Soul Food Lobster Mac And Cheese

Let’s take a moment to recall a favorite childhood meal. A bowl of soul food Southern mac and cheese. Chances are it was your mom’s cooking that made it so delicious. 

There’s just something about how moms make things that gives them the edge over anyone else.

But what if there was a way to make your favorite childhood meal a little more sophisticated? Without losing any of the flavors? 

What if you could transform that humble macaroni and cheese into a dish that’s a little bit more grown-up? 

Well, you’re in for a hearty helping of soul food-chic!

The creamy, cheesy goodness of this soul food lobster mac and cheese recipe is a great way to jazz up something you might typically see as a simple dish.

What is soul food lobster mac and cheese?

Even with the addition of decadent lobster meat, there’s no compromise to the Southern soul food flavors customary to this meal. In other words, this is still baked macaroni and cheese made the Black folks way!

Rich cheddar and Colby-Jack cheese sauce coat the macaroni, along with a heaping scoop of tender sweet lobster meat. It’s the perfect touch to make this dish truly special.

How do you make soul food lobster mac and cheese? 

The creamy, rich texture is formed by combining milk, heavy cream, and a variety of light to sharp cheeses. With a heavy-handed sprinkling of coarsely chopped lobster meat.

Should you bake or not?

Yaasss! The last step is for the cheesy cooked pasta to be tossed into a cast-iron skillet or baking pan, then topped with more cheese or bread crumbs and baked until it’s bubbling and has golden brown edges!

Although this lobster mac and cheese recipe is tasty comfort food, it’s also a relatively easy dish to prepare. 

The ingredients are pretty straightforward to make one of the most delicious combos of seafood and cheese that is sure to make your mouth water. Even when just thinking about it!

Kitchen equipment

• Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
• Instant Pot Omni Plus oven

Shop my kitchenware HERE!

Ingredients for soul food lobster mac and cheese

• 8 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni noodles
• 1 pound of lobster meat, cooked and coarsely chopped (tail or claw) Easy 1-minute instructions on how to steam lobster tails HERE!
• 4 ¼ cups of milk (divided – 1 ¼ cups & 3 cups)
• 3 cups of water
• 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter (divided – 1 tablespoon, 1 tablespoon, & 3 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• ¼ cup of heavy cream
• 1 cup of sharp cheddar shredded cheese
• 1 cup of Colby-Jack shredded cheese
• ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of dried mustard
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
•  ½ teaspoon of salt 
•  ½ teaspoon of black pepper

Instructions for soul food lobster mac and cheese

1. Toss the cooked lobster meat in a tablespoon of melted butter and set aside.
2. Turn the Instant Pot on the sauté setting for 25 minutes (although you may not need this entire amount of time).
3. Fill the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot with 3 cups of milk, 3 cups of water, and 1 tablespoon of butter. 
4. Pro tip- For baked mac and cheese the Black way, use milk to coat the macaroni and give it a smooth, silky texture. Perfect for layering on cheese!
5. Once the water simmer, add the macaroni and cook al dente according to the package directions. Occasionally stirring to make sure the macaroni doesn’t clump and stick. 
6. Drain the macaroni and set it aside.
7. Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to the empty inner pot and turn it back on the sauté setting.
8. When the butter is melted, add the flour, 1 ¼ cups of milk, seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard, and paprika), and whisk until smooth. 
9. Change the Instant Pot cook setting from sauté to slow cook for 1-hour (although you will not need this entire amount of time).
10. While the cook setting changes from sauté to slow cook, allow the ingredients to simmer for about 3 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly.
11. Stir in the cheeses (reserve some for topping when baking).
12. Close the Instant Pot with the lid and slow cook for 5-10 minutes until the cheese mixture is blended.
13. Open the lid to add the cooked pasta and the heavy cream to the inner pot, stirring the mixture to blend evenly.
14. Then stir in the cooked lobster meat.
15. Transfer the pasta mixture into an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or baking pan.
16. Top with the remaining cheese.
17. Bake in the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Or bake in the conventional oven for 15 minutes or until mac and cheese is golden and bubbly.
18. Serve Southern soul food lobster mac and cheese right away, and enjoy!

Check out my conversation about soul food mac and cheese in episode 9 of The Soul Food Pod!

What goes with lobster mac and cheese?

Lobster mac and cheese is a deliciously rich dish, perfect for serving at any family gathering or party. It’s best served hot, so it’s ideal for a buffet. And a delicious treat for soul food on Valentine’s Day!

