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Seafood Mac and Cheese

Seafood Mac and Cheese layers tender lobster and sweet lump crab in a rich Gruyère and Swiss sauce brightened with a touch of white wine. Topped with buttery seasoned crumbs and baked until golden and bubbly, it’s luxurious comfort food perfect for holidays, date nights, or a cozy weekend dinner.

  • Prep30 mins
  • Cook45 mins
  • Serves8
  • DifficultyMedium
Seafood Mac and Cheese

easyChef Pro health score

Calculated from USDA-referenced nutrient data for the ingredients in Seafood Mac and Cheese, not estimated by an AI model. The same recipe returns the same score every time.

37 Health Score
Glycemic ImpactFair
50 / 100
Carb quality, not quantity. Higher is better.
Nutritional DensityPoor
9 / 100
Nutrients per calorie. Higher is better.
Energy DensityFair
48 / 100
Calories by weight. Higher means more food for fewer calories.
NOVA Processed Culinary Ingredients
2 / 4
Processing level, 1 (whole) to 4 (ultra-processed). Lower is better.

How it scores for each health goal

The same recipe scores differently against different goals, because the goal changes the calculation rather than filtering a list. Set your goal in easyChef Pro and every recipe is scored against it.

16
Heart Health
64
Metabolic
27
Digestive
22
Inflammatory
49
Performance
33
General Wellness
  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

  2. 2

    Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni, stirring occasionally, until slightly firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water; drain the macaroni. Rinse with cold water; drain again.

  3. 3

    Return the reserved pasta water to the pot; add the lobster tails. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and steam until the lobster meat is firm and opaque, about 3 minutes.

  4. 4

    Transfer the lobster tails to a tray; let cool 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the meat and cut into bite-size pieces. Rinse the pot.

  5. 5

    Meanwhile, combine the Gruyère, Swiss, and flour in a large bowl.

  6. 6

    Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the empty pasta pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot softens, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the milk and wine; heat just until bubbles form around the edge of the pot. Gradually whisk in the cheese mixture, 1 cup at a time, just until the cheese melts; the mixture may not be completely smooth yet. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lobster, crabmeat, 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, and pepper. Stir in the macaroni.

  7. 7

    Pulse the bread cubes in a food processor to make large coarse crumbs. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter; stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning. Add the bread crumbs; toss to combine.

  8. 8

    Pour the macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the bread crumb mixture.

  9. 9

    Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbly and the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with chives and additional seafood seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges. Cook’s Note To remove lobster meat from the shells, use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut lengthwise through the centers of the hard top shells and meat, cutting to, but not through, the bottoms of the shells. Press the shell halves of the tails apart with your fingers. Using your fingers, remove the meat from the shells. If using fresh bread, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bake until the cubes are dried out, 8 to 10 minutes.

About This Recipe

Seafood Mac and Cheese is made with 16 ingredients and serves 8. It takes about 1 hr 15 mins and is rated medium. Key ingredients include Black Pepper, Butter, Cubed Stuffing Bread, and Fresh Chives. Each serving provides about 977.17 kcal, and is a good source of protein.

Recipe Questions

What is Seafood Mac and Cheese made of?
The main ingredients are Black Pepper, Butter, Cubed Stuffing Bread, Fresh Chives, Gruyère Cheese. The full list of 16 is above.
How long does it take to make Seafood Mac and Cheese?
About 1 hr 15 mins in total: 30 mins to prepare and 45 mins to cook.
How many calories are in one serving?
One serving provides about 977.17 kcal. The full nutrition breakdown is above.
Is Seafood Mac and Cheese easy to make?
This recipe is rated medium, with 16 ingredients and 9 steps.
Is Seafood Mac and Cheese healthy?
Seafood Mac and Cheese has an easyChef Pro health score of 37/100. Per serving, it provides 977.17 calories and 72.69 g of protein, or 145% of the Daily Value. It is a good source of calcium and iron. Worth noting per serving: sodium at 1081.09 mg (47% of the Daily Value) and saturated fat at 27.65 g (138% of the Daily Value). It contains Shellfish, Fish, Milk, Wheat, Gluten, Garlic, Onions and Alcohol, so it may not be suitable for people with those allergies or dietary restrictions. Whether it fits your goals depends on your complete meal plan and nutritional needs. Remix it in easyChef Pro to adjust the ingredients and generate fresh nutrition and scores.

How easyChef Pro scores recipes and products

easyChef Pro analyzes up to 41 nutrients using data sourced from USDA and other verified food databases. Its scoring method uses the nutrients relevant to nutrition quality, calorie density, processing level, and your selected health goal. Recipes and food products get a health score from 0 to 100, calculated using consistent rules instead of being estimated by AI. The same nutrition data, serving size and health goal will produce the same result.

The calculation evaluates nutrients, calorie density, processing level, and how well the food supports your selected health goal. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients can strengthen the score. High amounts of sodium, saturated fat, added sugar and other nutrients may lower it.

Your health goal also matters. easyChef Pro evaluates recipes and products across six health areas and adjusts their importance for your selected goal. This means the same food may be a better fit for one health goal than another.

For recipes, changing an ingredient, quantity or serving size changes the nutrition and may change the score. Remix the recipe in easyChef Pro to calculate fresh nutrition and scores for the version you actually make. Product scores are based on the nutrition and serving information associated with that specific product.

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