Cajun Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese
This Cajun shrimp macaroni and cheese takes my favorite baked macaroni and cheese recipe and spices it up with shrimp, Cajun seasoning, and pepper jack cheese. This is sure to be a big hit with anyone who loves loads of flavor and that all-important bread crumb topping!
A number of years ago, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board would host a massive macaroni and cheese festival on their blog, where they asked bloggers to share unique macaroni and cheese recipes. I happily participated every year (hello, mac and cheese!) and in 2013, the theme was taking classic dishes and turning them into macaroni and cheese. The possibilities were obviously endless and I had a heck of a time narrowing down my ideas.
In the end, I settled on a rendition of Cajun shrimp, which is a popular dish in the south. Spicy shrimp is cooked up and served alongside either rice, grits or a loaf of bread for sopping up the spicy sauce (yum). I thought that spicy shrimp would be the perfect pairing for a creamy mac and cheese dish; turns out, I was right! This Cajun shrimp macaroni and cheese has been a huge favorite of my husband’s ever since, and was even our New Year’s Eve meal one year!
I loaded up my favorite basic baked macaroni and cheese recipe (seen previously here and here, and an ultimate version here) with spicy shrimp, pepper jack cheese for an extra kick, and topped it with light-as-air Panko bread crumbs.
The dish isn’t too spicy (my mom is really sensitive to spicy dishes, and she thought the mac and cheese was fabulous, the spice not too overpowering), so if you like your Cajun shrimp to be fiery hot, I’d add a little cayenne pepper to the blend of seasonings. The creamy, cheesy pasta is the perfect partner for the spicy shrimp. A match made in heaven, for sure.
I haven’t done much playing around with my macaroni and cheese lately, but I feel like I need to come up with some more crazy and unique versions. Two summers ago, I did a Hatch chile mac and cheese, and it was absolutely phenomenal. Throw some inspiration at me – what would you like to see?
In the meantime, whip up this Cajun shrimp macaroni and cheese for a special occasion, for dinner on Tuesday, or for a binge marathon of your favorite show!
More Macaroni and Cheese Recipes:
Cajun Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound (453.59 g) shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped into ½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Cajun seasoning
For the Marconi and Cheese
- 1 pound (453.59 g) cavatappi pasta, or shaped pasta of your choice
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (732 ml) whole milk
- 9 ounces (255.15 g) Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (about 2¼ cups)
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1½ cups)
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Cajun seasoning, divided
- Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
For the Topping
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (60 g) Panko bread crumbs
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (about ¾ cup)
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Heat a large pot of water over high heat for the pasta; cover.
- Prepare the Shrimp: In a 10-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shrimp and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is all pink and cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- Prepare the Macaroni and Cheese: Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook the pasta according to the box directions for al dente pasta (if your box doesn’t specify al dente, cook it for 1 to 2 minutes shorter than the time called for – it shouldn’t be cooked the whole way through). When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, until the flour starts to brown a bit and smells nutty, whisking constantly. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the milk. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer.
- Once the sauce comes to a simmer, stir in the Pepper Jack and cheddar cheeses, adding a handful at a time and stirring with a wooden spoon until completely melted before adding the next handful. Season with the Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper, and turn off the heat.
- Add the cooked, drained pasta and shrimp to the sauce. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is completely combined and evenly distributed. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Prepare the Topping: In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the Panko bread crumbs, tossing with a fork until the entire mixture is evenly moistened.
- Sprinkle the macaroni and cheese with the shredded cheeses. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the cheese.
- Bake until browned and bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- At times I have purchased the super small shrimp when it’s on sale, and in that case, you don’t need to chop it at all.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on February 5, 2013.
This came out so good! Comes together surprisingly fast, too. All the flavors were nicely balanced. You can definitely up the spiciness with some red pepper flakes if you’re into that. They didn’t have Cajun seasoning at trader joes so I used their salmon rub seasoning, still came out great.
This is a restaurant quality dish! Will be making it often. Thank you!
We love this and it’s the most requested meal from my daughter. Any time ever I ask for input on the menu, I have to preempt her and say NOT cajunshrimpmacncheese. Thank you for such a hearty and delicious version of such a classic!
Been making it for years.
What’s not to love about this??? If your local market has Aleppo pepper, give that a try in place of the pepper jack cheese (iuse plain jack). It’s a flaked red pepper that has a sweet warmth to it, rather than the bite of a jalapeno or habanero.
Too bad to link to print this recipe doesn’t work!
I do not see oven temp,listed here..pls add. Â Should be in beginning of recipe
Hi Laura, Yes, it is in step #1 – 400 degrees.
Although I incorporate cayenne pepper in with my own seasoned salt. . .I will add smoked paprika for the kick it up a notch spice. Thanks for the idea!
