I am a fan of mac and cheese – big, big fan! It is the ultimate comfort food in my humble opinion. And one of my favorite entertaining strategies is to serve my guests comfort food at parties. It is unexpected and always welcomed.
Of course there is nothing at all wrong with plain old mac and cheese. However I recently decided to make some fancy schmancy mac and cheese. I thought about adding lobster but really, hasn’t that been done already?
OK, maybe the fact that lobster mac and cheese has been done (and done and done…) is not the reason I went a different way. Honestly, getting the meat out of lobsters is just a bit too much work when entertaining a crowd. Also, lobster can be pretty pricey. So, I opted for shrimp instead – readily available, budget friendly, and if you buy it already peeled and deveined, easy peasy!
To complement the subtle sweet flavor of the shrimp I decided to try using some tangy goat cheese. Pretty perfect if I do say so myself! And the method for this sophisticated mac and cheese couldn’t be easier; I simply boiled some half and half with some herbs and garlic until it reduced by half, stirred in my shrimp, goat cheese, and cooked gluten free elbow macaroni (I used Pastariso organic brown rice). Honestly, the resulting mixture was so creamy and delish you could eat it just like that but I decided that a little crunch was in order so I topped the mixture with some gluten free bread crumbs. Parmesan cheese (you can never have too much cheese in mac and cheese!) and a little melted butter.
I like to serve mac and cheese in little one-cup ramekins (you can get some at Target for under $2.00 a piece) and then each person gets the exact perfect ratio of creamy and crunchy. But if you haven’t got a bunch of individual ramekins sitting around, a larger one will do just fine.
By the way, I doubled this recipe and made 12 individual ramekins, perfect for a party! Next time you are in the mood for some fancied up comfort, give this Gluten Free Shrimp Mac and Cheese recipe a try!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time35 mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 392kcal
Author: Gluten Free & More
Ingredients
- Gluten free non-stick cooking spray or butter for preparing the ramekins
- Kosher or fine sea salt
- 8 ounces gluten free elbow macaroni
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 small sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- ¾ pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup gluten free bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray six 1 cup ramekins with cooking spray or grease with butter. (Alternatively you can use one 6 cup baking dish.)
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the elbow macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with hot water.
Combine the half and half, rosemary, thyme, and garlic in a deep saucepan (larger than you think you will need) and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the mixture has reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Strain the mixture and return to the pot. With the heat on medium, add the goat cheese to the half and half mixture and cook, stirring, until all the cheese has melted and the mixture is creamy. Add the shrimp and drained pasta, cook for about 1 minute or until the shrimp just begins to turn pink. Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins.
Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the mac and cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Shrimp Mac and Cheese Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 392Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 10g50%
Cholesterol 190mg63%
Sodium 628mg26%
Potassium 150mg4%
Carbohydrates 34g11%
Protein 22g44%
Vitamin A 600IU12%
Vitamin C 3.9mg5%
Calcium 241mg24%
Iron 2.2mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.
Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Gluten Free & More are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.
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Gluten Free Cuisine
July 12, 2013
Reply
This looks delicious! I love the shrimp and goat cheese combination. Thanks for sharing. =)
Reply
Thank you! Enjoy.
July 12, 2013
Reply
everyone loves macaroni and cheese but you had me at shrimp! I hope you will share this at my hop ( you can still link up today) Hugs P.S. don;t forget to enter my giveaway too
Ben
July 16, 2013
Reply
Oh wow, that looks absolutely delicious! I think my wife would love this for lunch tomorrow.
CarolKicinski
July 16, 2013
Reply
Thanks Ben! Enjoy.
CarolKicinski
July 16, 2013
Reply
Than you I hope you emjoy this as much as we did!
exotic traves and vacations
July 21, 2013
Reply
I am a shrimp lover. Thanks for the recipe.
absolute health fitness
July 21, 2013
Reply
This is a fantastic recipe. I will try this.
July 23, 2013
Reply
just got back from vacation last week, and with the loss of google reader, learning how to navigate my way through feedly. in other words… it’s allowed me to get caught up on missed recipes/post, such as this one. mac & cheese is my all time favorite. on my way to research the flour options, as we discussed prior to the vacation!
CarolKicinski
July 24, 2013
Reply
I hope you had a great vaca!
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Joanne Obrien
April 20, 2020
Reply
Made this but with chicken instead of shrimp, used Daiya cheddar cheese and 1/4 buffalo sauce. Delish!! Will definitely make it again