Dairy-Free Lobster Mac and Cheese
This lobster macaroni and cheese is creamy, dairy free, and elevated enough to serve at the holidays but easy enough for weeknight family dinners.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces uncooked macaroni pasta
- 8 ounces cooked lobster meat
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ shallot, finely minced about 2 Tablespoons
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 ½ cup almond milk
- 2 cups dairy-free cheddar-style shreds
- 1 cup dairy-free mozarella-style shreds
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions and begin making the sauce.
- Add butter to a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat. Once butter is mostly melted, add the cooked lobster meat and stir, heating up the lobster for about 1-2 minutes. Remove the lobster and transfer to a bowl; set aside.
- Add the shallots and garlic, then sauté for 1-2 minutes, just until they are softened and fragrant.
- Sprinkle flour and whisk into the garlic butter mixture. Whisk in almond milk and continue whisking until the flour has blended into the sauce and there are no clumps.
- Add your dairy-free cheddar-style shreds, whisk until some of it melts, then add dairy-free mozzarella shreds and whisk until smooth. This may take a few minutes of vigorous whisking, depending on the brand of dairy-free shreds you use. During this time, you can add a little bit of hot starchy pasta water, about 2 Tablespoons at a time as needed, from the pasta that's cooking to help prevent the shreds from seizing up and helping create a smooth sauce.
- Add in the nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and paprika, and whisk all together until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Drain pasta, then slowly add the pasta and combine until pasta is coated in the cheesy mixture.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Makes approximately 6 servings
Tip: pay particular attention while melting and whisking the dairy-free cheese. Whisk the DF cheese vigorously to create the sauce. Depending on which particular brand of non-dairy cheese you use, this could take a few minutes, since DF cheese tends to melt slower than regular cheese. Definitely add hot starchy pasta water as needed to help create the sauce, adding 2 Tablespoons at a time.
Vegan Mac & Cheese option: you can omit the lobster to make this a vegan mac and cheese.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat: Take leftovers out of the refrigerator and set on the counter for a few minutes to bring to room temperature. Reheat in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add a tablespoon of unsalted butter to add creaminess to the sauce and stir until the sauce is heated and thickened a bit. Or reheat in single servings in the microwave with a tablespoon of butter for 1 minute, stir, then reheat for another minute and stir.
Nutrition
Calories: 566kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1120mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 728IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 2mg