Delicious Crab Cake Macaroni and Cheese

This crab cake macaroni and cheese combines the deliciousness of crab cakes with everyone’s favorite comfort food! It is macaroni & cheese taken to a whole new level of amazing!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScrubWithDots #CollectiveBias

 

Every year when we go on our family vacation we each take turns cooking dinner for everyone. I always try to pick something extra special, I like to treat my parents because they rent the house for us each year. This year I broke out one of my most special recipes, my crab cake macaroni and cheese!

This is an extra special recipe for a couple of reasons, the first is because it is an absolute favorite of my hubby’s. We were both raised in Maryland so “Old Bay” is a food group of it’s own, and crab cakes are something you can’t order at any old restaurant! I spring for real crab meat when I make this, I have to fight my cheapness because crab isn’t exactly cheap when you’re buying it in Ohio! So there is the deliciousness of it, the slightly higher than I usually spend on a weeknight dinner, cost, and then there is the clean up.

One pan for pasta, one for the cheese sauce, a bowl for the crab mixture, and then the pan that it is all baked in… baked on cheese and pasta you are not my friend.

But for vacation? Time to break out the big guns and serve the family something amazing!

And guess what? I’ve recently discovered something that makes the clean up so so easy! Scotch-Brite™ Brand has new sponges and dishwands that make scrubbing the dreaded baked on mess so much easier!! Wait til you see them in action they are amazing!

 

I picked up mine at my local Dollar General, my favorite place to pop in and grab the things I need! I love that they just built a new one less than a mile from my house!

Head on over to Coupons.com to get a coupon for $1.00 off any two Scrub Dots items good through 12/31/17

Here’s what you’ll need for the crab cake macaroni and cheese-

-16 oz. Crab Meat ( I used claw meat)

– 16 oz. box Penne Pasta

– 8 oz. Cream Cheese

– 8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded)

-1/2 Medium Size Onion (finely chopped)

– 2 Tbsp. Butter

-1 Cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock

-1 1/2 Tbsp Flour

– 2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

-1 1/2 Cups Mild

1 Tbsp. Stone Ground Mustard

1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Salt to taste

 

Preheat your oven to 425 and lightly butter a 13×9 inch pan.

In a medium size bowl combine your crab meat (well drained) and your Old Bay seasoning, give it a stir to mix the seasoning through the crab meat.

The next thing you’ll want to do is get your butter melted in a skillet over medium heat, once it’s melted add in your finely diced onion. Let that cook until the onion is soft and translucent.

While your onion is cooking get your pasta water on and bring it to a boil lightly salting it.

Add your flour into the butter and onion mixture stirring frequently over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Now stirring constantly slowly pour in your stock.

(Pour your pasta in the boiling water if it’s ready now! Follow your package directions for best results!)

Still stirring constantly slowly pour in half of your milk. Now add in your cream cheese and stir until completely incorporated and smooth. Stir in the rest of your milk. Next put your monterey jack cheese and mustard in and stir until it is all melted and incorporated. Add in a pinch of salt if needed.

Once your pasta is ready pour it into the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Top the pasta with half of your cheese sauce. Now evenly layer your crab meat on top of the pasta and pour over the rest of the cheese sauce. Top it all off with an even layer of Panko bread crumbs.

Now you’re ready to bake! Pop it in the oven for about 25 minutes or until nice and golden brown, now your crab cake macaroni and cheese is ready to eat!

While your pasta is baking you can use the amazing  Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Dots Dishwand to clean up the pots and pans you used! It is perfect for any non-stick surface because it doesn’t scratch! Or if you prefer to use a sponge grab a Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Dots Sponge which is also safe to use on any cookware!

I love to cook, I especially love to cook things I know my family loves but I always dread the clean up with dishes like this! There is no need now that I have the  Scotch-Brite® Scrub Dots products in my kitchen!

(My big dog who often “helps” with baked on messes doesn’t like this new technology!)

It’s so great to enjoy this amazing crab cake macaroni and cheese knowing that clean up will be a breeze! Even the baked on cheese and pasta is no match for the Scotch-Brite® Scrub Dots, and that isn’t even the heavy duty sponge!

 

Do you have a favorite recipe that you hesitate to make because of the clean up? Have you tried  Scotch-Brite® Scrub Dots sponges & wands?