Except for the shrimp, can I make the cajun mac and cheese ahead of time (1 day) and them add the shrimp before it all goes into the oven?
Virtual regards, Gary
Hi Gary, Yes I think that would work! Enjoy!
I don’t like pepper jack so in lieu I used a smoked white cheddar. Added a dash of jerk seasoning to the shrimp and a little paprika in the sauce as well. Phenomenal.
I made this for co-workers for a pot luck and there was none left! They LOVED it!
This was THEE best mac n cheese recipe EVER! My son MURDERED the entire pan…okay I lie, I helped :) . This will definitely make it into my archive of Fav recipes. I thank the food gods for you sharing this magic!
Just made this for dinner and it was amazing!!Â
OK…this sounds FANTASTIC but I just harvested a bunch of hatch chilies from the garden so I just may have to start with that version…and possibly include the bacon – Ritz Cracker topping????
This is totally my kind of mac n cheese!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Oh. My. Wow. Totally pinning this. I love the idea of these flavors together!
I’d like to bring this to a potluck… but, how would I warm it up the next day?
Hi Yacoub, I would cover it with foil and cook at 350 degrees until warmed through.
my second batch of this is cooking in the oven as I type. first time I made it it was awesome.. I also added chicken along with the shrimp and cooked it the same way as the shrimp….love this recipe
Love cajun and your recipe. Featured it on my Friday Five – Cajun addition over @ Feed Your Soul Too – http://www.feedyoursoul2.com/friday-five-cajun-addition/
What size shrimp did you use?
Hi Liz, I believe I used medium-size shrimp, but it truly doesn’t matter since you’re chopping it up.
Making this one on Wednesday… the start of lent and lots of fish :)
Um that mug-ish thing is ADORABLE! Where could I get me hands on one?
Hi Molly, I got it at either Marshalls or TJMaxx (can’t remember which one). It was one of those one-off things in their kitchen section that was too cute not to snatch up!
this sounds delicious, do you use uncooked shrimp?
Hi Gail, Yes you start with uncooked shrimp; it gets cooked in step #2.
Perfect meal for lent!
Oh. My. Wow. Totally pinning this. I love the idea of these flavors together! :D
This could very easily become my new favorite mac and cheese recipe! Looks fantastic!!
Oooo, I think I’m in love with you now. Shrimp is a definite favorite of mine so to incorporate it and spiciness into mac and cheese makes me very very happy…and hungry
This sounds so good- I love spicy! There seriously are so many different variations to choose from for mac & cheese, but I’ve never thought of adding shrimp!
This is definitely getting made for Fat Tuesday along with the Buckeye brownies from yesterday….if I can wait that long! :) I may have to have a “practice run night”!
Ohhhh holy geez!! I have been loving Mac n cheese month – and this one totally just took the whole thing. I did spinach artichoke mac for the mac month- but I’ve been having unrelenting cravings for shrmp and cajun things lately, this totally pushed me over the EDGE!!
Mac and cheese is so good and comforting, love your twist!
I just made some macaroni and cheese and threw some green chili into it. I am from PA originally and never really ate green chili, but I moved to AZ 10 years ago and it’s everywhere here. Anyway, it was FANTASTIC. So maybe you can come up with a new recipe for green chili mac & cheese with chicken or something. YUM!
This sounds amazing, and I love that it isn’t too spicy. I’m a big heat wimp :) And how cute is your little bowl, just perfect for the dish!
Definitely not a problem – the more mac n cheese creations, the better! Nothing beats homemade mac n cheese!
What a great change up!
OK, I have already seen this all over pinterest and I LOVE it! Such an amazing idea. Going to for sure make this for my husband, who loves mac and cheese AND all things Cajun! YUM!
Homemade mac and cheese is the best! Love the addition of shrimp!
I bet this is super good! Awhile ago I made this: http://www.sugardishme.com/2012/02/21/firecracker-shrimp-macaroni-cheese/
after reading the phrase “Firecracker Shrimp Mac ‘n’ Cheese” on a restaurant menu. It’s still one of my favorites!!
This would make my husband so happy. He loves mac and cheese and seafood.
We have an awesome little restaurant here in Central Ohio. It is at the Unusual Junction and called The Lava Rock Grill. They make mac and cheese and you can order your own add ins. It is awesome! I get broccoli, ham, tomatoes and mushrooms. They mix it all up.top.with buttered bread crumbs and broil them toasty. Heaven! You can like The Lava Rock Grill on facebook. I hit Pittsburgh often. My daughter and her family live in Edgewood. Love your blog!
Such a great idea for mac & cheese!
Your macaroni looks amazing!! I love the idea of shrimp in it!! Awesome recipe!!
Delicious!
Yum, this sounds incredible! You really can’t go wrong with mac and cheese :)
Yummy! Shrimp makes anything better!
30 days of mac and cheese = bliss! I love this twist on it!