The classic accompaniments for soul food mac and cheese are collard greens, cabbage, mashed potatoes, and homemade cornbread. 

After enjoying soul food macaroni and cheese, Black folks also like to enjoy Southern banana pudding or a Southern peach cobbler recipe for dessert.

Even though the lobster is in the dish, you can still serve lobster mac and cheese with main courses like Southern fried chicken or Southern-style chicken (made in the Instant Pot, of course). All great dishes for a buffet that will complement each other very nicely.

Soul food lobster mac and cheese FAQs

What is lobster macaroni and cheese?

Lobster macaroni and cheese is a decadent, luxurious delight that is simple to make at home. The bonus is this recipe’s an all-American soul food classic with Southern roots and an African-American macaroni and cheese history. 

It’s the soul food classic creamy concoction of milk, butter, and sharp cheeses sprinkled with an array of soul food seasonings. Then poured over hot pasta and infused with chunks of fresh lobster meat.

Soul food lobster mac and cheese is rich, filling, and effortless to prepare. It’ll quickly become a favorite way to elevate traditional macaroni and cheese.

What ingredients do you need to make lobster mac and cheese?

Soul food recipes aren’t known for skimping on flavor, so there should be plenty of lobster meat in a hearty bowl of lobster mac & cheese! 

A blend of different cheeses is best, including sharp and Colby-Jack. Colby-Jack cheese combines grated Monterey Jack cheese and cheddar, making the mac and cheese stand out in flavor.

I mean, the more cheese, the better, am I right?

Of course, you can also use other cheese, but cheddar and Colby-Jack are classic to this recipe. 

Adding in a bit of heavy cream makes it creamy. 

Some folks like to top with breadcrumbs and panko for a bit of a crunch upon bite.

What makes Black folks soul food lobster mac and cheese so different?

This Southern soul food recipe is made from scratch. Prepared with a combination of soul food seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic, onion, paprika, milk, and a mix of cheeses. 

With the addition of lobster, this recipe is the ultimate in Southern soul food delicacies!

What is Old Bay lobster mac n cheese?

Old Bay, the Southern seafood spice that sneaks up on ya, gives your mac and cheese a zesty kick! 

How do you make Old Bay lobster mac n cheese?

Old Bay spiced lobster mac and cheese is a very comforting dish. Similar to regular lobster mac and cheese. But the Old Bay version incorporates three kinds of cheese, old bay seasoning, and still lobster chunks!

Why is your lobster mac and cheese gritty?

This recipe is a seafood lover’s delight. But make sure you rinse the lobster meat to avoid having any sand or shell, sand, or grit entangled in your dish. 

Is elbow macaroni the only pasta you can use for lobster mac and cheese?

It’s nice to use traditional elbow macaroni pasta for this lobster mac and cheese recipe. But there’s no reason you can’t use a different pasta shape.

By following this recipe carefully, you can substitute it with any pasta shape you like!

What is the best way to cook the lobster for the lobster mac cheese?

What is the best way to cook lobster?

Lobster tail is best cooked by steaming. This is essentially the same as using the Instant Pot pressure cooker for steamed lobster tail.

Should you use lobster tails or claw meat?

You probably already know, but in case you don’t, it’s worth mentioning. Lobster tails are expensive.

But… it’s justified because lobster is a tasty, classy meal, especially when served with melted butter. Then you’ve got yourself a little piece of heaven by way of delicious and succulent meat! 

So for those looking to save money, picking the claws over the tails may be the wiser choice. 

Can you freeze or make soul food lobster mac and cheese ahead of time and reheat it?

Make-ahead – You can make this recipe ahead of time. Just skip the baking step and store it in the fridge or freezer. Then bake when you’re ready to eat.

Freeze – It’s best to freeze this pasta dish in an airtight container for 3 months max.

Reheat – To thaw, defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat by warming in the oven at a low temp. Alternatively, you can reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat. Or my favorite, in the Instant Pot on the ‘keep warm’ setting.

What do you think of this recipe?

When people ask me what I want to eat? My response is always lobster (even if I don’t say that out loud)!

So what could be better than my other favorite – soul food baked macaroni and cheese – WITH a heaping helping of lobster meat?

With a pressure cooker, lobster steams in an unbelievably short time (one minute!), and the meat is so tender, juicy, and sweet! Making it so easy to add to classic soul food mac and cheese.