Cajun-Style Mac and Cheese with Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cups pipe rigate pasta
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup whipping cream
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay®)
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• Crumb Topping:
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Step 1

Turn on your pressure cooker and setting it to sauté. Melt the butter, then toss in the shallot and garlic, cooking them just until they smell amazing—about a minute or so. Turn off the sauté and let the pot cool down a bit.

Step 2

Add the pasta right into the pot and give it a good stir so it’s coated with that buttery shallot goodness. Pour in the milk and whipping cream, then seal the lid and set your pressure cooker to high pressure for 10 minutes. It might take 10 to 15 minutes to build up pressure before the timer starts.

Step 3

Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes before finishing it off with a quick release. Carefully open the lid.

Step 4

While that’s happening, preheat your oven to 350°F and spray an 8x8-inch casserole dish with some cooking spray.

Step 5

Stir in the evaporated milk, cooked shrimp, cheeses, and both the seafood and Creole seasonings into your pasta mixture until everything’s well combined. Pour it all into the casserole dish.

Step 6

For the topping, mix together the panko, seafood seasoning, and Creole seasoning, then stir in the melted butter until it’s evenly coated. Sprinkle this crumbly topping over the casserole.

Step 7

Pop it in the oven and bake until it’s bubbling, about 5 minutes. Then switch on the broiler and watch carefully as the top turns a beautiful golden brown—this should take 2 to 4 minutes. Enjoy!