Cajun Macaroni Cheese Food

CAJUN MACARONI & CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add sausage; cook 3 to 4 min. or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Use slotted spoon to transfer sausage to plate; set aside. Add flour to saucepan; whisk until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil, whisking constantly. Cook 1 to 2 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1-1/2 cups cheese and Cajun seasoning; stir until cheese is completely melted and sauce is well blended.
• Drain pasta. Add to cheese sauce along with the sausage; mix lightly.
• Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese and bread crumbs.
• Bake 20 min. or until macaroni and cheese is heated through and bread crumbs are golden brown.
• Sprinkle with onions before serving.

CAJUN MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter in medium sauce pan.
• Add shrimp, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning.
• Cook 3-4 minutes, remove.
• In same pan melt 2T butter, add onion and sauté 1 minute.
• Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute.
• Whisk in milk and heat approximately 4 minutes.
• Add Swiss, cheddar and 3/4 lb. pepper Jack cheese, stir until smooth.
• Add 1/2 teaspoons cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in cooked shrimp and pasta.
• Pour into buttered cassserole dish.
• Top with 1/4 lb. pepper Jack cheese, bread crumbs, 3 T. melted butter and parsley.
• Bake 45 minutes or until browned and bubbling.

CAJUN MACARONI

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomatoes and Cajun seasoning. Cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions, using 2 tablespoons milk and 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in beef mixture; cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

CAJUN MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to pkg directions w/ a capful of oil.
• Drain and rinse noodles.
• Season noodles with Zatarains and pepper to taste.
• In bowl, mix eggs, milk, soup, melted butter, Zatarians and pepper.
• Add cheeses to noodles.
• Add egg mixture to noodles.
• Bake in a 9x13 pan for 45-60 min, until top is browned.

CAJUN CHICKEN MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Season both sides of the chicken with Cajun seasoning.
• Heat oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, flip and repeat. Remove from heat.
• Slice chicken and cover to keep warm and set aside.
• In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.
• Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1-2 minute (or until the mixture turns light brown).
• Remove from heat and gradually pour in the warm milk, whisking constantly.
• Return the pan to the heat, whisk another 3-5 minutes or until thickened.
• Add the Cajun seasoning and stir to combine.
• Add the cheeses, stirring to melt.
• Pour the sauce over the top of the cooked elbow macaroni. Stir to combine.
• Add diced tomatoes and stir to combine.
• Top with the sliced chicken breast
• Season with salt and pepper, and top with chopped parsley.

NIF'S CAJUN MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Spray or butter a 9 x 13" baking dish.
• To make macaroni: Add bouillon to large pot of water and bring to boil. Once water is boiling, add macaroni and cook until al dente (not quite fully cooked), usually about 4-5 minutes. Drain macaroni in colander.
• To make sauce: While the water is heating and pasta is cooking, melt butter In a large saucepan, over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for about 1 minute, until the flour starts to brown a bit. While whisking constantly, add milk and then cream in a steady stream. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer but keep whisking so it doesn't burn!
• Once the sauce comes to a simmer, stir in the 2 cups Jack cheese and 2 cups cheddar (don't use the cheese for the topping!), adding about a cup at a time. Stir constantly making sure each addition of cheese is melted before adding the next. Add 2 tsps Cajun seasoning, dried parsley, salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
• Add the cooked, drained pasta to cheese sauce. Stir until macaroni is fully coated. Pour the cheesy mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
• Prepare the Topping: In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the Panko bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning and black pepper, mixing with a fork until bread crumbs are evenly coated.
• Sprinkle the macaroni and cheese with the remaining 2 cups shredded cheeses. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the cheese.
• Bake until browned and bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving. Hot stuff!

CAJUN CHICKEN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions.
• Marinate the chicken and pan sear them in an oven safe skillet until golden brown on the outside. The set aside. Wipe the skillet with paper towel to remove excess liquids.
• In the same skillet, melt 2 tbsps. of butter over medium heat then stir in the Panko crumbs and Cajun seasoning. Toss around until it's "lightly" golden and then remove from heat. Set aside.
• In the same skillet, melt 3 tbsps. of butter and add in the flour. Mix well together well to make a smooth paste texture.
• Add the milk, chicken broth, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Mix and simmer on medium heat until the sauce thickens up a little.
• Add the cream cheese and let the cheese melt up. Then add in the cheddar cheese and continue to stir until the cheddar cheese melts and the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.
• Stir in the cooked pasta and chicken and mix well to coat with the cheese sauce.
• Remove the skillet from heat. Top with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese and cover with the panko crumb mix.
• Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the crumbs become golden brown.
• Remove and serve immediately. Garnish with some fresh pepper flakes and chopped parsley.

SARASOTA'S CAJUN SHRIMP MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Sauce -- In a medium pot on medium heat, add the butter and melt, then add the flour and mix well to make a roux. Slowly add in the milk and bring to a low boil to let the sauce thicken. Then add in the cheeses, salt, pepper and cajun seasoning to taste. Cook just until melted.
• Pancetta -- In a medium size saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and saute the pancetta. NOTE: If using bacon, skip the butter, the bacon has enough fat. Saute until golden brown.
• If you are using the bacon, reserve 1 teaspoon of the bacon drippings and omit the butter when sauteing the shrimp and vegetables.
• Vegetables and Shrimp -- Now, to that same pan add the vegetables and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Then add the shrimp and stir just to mix everything together. Remove immediately, the shrimp will continue cooking in the oven.
• Pasta -- Cook the pasta according to directions - al dente, drain well, return to the pot.
• Combine -- In the pot with the pasta, add the shrimp and vegetable mixture, the cheese sauce, bacon and mix well. Pour into a 13x9 casserole dish lightly sprayed with pam or a non-stick spray.
• Topping -- Melt the butter in a measuring cup in the microwave and add the cracker crumbs and parsley and mix well. Top over the casserole dish.
• Bake -- In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake the dish covered for 20 minutes, uncover and cook another 10-15 until golden brown and bubbly. Remember everything is already cooked, it doesn't take too long. Enjoy!

CAJUN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the label directs. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and sausage in a large skillet over high heat and cook, stirring, until the sausage starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the scallions and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are slightly soft, about 3 more minutes. Add the Cajun spice and flour and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and continue whisking until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 5 more minutes. Add the pasta, cheese and reserved cooking water to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, tossing to coat the pasta in the sauce and melt the cheese, about 1 minute.