Week 41: Shrimp, Feta, and Herb Macaroni and Cheese

Stephanie is the only person at her house that eats shrimp. Brad has a crazy exercise-induced shrimp allergy. Stephanie and I are shrimp friends.

So, of course I made this for a girls' night dinner.

Taken from: Annie's Eats

1 lb pasta shapes
1 lb raw shrimp (31-40 ct.), peeled and deveined, cut in half (if desired)
10 oz feta cheese, crumbled and divided
Zest of 1 lemon, divided
½ C Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, divided
5 Tbsp butter, divided
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 C milk
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
8 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions.  Drain well; set aside.  Add the raw shrimp to the warm pasta and toss together.  The heat from the pasta will partially cook the shrimp.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  In a small bowl, combine a handful of the feta, a pinch of the lemon zest, the panko, 2 teaspoons of the parsley and 1 tablespoon of the butter, melted.  Toss with a fork to combine; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.  Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour  to form a paste.  Cook 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly, until light golden brown.  Whisk in the milk.  Continue to heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes.  As soon as the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining feta, Gruyere, remaining parsley, remaining lemon zest, dill, salt and pepper.  Pour the mixture over the pasta and shrimp; toss well to coat.

Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 2½ or 3-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle the breadcrumb-feta mixture evenly over the top.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbling.  Remove from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

My Notes:
This was okay. It didn't taste nearly as feta-licious as I wanted it to. I'm not sure I like the texture of shrimp in mac and cheese, either. It was too similar in texture to the noodles. The crispy topping was nice, though.