Lobster Mac and Cheese is the ultimate creamy, pasta comfort food. It's loaded with 3 types of cheese, juicy chunks of lobster and topped with a bacon and breadcrumb topping.
I love pasta, especially paired with seafood like this blackened shrimp ravioli. It is one of my favorites when I'm looking for something quick and easy to throw together.
And so is this amazing lobster mac and cheese recipe!
Ingredients
- lobster tails: You'll use the equivalent of 4 lobster tails. Buy either in the shell or peeled. If the lobster is already cooked, skip that step!
- pasta: 12 oz. of any dry pasta of your choice.
- cheese: Shredded Swiss, parmesan and white cheddar.
- butter, flour and milk: The flour and butter are cooked first to make a roux which is used to thicken the mac and cheese. Milk is added to thin into down before adding the cheeses.
- breadcrumbs: Italian or plain breadcrumbs.
- bacon: Roughly 4 strips of bacon, extra crispy.
How to make lobster mac and cheese
Making the best lobster mac and cheese from scratch is super easy. Let's dive into the details!
Step 1: Boil the lobster tails in salted water for 8-10 minutes, remove and let cool. Cut into 1 " pieces. Boil pasta according to package directions and drain. Set both aside.
Step 2: Fry bacon, let cool and cut into small pieces. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, bacon bits, breadcrumbs and ⅓ cup shredded parmesan in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Make a roux by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy stockpot and stirring in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour until combined. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.
Add 2 cups shredded white cheddar, 1 ½ cups shredded Swiss cheese and ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese. Whisk until the cheese is melted.
Step 4: Add the boiled pasta and lobster pieces to the cheese mixture and stir to combine. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish.
Step 5: Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top of the pasta and bake in a 425°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Serve hot out of the oven!
How to store lobster mac and cheese
Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, either microwave single servings or place in oven-safe baking dish in a preheated 425°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Easy pasta recipes
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pasta
- Blackened Shrimp and Ravioli
- Southwest Pasta Salad
Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails
- 12 oz. elbow macaroni
Breadcrumb Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 4 strips bacon fried and cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Cream Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1.5 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and grease an 8" x 8" baking dish.
- Boil the lobster tail for 8-10 minutes, let cool, remove meat from shell and cut into bite size pieces.
- Boil the pasta according to package directions or until al dente, drain and set aside.
- In a heavy stockpot, melt the butter and then add the flour, whisking until combined. Gradually add the whole milk, whisking constantly until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 3 cheeses and stir until melted. Pour the cooked pasta and lobster pieces into the pot and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Video
Notes
This recipe was originally posted in 2014 and updated with improved ingredients, recipe instructions and photos. Original recipe.
Chelsea McDonnel says
Is 2 cups of milk right? Because my cheese sauce is incredibly runny.
Amy Duska says
Yes, it will thicken up as it bakes.
Anne Quirion says
Question: when making the roux you only put in the Parmesan cheese and not the other two cheeses ?
Amy says
That is correct. I will try to rewrite the directions to make sure this is clarified! Sorry for any confusion!
Mike says
Extremely decadent and savory
Amy says
Yes it is! Very decadent 🙂
Marana says
Can you use the same water to boil the lobster and elbow macaroni? If so, is there an order in which you would boil them? ie. Mac first, then lobster or visa versa
Amy says
Yes you can! I would boil the lobster first, it will season the water and also give it a chance to cool so that you can peel while the pasta is cooking.
Nichole says
Amy- I having a surf n' turf style dinner party and have an estimated 20 people to feed and definitely want to serve this as a side dish. Any recommendations on serving this to a crowd. Your receipe says that it yields 8 servings.
Amy says
Hi Nichole, I would definitely double the recipe if not triple it. It will not go to waste!
Kim says
I am trying this for the first time tonight. A friend gave us some lobster and I didn't want to eat it the same old way, looking for something different and landed on thus! It's in the oven now, yes it will be more like a midnight snack now, had a few hiccups along the way, all my fault! One question I had (and I hope I interpreted it correctly) is that the Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses are combined when adding the layers? Neither one was added to the melted cheese mixture? That's the only question I ran into. It smells heavenly baking.... Cheese heaven!
Amy says
Kim, I am so sorry I am just now seeing your comment. I hope it turned out OK!
April says
i just made this for our Christmas dinner. I doubled the recipe and used a combo of shrimp & lobster with sharp white cheddar, Asiago, Parmesan, and Jarlsberg cheeses. I sprinkled the top with panko bread crumbs. This made for a fabulous surf & turf with our prime rib roast. Thanks for a great recipe!
Amy says
Hi April! That sounds amazing, I LOVE Jarlsberg cheese! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
MARIANNE LACKEY says
Love your recipes. I copy them as a "Word" document. I am always frustrated by the lack of punctuation marks in the abbreviations as well as the instructions, i.e.,: Tablespoon should be T. Teaspoon should be tsp. There should be a period at the end of every sentence. Otherwise, no problem. Thanks. Marianne
Amy says
Hi Marianne, I'm sorry that you are having problems. Have you tried to use the print tab? It has always printed out with the punctuation marks for me. I will look into that and see if there is a way that I can input recipes so that it will copy and paste correctly. I used to use abbreviations but started using the entire words because I had people asking me what they meant. I figured it would be easier to just to spell it out. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know.
Kissin Gramma says
THIS looks amazing. I just had Lobster Mac n Chz at a restaurant in St. Chas MO. It was sooo good. I have never attempted to add lobster, but it sounds very yummy. I might add drained pimento for color, too. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy says
You're very welcome. Thanks for stopping by!
Olivia says
This looks so amazing, I was looking for something seafood to try today, before returning to work from vacation...I've found it, heading to get my lobster and a nice bottle of white wine to compliment!! Can't wait to eat!
Amy says
I m so glad you liked it. Thanks for letting know!
Matt @ Plating Pixels says
I found your blog on the list of BlogHer Pro conference attendees. Glad it did, this looks divine and I love your food photography. Looking forward to connected with all the bloggers at the conference.
Amy Duska says
Thank you Matt! I am looking forward to the conference and hopefully making some new friends. Let me know if you and Olia would like to meetup while we are there!
Jess says
This is beautiful! I think you've take "comfort food" to a whole new level.
[email protected] says
This looks so delicious!I love how mac & cheese is layered here! Superb.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I am a massive fan of both lobster and mac and cheese.. never mixed the two together before though. This look so delicious, definitely a recipe I need to try!
Danielle | Krafted Koch says
Wow, this looks amazingly decadent and delicious!