Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food. We grew up on it and still love it, but have you tried a grown-up version? Our palates change with time and I assure you this macaroni and cheese with cajun seasoning will blow you away.
Cheesy and spicy with green onions and bell peppers, this Louisiana cajun mac and cheese with andouille sausage and shrimp is like an explosion of flavors in your mouth.
Fancy and delicious, this is a great recipe for having friends over or for when you want to indulge in a grown-up classic.
HOW TO MAKE CAJUN MAC AND CHEESE FROM SCRATCH
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente
- While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions and bell peppers until tender
- Add garlic and sliced andouille sausage and cook for two more minutes
- Stir in the sliced green onions and shrimp and cook them for two minutes on each side
- Take the skillet off the heat and transfer the mixture to a plate. To make the cheese sauce, melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet or small saucepan and add the flour. Cook until golden
- Add the milk and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened, then add 1 cup each Cheddar and Monterey Jack and one tbsp cajun seasoning. Stir until melted.
- Mix cheese sauce, pasta, and sausage mix together and pour into a 9×13 inch casserole dish
- In a small bowl, mix together panko breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp melted butter, remaining sliced green onions, and a pinch of salt
- Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over mac and cheese and bake in a preheated 350F for 15 minutes
WHAT KIND OF PASTA SHOULD I USE?
Cavatappi pasta is a beautiful curly pasta that is great for this recipe, but if you can’t find it, elbow pasta or any short cut pasta will do.
CAN YOU FREEZE CAJUN MAC AND CHEESE?
Yes, you definitely can. Let your baked cajun mac and cheese cool down, place your leftovers in an airtight container, or double wrap them in plastic wrap and place this inside a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
CAN THIS CHEESY MAC BE MADE IN ADVANCE?
You can definitely make some of the steps ahead of time.
You can have your pasta cooked in advance and have the veggies and protein cooked too, so you just have to make the cheese sauce and mix everything up before baking.
RECIPE TIPS
- If your pasta cooks before you finish the other steps, drain it and toss it in a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking
- If you are feeding this to a young audience, you might want to use less cajun seasoning since it is a bit spicy
- Don’t want to wash a lot of dishes? Use a cast-iron skillet to cook your sausage/shrimp mixture and bake the mac and cheese in the skillet
More Cajun Recipes You’ll Love
CAJUN MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE
Ingredients
- 1 lb cavatappi or other short-cut pasta (I used elbow pasta)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- ½ white onion, diced
- Salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
- ½ lb peeled and deveined medium shrimp, tails removed
- ¼ c sliced green onions
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 c milk
- 1 ¼ c shredded Cheddar
- 1 ¼ c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ¼ c panko bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente
- While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions and bell peppers until tender
- Add garlic and sliced andouille sausage and cook for two more minutes
- Stir in the sliced green onions and shrimp and cook them for two minutes on each side
- Take the skillet off the heat and transfer the mixture to a plate. To make the cheese sauce, melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet or small saucepan and add the flour. Cook until golden
- Add the milk and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened, then add 1 cup each Cheddar and Monterey Jack and one tbsp cajun seasoning. Stir until melted.
- Mix cheese sauce, pasta and sausage mix together and pour into a 9x13 inch casserole dish
- In a small bowl, mix together panko breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp melted butter, remaining sliced green onions, and a pinch of salt
- Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over mac and cheese and bake in a preheated 350F for 15 minutes
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