Baked brie, shrimp, and cauliflower mac & cheese

Next level mac & cheese

We occasionally make baked “mac & cheese” with whatever cheese we need to use up and this time it was a portion of brie that was opened a while ago, and my husband was like “we’ve got to use up that brie!”

I am incapable of making a plain mac & cheese, even though I know it will be delicious as is, and always have to add some vegetables – cruciferous like cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts go remarkably well. This time I only had cauliflower at hand, so decided to throw in frozen green peas as well.

I also am unable to pass up an opportunity to add in mushrooms, so a few cremini’s were sliced and sautéed with sliced garlics and a bit of olive oil along with left-over while wine.

Experiment with your favorite pastas

As for “mac”, any type of pasta that hugs the cheesy cream sauce will work. I used casarecce simply because I had them in my pantry, and campanelle, traditional elbow macaroni, or small shell pasta are great for this dish. You can even mix different bits of left-over pastas.

Meatless options

You can definitely go meatless. For added flavor and texture, I usually mix in sautéed seafood at hand, like shrimp, scallop, or white fish. Shrimps, this time, blended in really well. Or, if you don’t care for seafoods, you can add chopped nuts, particularly walnuts, which will add satisfying crunchiness to the dish.

Lazy Bechamel option

I could have made a bit more effort for a Béchamel to create a smoother sauce, but just didn’t feel like using flour this time, so instead, crushed several whole grain crackers and mixed in with warm milk for thickness and texture. Baked with all the other ingredients, this method seem to work great. You can cook also cook pasta in a chicken stock, like in this one-pot pasta recipe, which will amp up the creaminess.

The result is a bit soupy yet creamy, earthy/grassy, and hearty bowl of comfort that will get you through a suddenly chilly late fall.

Baked brie mac & cheese with shrimp and cauliflower

Creamy, baked mac & cheese with brie, cauliflower, mushroom, and shrimp

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 2

Calories 802 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 oz casarecce pasta any pasta that hugs the sauce will work well.
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 oz brie
• 5 pieces whole grain crackers
• 2 oz Swiss cheese
• 2 cups cauliflower
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 5 pieces cremini mushrooms about 1/2 package
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 piece fresno pepper 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes can work as well.
• 1 oz white wine optional
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest optional
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons oregano fresh or dried
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

 

• Cook pasta per instruction.
• Prepare vegetables: wash and break cauliflower in small pieces; thaw green peas; slice mushrooms.
• Prepare aromatics: slice garlics, finely chop Fresno pepper, zest about 1/2 of lemon.
• Sauté shrimps: pat dry shrimps with paper towel and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt. When the pan is warm, swirl in half of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add garlic and peppers , and cook in medium heat for about 2 minute. When garlics turn golden brown, transfer to a warm plate. Increase the heat to medium high and add shrimps to the pan, and cook both sides, about 2 min. each. Set them aside in the same, warm plate.
• Sautee mushrooms: In the same pan, swirl in the rest of olive oil and add mushrooms. When the mushrooms are lightly coated with oil, add white wine, and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Make cheesy sauce mix: warm milk to a little higher than lukewarm temperature – in a regular microwave, for 1-1/2 cup of milk, it will take about 2 minutes. Cube brie in small pieces (I use every pat of it, but you can remove rind if you prefer a softer texture) and add to a medium sized bowl, along with the warm milk. Crush crackers in small pieces and add to the sauce.
• Put them all together: Set the oven temperature to 400. In a bowl with the sauce, add in pasta, 1/4-teaspoon of salt, and sautéed aromatics, shrimp, and mushrooms. Also add in green peas and cauliflower. If you like a softer texture for the cauliflower, you can blanche for 30 seconds. Mix them well so that all the ingredients are coated well with the sauce.
• Ready to bake: In a lightly greased baking dish (this time I used a 11″ Nambe bowl and any small to medium baking dish – 9×12 or smaller – will work just fine), lay the pasta mix evenly. Sprinkle oregano. Grate the swiss cheese over the surface, and bake for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.
  

Nutrition

Calories: 802kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 39gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 1136mgPotassium: 1041mgFiber: 9gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 1533IUVitamin C: 90mgCalcium: 634mgIron: 4mg

Keyword brie, cauliflower, creamy, milk, mushrooms, shrimp, swiss cheese

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!