Indulge in the luxurious Lobster Mac & Cheese! Made with cavatappi pasta and a decadent blend of three different cheeses, this is a recipe you won't forget! Enjoy creamy cheddar, blue cheese, and American cheese with every delicious bite.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Adjusting the side burner grate to three different heights over the course of the recipe uses one burner for boiling pasta, grilling lobster, and building the sauce, rather than needing three separate stations
- Splitting the lobster tail down the center and working the meat free by hand removes it cleanly from the shell before it ever touches the grill
- Adding the cheeses to the simmering cream one handful at a time, waiting for each to melt before the next, keeps the sauce smooth rather than risking it breaking or turning grainy
- Setting up two heat zones in the main grill chamber, low on one side and high on the other, lets the skillet finish gently without needing to watch it as closely as direct high heat would require
Lobster Mac & Cheese
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.0 stars by 3 users
Category
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Servings
10
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Calories
374
Chef Tom fires up the Napoleon Prestige gas grill for a creamy, cheesy, decadent Lobster Mac & Cheese!
Ingredients
- 2 lobster tails
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
- 12 oz cavatappi pasta
-
1 tbsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
-
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp garlic, grated on the microplane
-
1 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 4 oz American cheese, grated
- 4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup panko
- 1/4 cup parmesan
-
2 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
For the lobster:
For the pasta:
For the sauce:
For the topping:
Directions
- Preheat your Napoleon Grills Prestige 500 infrared side burner over high heat. Place the grate at the lower of the two levels.
- Fill a pot 1/2 full of water and bring to a boil on the side burner. Add a teaspoon of salt and the Cavatappi pasta. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Strain the pasta. Discard the water. Return the pasta to the pot. Toss with a small amount of oil to prevent sticking.
- Adjust the grate over the side burner to sit at the higher position, further away from the heat source.
- Using a sharp chef’s knife, slice down through the lobster tail, splitting it right down the center. Using your fingers, work the flesh free from the shell and remove the tail meat completely from the shell.
- Season the lobster tail meat with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning.
- Grill the lobster tails, turning to brown evenly on the surface. Cook to 135ºF internal temperature. Remove from the grill and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl and set aside.
- Adjust the grate on the infrared side burner, to move it down and closer to the heat source. Place a Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillet on the grate, over the burner. Pour the heavy cream into the skillet. Add the garlic and Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning. Bring to a simmer.
- Immediately reduce heat and begin to add your cheeses, a handful at a time. Whisk until one handful of cheese is melted into the sauce before adding the next, maintaining a low simmer and whisking constantly. When all the cheese is incorporated, remove the sauce from the heat.
Turn off heat to the side burner. In the main cooking chamber, light all four of the burners. Turn the two on the left to low heat and the two on the right to high heat.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the Cavatappi pasta. Dice the lobster meat into bite sized pieces, then add that to the pasta as well. Mix well. Transfer the Lobster Mac & Cheese back to the Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillet.
- Combine the panko, parmesan and Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning in a small container. Mix well. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the Lobster Mac & Cheese.
- Place the skillet inside the grill, over the low heat. Close the lid. Cook until the topping begins to brown and the cheese sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the Lobster Mac & Cheese from the grill and serve warm.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why adjust the side burner's grate height three separate times during this recipe?
Moving the grate up for boiling pasta, then down for searing the lobster, then back down further for the cream sauce lets one burner handle three different cooking stages, rather than needing separate equipment for each.
Why split the lobster tail down the center and remove the meat by hand instead of grilling it in the shell?
Working the flesh free first means the meat seasons and sears directly, rather than the shell blocking direct contact with the grill and seasoning.
Why add the cheeses to the cream sauce one handful at a time instead of all at once?
Waiting for each addition to fully melt before adding more keeps the sauce smooth throughout. Dumping all three cheeses in at once risks the sauce breaking or turning grainy.
Why set up two heat zones in the main grill chamber for the final bake?
Placing the skillet over the low-heat side while the high-heat side stays available lets the mac and cheese finish gently and evenly, without needing to watch it as closely as direct high heat would demand.
Does grilling the lobster to 135°F mean it's fully cooked?
Not quite — this recipe's own directions pull it at 135°F, but USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for shellfish is 145°F. The lobster does bake again for 30 minutes once mixed into the dish, but that's at low heat with the lid closed — confirm the lobster reaches 145°F rather than assuming the second bake automatically gets there.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — a stovetop and a regular oven can handle every stage of this recipe exactly the way the side burner and grill do here.
Recipe Highlights
Three-height grate adjustment: Uses one burner for pasta, lobster, and sauce.
Hand-freed lobster meat: Removes the shell before grilling for direct seasoning contact.
Staged cheese melting: Keeps the sauce smooth instead of grainy.
Two-zone grill finish: Bakes the dish gently without close monitoring.
Recommended Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8.88 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 374
- Carbs
- 19 grams
- Protein
- 19 grams
- Fat
- 25 grams
- Sodium
- 743 milligrams
