Baked Shrimp Mac and Cheese

🧂 Ingredients

• 16 ounces cavatappi pasta
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

  divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  gives a nice kick to the dish, use less if you’re not fond of heat
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups half and half
• 12 ounces about 3 cups shredded gruyere cheese – use a box grater to shred
• 12 ounces about 3 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
• 2 pounds medium raw shrimp

  51-60 count, peeled and deveined, tails off, patted dry
• ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• fresh chopped parsley

  optional garnish

Instructions

• 1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Measure out the half and half, and set aside. Lightly
  spray a deep 9" x 13" baking dish, and set aside.
• 2 Cook pasta per package directions, to slightly less than al dente. Drain very
  well; set aside.
• 3 In a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium-low heat, add 4 tablespoons of the
  butter and melt. Add garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and
  pepper to the butter. Stirring constantly, “toast” the spices in the butter for
  30 seconds, until fragrant.
• 4 Add flour to the pan and whisk to combine (a flat whisk works great for this!).
  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring fairly constantly. Slowly stream in half and half,
  whisking constantly, until lump-free. Turn up heat just a bit, between medium
  and medium-high. Bring mixture to a simmer and simmer until thickened, stirring
  occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• 5 In a large bowl, mix together gruyere cheese and white cheddar cheese. Remove
  Dutch oven from heat and add half of the mixed cheese. Fold until cheese is
  melted.
• 6 Add shrimp and cooked pasta to the Dutch oven, and fold to combine with the
  sauce. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
• 7 In a small bowl, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add breadcrumbs and
  grated Parmesan, and stir to incorporate evenly.
• 8 Add remaining cheese to the top of the dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over
  the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and the top is golden brown. If
  desired, place dish under broiler for a couple minutes to toast the breadcrumbs
  even more. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
  Sprinkle parsley over the top, right before serving, if desired.
• 9
  
  

Nutrition Info