SEAFOOD MACARONI CASSEROLE

This is crazy good. It’s the perfect thing to serve for any hungry tummies.This recipe is a pretty basic version, but everyone who makes baked macaroni has their own unique tricks and twists to it. Some vary the cheeses, some the meat, some make meatless versions, and some people leave out the tomato sauce for a truly cheese-tastic casserole and I used bechmel sauce and seafood - awesome !!! You can make this ahead, and either refrigerate or freeze before you do the final baking.

Ingredients:

400 grams macaroni, cooked according to package instructions

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium bell pepper, minced

300 g shrimps

100 g crab meat

2 pcs. bay leaf

1/2 cup butter, melted

4 tbsp all purpose flour

1 can evaporated milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (if you don’t have one, boil 1 1/2 cups of water and drop in 1 piece of chicken cube/buillion)

quick-melt cheddar cheese, grated

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
Cook the macaroni as per package instructions.
In another pot, saute the onions, garlic, and bell pepper until tender.
Add the shrimps and crab meat. Mix them together until are cooked.
Add the bay leaf. Stir. If it’s too heavy/thick for you, you can add water. 
Bring the sauce into a boil, then simmer for a couple of minutes.
Add in the cooked macaroni. Mix well and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Transfer into the baking dish. Make sure it’s evenly spread out.
In another pot, mix the melted butter and flour together until there are no more lumps. Heat it up then add in the milk. Stir well.
Next add the chicken broth. Let it simmer. Add in the cream of mushroom. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Pour the bechamel sauce directly on top of the macaroni.
Scatter the grated cheese on top. Sprinkle with Italian herbs.
Bake for 20-30minutes depending on how brown you want the cheese and bechamel sauce to be.