Creamy Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe

Looking for the ultimate cream lobster mac and cheese? Well you've come to the right place! This macaroni and cheese recipe is packed with chunks of sweet juicy lobster, creamy cheesy deliciousness, and balanced with the perfect amount of seasonings for an amazing seafood mac and cheese that you'll be making for every special occasion!

If you love seafood recipes, you have to try this delicious and easy Seafood Boil, Butter Poached Lobster and Low Country Boil! For another mac and cheese recipe that you'll love, try this smoked mac and cheese.

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Look out Ruth Chris Lobster Mac and Cheese, this creamy baked lobster mac has made its way into the chat. Let's talk! This lobster dish is the ultimate comfort food. It's cheesy, melty, and buttery, and with those lobster chunks in every bite, this recipe tastes like it's straight off of a restaurant menu (but better because it's homemade). 

Lobster macaroni is an amazing dish for a holiday or dinner party. It's perfect as a side dish and fancy enough to be the main course! It's also a great dish for date night, too and with Valentine's day coming up, you'll want to bookmark this one! 

Ingredients 

• Frozen Cold Water Lobster Tails: for this recipe, you'll need the biggest lobsters you can find. And we're using 1 ½ pounds of it! What makes this such a fancy dish is that there's juicy chunks of lobster meat in every bite. I highly recommend using frozen lobster for this recipe as it tends to be frozen at peak freshness. Pro tip: if using fresh lobster, try to get it from your local fish market as opposed to the grocery store. Fish markets tend to have fresher products and we don't want any old lobster for this recipe!
• Cheeses: You'll need 4 types of cheese - a blend of sharp cheddar cheese, gruyere cheese, colby jack, and monterey jack cheeses.
• Seasonings: old bay, ground mustard, a tiny bit of nutmeg, and kosher salt and black pepper. 
• Cavatappi or Macaroni Pasta: elbow macaroni is the classic pasta to use for mac and cheese, however, cavatappi is also fun! Some other pasta shapes that work well are penne, rotini, shells, and rigatoni. 
• Milk and Heavy Cream: to make the creamy sauce.
• Chicken Bouillon Paste: to season the pasta, this is important! If you don't have the paste, simply use chicken broth instead (about 6 cups).

Substitutions

• ​If you can't find gruyere, mozzarella cheese works in its place. 
• Sharp White cheddar cheese is a great substitute for extra sharp cheese. 
• Gluten free option: use your favorite gluten free noodles and swap out flour for cornstarch.
• Chicken bouillon substitute: you can simply use chicken broth instead, you'll need about 6 cups.

Tips for the best Mac and Cheese

• Be sure not to overcook your lobster! It's SO easy to overcook your seafood, but there are ways to know when your lobster is done.
• Gradually add the cheese to the sauce over low heat to prevent it from curdling. Remove the sauce from the heat once the cheese is fully melted and blended.
• Quality Cheese Matters:Use a combination of high-quality cheeses for depth of flavor. Grate the cheese yourself for a smoother melt. Never buy pre-shredded cheese for mac and cheese.

Variations

• Add in some buttery bacon breadcrumbs for a touch of smoky flavor. Simply toss breadcrumbs in some butter with bacon bits and spread on top of the casserole dish prior to placing in the oven. 
• Make it spicy by adding a little cayenne pepper! Start with a little bit, about a ¼ tsp and taste as you go. Add more as desired.
• Make this lobster mac into a lobster and shrimp mac and cheese by adding cooked shrimp. For best results, use my pan seared shrimp recipe for the shrimp!
• Top with a touch of lemon zest! Lemon and seafood go together like valentine's day and roses. Adding a little bit of lemon zest on top really brightens this homemade lobster mac recipe and pulls out that yummy seafood flavor.

How to make Lobster Mac and Cheese 

Prep and Cook the Lobster

• Thaw the lobster in the refrigerator or place into a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, until completely thawed. Shred all of the cheeses and place into a large bowl. Toss together so that all of the cheeses are nice and mixed together.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Use kitchen shears to cut the top of the lobster shell right down the middle. Crack open the shell and remove the meat. Place onto a baking sheet and drizzle with oil and season with old bay seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the lobster is slightly curled and is white and no longer transparent. Set aside to cool. (Image 1 and 2)

• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. 
• As the lobster cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add chicken bouillon paste and stir until dissolved. Then boil pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside (do not rinse your noodles!)

Make the Cheesy Bechamel Sauce

• Begin making the creamy cheese sauce. Start with a simple roux by melting butter in a large saucepan over low heat, then add all purpose flour. Whisk together until the butter begins to thicken, then add seasonings and continue to whisk for 1 minute. Pour in heavy cream and whole milk and whisk until fully incorporated into the flour and slightly thickened. (Image 3)
• Add half of the cheeses and mix until all of the cheese is melted into the sauce. Add the cooked pasta, ensuring that all of the pasta is coated in the cheesy sauce. (Image 4)

Combine and Bake

• Cut the lobster tails into bite sized chunks.
• Butter a 9x13 baking casserole dish with about 2 tablespoons of butter (room temperature) and add half of the macaroni. Drizzle half of the remaining cheese mixture and half of the lobster on top, then add the rest of the macaroni and cheese and layer again with the remainder of the cheese and the lobster. 

• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the mac and cheese is nice and bubbly. Then broil for 2-4 minutes until golden brown (optional). 

​Making Ahead, Storing, and Reheating

​Making ahead: because this dish contains seafood, I highly recommend making this dish just before serving. However, if you must prepare this ahead of time, I recommend serving within 24 hours after the dish is finished. 

Storing: allow the leftover mac to cool completely, then place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing mac and cheese because when thawed, the dairy can tend to separate and it'll be weird.

Reheating: pop this in the microwave until it's warmed all throughout. I don't recommend reheating in the oven, that could cause the dish to dry out.