Healthy Crab Cake Mac & Cheese

I've given the 21 Day Fix treatment to the beloved Crab Cake Mac & Cheese. No mayo, no frying. Just good, old-fashioned crabby goodness that the whole family will enjoy. 

So we've recently been trying a new tactic with our four-year-old to get her to try new foods (something that she's often vehemently against) and I just had to share because to my utter amazement, it's working and maybe it can help one of you!

After a particularly trying dinner session, I asked her to tell me what foods she does like. Btw, off the top of her head, her answer was pancakes, bananas, tomatoes and rice. Hey, at least there was a veg in there! I asked her if she would like to make a list of all of the foods that she likes and then every time she eats something new and likes it, Daddy or I can add it to her list. She was surprisingly really excited about making her list. We sat down right then and started writing it up. I basically named a bunch of things that I knew she would eat without giving me too much grief (focusing on real foods and not bothering with things like cupcakes. I think we all know the girl likes cupcakes.) and "The List" was born.

Fast forward a few weeks and we've added an additional 26 items to The List. She just LOVES to say that her list is getting "bidder and bidder!" Like most kids, veggies aren't exactly her fav, but we did manage to add carrots, rainbow salad, broccoli and zoodles to the aforementioned tomatoes. In case you want to try them on your picky kiddos, recipes that made it onto her list from the blog were:

• Slow-Cooker Maple Mustard Chicken & Potatoes
• 21 Day Fix Cornbread
• Chipotle Pumpkin Turkey Chili (though there wasn't any chipotle in hers)
• Banana Split "Pudding"
• Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
• {Flourless} Pumpkin Custard Bars
• Cocoa-Banana Oat Bars
• This Healthy Crab Cake Mac & Cheese

There are definitely some other recipes that she likes, but these were just the ones that I had made since we started The List.

Ya know, I've never made or had crab cake mac & cheese before, but I love crab cakes, mac and cheese and mash-ups so I was pretty excited about trying this one out 🙂   I started with my 21 Day Fix Broccoli Mac & Cheese and my favorite crab cake recipe and went to town. Ya know, figuratively. I switched out the broccoli for cauliflower because I thought it would be less noticeable flavor-wise with the crab mixture and a girl's got to get her veggies in, am I right?! Then I made a freaking ridiculous crab mixture to add to it, topped it all of with some crispy whole wheat panko and voila! Dinner is served. Boom.

By the way, you can use any kind of refrigerated crab that you like. I used claw meat here because it was way less expensive than the lump crab that I usually buy and it was just as delicious!

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📖 Recipe

Healthy Crab Cake Mac & Cheese

Yield: 4 large servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients

Cauliflower Puree:

• 2 cups roughly chopped cauliflower (I used fresh for this, but frozen would work here, too)
• 6 Tbs low-sodium chicken broth

Crab Mixture:

• ½ Tbs grass-fed butter
• ⅓ cup celery, chopped
• ⅓ cup onion, chopped
• ⅓ cup red bell pepper, chopped
• salt & pepper, for seasoning
• 1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 oz refrigerated crabmeat (I used claw meat because it was the least expensive), drained and picked through for shells
• 2 Tbs parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium Old Bay seasoning
• zest of 1 lemon

Mac & Cheese:

• 3 ½ cups cooked whole wheat macaroni or medium shells (about 2 cups dry)
• 2 cups cooked cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used a frozen bag that I popped into the microwave)
• 1 ⅓ cups shredded cheese (I used a combo of monterey jack and colby
• salt & pepper, to season
• 1 cup cauliflower puree
• a couple of Tbs low-sodium chicken broth, if needed
• ⅓ cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8X8 baking dish with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray, set aside.

Cauliflower Puree:

1. Steam your cauliflower until VERY soft. Like if you think it's steamed long enough, steam it a little longer. Put the cooked cauliflower and the broth into a blender and blend away until it's velvety-smooth. Remember, this may make more than 1 cup, but you only need 1 cup for this recipe! Measure out 1 cup and set aside. If you have extra, you can always add some more broth and some seasonings and have some cauliflower soup! That's what I do anyway.

Crab Mixture:

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium heat and melt your butter into it. Add the celery, onion and bell pepper, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Cook veggies until softened. Add the garlic and let cook for another minute or two. Gently stir in your crab meat, parsley, Old Bay and lemon zest. Set aside.
3. After you drain your pasta, return it to the pot that it just boiled in. Stir in the cauliflower puree, the chopped cauliflower, cheese and a pinch of salt. Stir until the cheese is melted (you may need to put your burner on low, it just depends on if your pasta is still hot or not).
4. Gently stir in your crab mixture. If your mac is a little too thick, you can add in a couple of Tbs of low-sodium chicken broth. Check seasoning, if you'd like a little more Old Bay or pepper, add it now.
5. Pour mixture into your prepared baking dish.
6. Sprinkle your whole wheat panko all over the top. Spray the top lightly with cooking spray.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and everything is hot. Divide the dish into four servings and serve!

Notes

21 Day Fix Container Equivalents: ½ RED, 2 YELLOW, 1 GREEN, 1 BLUE

Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 12

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: ¼ of the pan
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 464Total Fat: 15g