Cajun Crawfish Mac & Cheese

Add a twist to your mac and cheese game with our delicious Cajun Crawfish Mac & Cheese recipe. The perfect comfort food for any occasion!

Get ready to add a bit of Louisiana flavor to your next mac and cheese night with this delicious Cajun Crawfish Mac & Cheese recipe.

As any home cook knows, mac and cheese is a classic comfort food that never goes out of style. But why settle for the same old boring version when you can spice things up with some Cajun flair? This southern-inspired twist on the classic mac and cheese is sure to satisfy your taste buds. Imagine tender crawfish tails coated in a creamy, spicy sauce mixed with al dente pasta and loads of gooey melted cheese.

It’s the ultimate comfort food with a Cajun kick that will have you licking your plate clean every time. And the best part? It’s easy to make at home and requires simple ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.

So let’s dive into this delicious recipe and spice up our next mac and cheese night!

About the Ingredients for Crawfish Mac & Cheese

Pasta – Elbow macaroni is best but you could use any small cut pasta instead. Cook al dente for best results.

Oil – You can use any neutral flavoured oil.

Sausage – If you can’t get andouille sausage, you could try chorizo instead. For less heat you can do kielbasa.

Onion – Yellow onion is best but white or cooking onion is fine.

Bell peppers – You need 4 bell peppers in total. Use a variety of colour to make the dish pop.

Garlic – Feel free to use more garlic if you like.

Crawfish – Use frozen, pre-cooked crawfish meat.

Butter – Butter is the base for any good roux, this isn’t diet food so don’t substitute.

Flour – Flour thickens the roux.

Milk – Whole milk gives you the best flavour, but you can use any milk you prefer including unsweetened non-dairy.

Seasoning – Cajun seasoning can be substituted with a little chili powder, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper.

Cheese – I like cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese mixed here but any combination of shredded cheese will work. Avoid using pre-shredded cheese.

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How to Make Cajun Crawfish Mac & Cheese

Yields: 10 Servings | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 16 ounce package large elbow pasta
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 16 ounce package andouille sausage, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 cups crawfish meat, thawed
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
• 8 ounce cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 ounce pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Prepare the macaroni as directed in well seasoned water. Drain and set aside.

Heat a deep saute pan over medium heat, and add the oil.

Add the sausage, onion, and chopped peppers. Saute until the sausage browns and the vegetables are tender. (Image 1)

Add the garlic and crawfish, (Image 2) then stir the mixture for a minute before transferring the vegetable mixture to a plate. Wipe the pan clean.

Melt the butter in the same skillet. Once melted, whisk in the flour and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. (Images 3 & 4)

Gradually whisk in the milk, then whisk constantly for about 4 minutes or until it starts to thicken. (Image 5)

Whisk in the cajun seasoning (Image 6), then remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until smooth. (Images 7 & 8)

Gently fold in the pasta and sausage and pepper mixture. Transfer the dish to a large cast iron skillet and place into the oven for about 15-20 minutes or, until golden and bubbly. (Images 9 & 10)