Item Number two for Filled Pasta / Dumpling Week in this week’s Ingredient of the Week. I made something pretty over-the-top decadent yet comfort food at the same time. This riff on Lobster Mac & Cheese uses tortellini, a creamy cheese sauce and a healthy portion of Maine Lobster — you can swap out your favorite crustacean for crab meat or even shrimp/prawns of you don’t have lobster handy. Very rich, but also very yummy. Maybe the perfect thing for the seafood lover in your life for Valentine’s Day.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
8-10 ounces cooked lobster meat, cut to bit sized pieces
1 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed
1 pound fresh Tortellini pasta (I used the multicolored kind)
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
3/4 cup mild white cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
sea salt and ground black pepper
Directions
In a large non-stick pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Once it is lightly browned and bubbly, add the panko and toast for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Wipe out the pan, put it back on the heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the lobster and sauté for 6-8 minutes until soft and golden brown. Remove to a bowl to keep warm.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to packet instructions. Under-cook it by 30 seconds or so as it will soak up some of the cheese sauce. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a casserole dish with baking spray.
Make the bechamel sauce. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, add flour and whisk it constantly over medium heat until it forms a paste. Gradually add milk and turn up the heat. Whisk constantly. When mixture boils, turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, cheddar and parmesan. Mix pasta and lobster with cheese mixture. Season and scoop pasta and cheese mixture into a baking dish or ramekins. Top with browned breadcrumbs.
Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and breadcrumbs remain crispy.
