Baked Crabby Mac & Cheese

Baked Crabby Mac & Cheese

This recipe is all about a ridiculously cheesy and protein packed variation on baked macaroni and cheese that I call Baked Crabby Mac & Cheese. The idea behind this is simple. Step 1: Make a creamy mac & cheese. Step 2: Mix in some crab claw meat. Step 3: Add even more cheese. Step 4: Bake. If this sounds like your kind of dish, then read on to see how it's made. Oh, by the way, did I mention that it's also reduced fat too? Yea! It's actually pretty good for you.

My Crabby Mac & Cheese is actually a variation of Alton Brown's Baked Mac & Cheese Recipe. The main difference is that I add crab claw meat. I also add more cheese, skip the breading on the crust, and I use reduced fat ingredients. The result is a delicious, simple and protein packed meal that won't blow your fat macros out of the water.

Why use a variation of Alton Brown's recipe? Well, Alton Brown's recipe really isn't all that unique, except for one thing... he uses an egg. Remove the egg and you really have a pretty standard fare baked mac & cheese. But the egg adds some nice richness, so I took the idea. I should also note that I originally tried a recipe using cream cheese. I was less than impressed. It just wasn't as creamy.

Anyway, let's get down to the details.

Ingredients

• 8oz crab claw meat
• 8oz farfalle pasta (why farfalle? because it's my favorite pasta)
• 2tsp garlic salt
• cracked black pepper
• 3cups 1% milk
• One large egg
• 3tbsp flour
• 3tbsp reduced fat butter (I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light)
• 15oz 2% sharp cheddar cheese

Directions 

1. Boil the pasta in a pot with salted water until al dente
2. In a large pan on med/med-low heat, add the melted butter and whisk in the flour
3. Keep whisking the mixture until bubbly and well integrated
4. Slowly whisk in the milk (warmed)
5. Continue to whisk until well integrated
6. Add in the garlic salt and the black pepper to taste
7. Temper in the [beaten] egg to the mixture with the milk
8. Add in 11oz of the cheese and mix until well integrated, slightly thickened and bubbly
9. Mix in crab claw meat
10. Mix in cooked pasta

** At this point you can either serve up a very creamy and delicious mac & cheese or you can continue on and bake the mac & cheese. It will lose some creaminess when baked, but it's still plenty creamy and the cheesy crust more than makes up for it.

11. Grease a 9x9 square pan with zero calorie cooking spray
12. Pour the crabby mac & cheese into the 9x9 square pan
13. Evenly top with the remaining 4oz of cheese
14. Bake for 35min at 350-degrees F

I cut the portions up into 9 even squares. Below is the nutrition info.

Nutrition Info 

Serving Size: 1 square

Servings: 9

Protein: 23g

Carbohydrates: 26g; 1g Fiber

Fat: 14g

Sodium: 972g

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Posted by Clayton Long