Smoked Gouda with Crab and Bacon Mac ‘N Cheese

4.63 from 16 votes

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This mac and cheese recipe with crab and smoked gouda is one for the Gods. Fortunately, you can make it tonight and you’ll only think you died and went to heaven. Read on for how to make this delicious baked macaroni and cheese casserole.

Crab Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

I think that if you ask any of our boys what their favorite food is, they would all say mac and cheese.   We make a lot of mac and cheese.  If is not very often that we don’t have any children around, but today was one of those days.  I was craving mac and cheese myself, but without the kids, it did not feel right.  But wait, what if I was able to make mac and cheese “adult” friendly? Have I piqued your interest?

Casserole plate with Smoked Gouda Mac 'n Cheese with Crab
©Platter Talk

With the weather being so cold lately, who wants to go out to the grocery store?  Not me.  My challenge was to use only things that we had in our house.
forkful of macaroni and cheese with crab meat.

So, I went grocery shopping in our kitchen.  What did I find you may ask?  Some smoked Gouda cheese purchased for the holidays, grated sharp cheddar cheese, along with some bacon.  Well certainly that would make a nice base for mac and cheese, but I wanted to step it up a bit.  When I opened the freezer, it hit me, crab legs.

I purchased those for the holidays as well but never made them.  This would most certainly make my mac and cheese more adult in composition.

Macaoni and cheese on a plate.

After a little of this and a little of that, the mac and cheese was done.   My challenge was complete.  I was successful in making a delicious “grown-up” mac and cheese.  I think that I may have found my new favorite food.  Have a bite and let me know what you think!

Smoked Gouda with Crab and Bacon Mac 'N Cheese

4.63 from 16 votes
Decadent crab and pasta entree with smoked Gouda cheese and flavorful bacon pieces.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 people

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 lb Crab legs
  • 1/2 lb chopped bacon
  • 7 oz Grated Smoked Gouda
  • 5 oz Grated Cheddar Cheese
  • 2 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 tbs butter
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tbs nutmeg
  • 1 tbs ground mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 oz medium shell pasta

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Boil or steam crab legs and then shell. Place meat in a bowl and set aside.
  • Fully fry (or bake) bacon and roughly chop then set aside.
  • In a sauce pan, melt 2 tbs butter and add flour over medium heat.
  • Cook butter and flour mixture for approximately 2 minutes.
  • Stir in milk, bay leaf, nutmeg and ground mustard. Cook for approximately 6-8 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. You may need to raise the temperature, being careful not to scorch the milk.
  • Once the mixture has thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon, lower the temperature and remove the bay leaf.
  • Add gouda and cheddar cheese and a tablespoon of butter. Stir until cheese is melted.
  • Add crab meat and bacon and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cook pasta according to packaging, drain and stir into cheese mixture.
  • Put mac and cheese in an oven safe casserole dish and cover with foil.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes, removing the foil halfway through the baking process.

Notes

For this mac and cheese, you can substitute imitation crab meat for crab legs.

Nutrition

Calories: 691kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 49g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Cholesterol: 129mg, Sodium: 1140mg, Potassium: 391mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 594IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 438mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!

Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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33 Comments

  1. Sounds delicious. But if you put smoked Gouda in just about anything I’d eat it. haha I love that you added crab!

  2. I have made lobster mac and cheese and now will have to try it with crab one of these days. You had me at mac and cheese, but oh my the crab kicks this up notches unknown.

  3. Thanks so much for nibbling with me at MUNCHING MONDAYS!!!!! This dish looks just divine and I happen to be a HUGE Mac & Cheese Fan!! Warmest, Nic

    1. Nic,
      I appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to leave such a kind comment. This dish really was extraordinary!

  4. What a great dish for this winter!! Crab with mac ‘n cheese is one of many staple dishes down here in the South, so I have tried a few mac ‘n cheese’s with seafood in restaurants and its unbelievable!! This is a fabulous recipe to print, pin and a keeper-Thanks for sharing!