first time cooking lobster at home. I picked up some frozen lobster tails and followed the instructions for cooking them in the oven. Easy peasy and much less intimidating than I thought it would be!

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on May 30, 2015 at 7:36pm PDT

I really loved the way the cheese clung to the cavatappi, so I definitely recommend trying to find that pasta if you can. I’d probably go for something like rotini if that wasn’t available.

The buttered bread crumbs add a nice, golden crust on top of this dish. Super tasty!

I ended up putting the pot back on the heat until the cheese melted. It wasn’t hot enough to melt all of that cheese when it wasn’t on the stovetop the way Ina instructs.

I don’t have a bunch of individual gratin dishes, so I cooked it in a big baking dish that I put on top of a baking sheet juuuuust in case it overflowed in the oven (it didn’t).

This recipe makes a TON. It was a big hit with our Supper Club, and the leftovers were absolutely delicious reheated the next day.

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x

Description

The ultimate upgrade to a comfort food classic – lobster studded, cheesy pasta baked underneath a layer of crispy breadcrumbs.

Scale

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt
1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni
1 quart whole milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups grated Gruyere cheese (12 ounces)
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (8 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat, 1/2-inch-diced
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Add the oil to a large pot of boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain well.
Heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t allow it to boil. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper and nutmeg and stir until the cheese melts. Stir in the cooked pasta and lobster. Pile the mixture into 6 to 8 (2-cup) gratin dishes.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine with the bread crumbs and sprinkle on top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the pasta is browned on top.