This Cheesy Crab Alfredo Pasta is super creamy and easy to make. Ready and on the table in less than 30 minutes!
Fresh crab meat tossed in a creamy parmesan Alfredo sauce with old bay seasoning, pasta shells, and peppers.
Everybody knows that nothing beats a bowl of creamy cheesy pasta with a side of salad and some cheesy garlic bread. This is a perfect weeknight meal because it requires minimal ingredients, cooks quickly, and is very filling.
You will never buy store-bought Alfredo sauce ever again. Making alfredo sauce is incredibly easy. All you need is heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and salt. That’s it.
Ingredient’s You’ll Need
- Crab Meat – You may use imitation crab beat but I highly recommend using good quality fresh crab meat if your budget allows it.
- Pasta – Dry pasta shells
- Heavy Cream
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese – Definitely use fresh parmesan cheese for this recipe, it makes a world of a difference.
- Lemon Zest – This ingredient makes the dish. It brings out the freshness in the crab.
How to Make Crab Alfredo Pasta
To make sure you get great results, be careful not to overcook the pasta or crab. The crab I used was completely cooked through, so all I had to do was warm it up with the sauce.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and salt it generously. Cook the pasta according to packaging instructions.
- Add some olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and red bell peppers, cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the fresh garlic and old bay seasoning and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and lemon zest. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fold in the crab meat and mozzarella cheese.
- Stir in the cooked pasta shells and check for seasoning. Garnish with fresh parsley and extra crab meat, if desired.
Top Tips:
- Salt the pasta cooking water with a generous amount of kosher salt, that will help season the pasta.
- Do not add lemon juice to the sauce, only a pinch of lemon zest is all that’s needed.
- If you want to add white wine, add some after cooking the shallots and garlic. Let it reduce by half and then pour in the heavy cream.
- Gently fold in the lump crab meat, do not break it up.
What Kind of Wine Should I Add to Alfredo Sauce?
I didn’t add any wine to this dish but feel free to use Chardonnay or Riesling.
What to Serve With This…
A simple Tomato Avocado Salad and some Roasted Parmesan Brussel Sprouts would go great with this crab Alfredo pasta. Also, feel free to add some spinach, peas, mushrooms, or asparagus to the cream sauce.
More Seafood Recipes
You can find more delicious recipes and cooking tutorial videos on Youtube and Facebook.
Cheesy Crab Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb pasta shells
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/4 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1/8 tsp lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 lb fresh crab meat
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and salt it generously. Cook the pasta according to packaging instructions.
- Add some olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and red bell peppers, cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the fresh garlic and old bay seasoning and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and lemon zest. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fold in the lump crab meat and mozzarella cheese.
- Stir in the cooked pasta shells and check for seasoning. Garnish with fresh parsley and extra crab meat, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Salt the pasta cooking water with a generous amount of kosher salt, that will help season the pasta.
- Do not add lemon juice to the sauce, only a pinch of lemon zest is all that's needed.
- If you want to add white wine, add some after cooking the shallots and garlic. Let it reduce by half and then pour in the heavy cream.
- Gently fold in the crab meat, do not break it up.
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