My Seafood Gratin Pasta Bake is made with mixed seafood and macaroni, baked with a silky creamy sauce (made WITHOUT cream!) with a crunchy golden breadcrumb and parmesan cheese topping. Very easy, very French, very comforting. 🙂
I make this using a store bought seafood marinara mix – prawns/shrimp, mussels, fish and calamari. But you can use any seafood you want!
Creamy with no cream.
The editor of Super Food Ideas magazine calls it a Nagi Special. 🙂 Because I do so many creamy-no-cream recipes!
I make most of my creamy dishes and sauces without cream using a béchamel sauce using melted butter with flour (a roux) to thicken milk to create a creamy white sauce. Béchamel sauce is the mother of all French sauces and it’s the base for many creamy sauces that are made without (or with just a bit) of cream – such as Mornay, Cheese Sauce and Mustard Sauce.
While it might sound fancy, it’s so easy to make. And if you’ve ever made any of my recipes that start with melted butter + flour + milk (and there are many) then you can smugly sit knowing that you’ve made something using this classic French technique.
I don’t deliberately make recipes healthier using a béchamel sauce instead of cream. It is just that I don’t actually know that many recipes that are made with loads of cream because I was brought up on Japanese food, and cream is very rarely used in Japanese savoury cooking. But I know loads and loads of recipes made using béchamel sauce!
When you see those pictures of the silky creamy white sauce, it would be so easy to assume this Seafood Gratin is made with buckets of cream. But I swear, there is not a single drop of cream in it!
You will find hardcore seafood gratin recipes “out there” made with a homemade seafood broth. Actually, my brother made one for a family dinner the other week. Went and got seafood off cuts and simmered it for hours to make an incredible seafood broth which he used as the base for the béchamel sauce.
Mine is a midweek version. Easy enough to make tonight after work and in my personal humble opinion, it is still lovely enough for company. But just in case you want to go seriously all out, I’ve also added a note in the recipe for how to step this up to serious-restaurant-quality by making it with a homemade seafood broth. 🙂
PS I also make this using a store-bought seafood marinara mix. Because my local seafood shop does a great quality marinara mix. But you could easily put together your own mix using whatever seafood you want.
Gratins. Ultimate winter comfort food. Don’t you think? Well, along with creamy soups (try my No Chop Roasted Pumpkin Soup!) and hearty stews (Irish Beef and Guinness Stew!). 🙂
It makes me almost glad that it’s pouring with rain with blustering winds and dark dreary clouds outside today.
Almost. Not quite. I probably wouldn’t complain if I woke up tomorrow and it was summer! – Nagi x
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Creamy Seafood Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 7 oz / 200 g macaroni or other pasta of choice
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil , separated
- 1 lb / 500 g mixed raw seafood (Marinara seafood mix) (Note 1)
- 2 leeks , white and pale green part only finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
White Sauce
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (or 1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder) OR 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Topping
- 3/4 cup panko
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (high recommended)
- Finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Cook pasta according to packet directions. Drain and pour into baking dish.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over very high heat. Add seafood and sear for 30 seconds, turn then sear the other side for 30 seconds (should still be raw inside). Remove into baking dish.
- Return pan to stove, add remaining 1/2 tbsp oil and turn down to medium. Cook leeks and garlic for 3 minutes or until soft. Add to baking dish.
- Mix pasta, seafood and leeks together in the baking dish.
- Melt butter in the skillet. Add flour and mix into the butter. Cook for 1 minute,
- Add 1 cup of milk and use a whisk to combine - it will thicken quickly. Add remaining milk and bouillon cube (crumbled) and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking occasionally at first then constantly as it thickens, for around 5 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (see photo in post). Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour into the baking dish. Top with panko and parmesan.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the top is golden.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
- I served this with garlic spinach (Note 2).
Recipe Notes:
* Seafood broth - Place in large pot: 1.5kg/3lb fish heads & bones (no gills, not oily fish like salmon) + 1.5L/1.5qt water + 1/2 brown onion + 1 each chopped celery & carrot + 1 tsp black peppercorns + 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until reduced by about 2/3. Strain (squish out juice from fish and veggies) and use per above instructions (should end up with about 2 1/2 cups). 4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.
Nutrition Information:
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Life of Dozer – We BOTH hate laundry. 😉
Fantastic meal. Added the chopped spinach with the leeks etc. My hubby favourite so far. Definitely a keeper.
Oops it helps to read directions right?
Do you use cooked or raw pasta?
I am a big fan and love all your recipes! Will try your recipe tonight! Love to hear the stories about Dozer! He is such a lucky dog!
Love all your recipes and love to tell people about them.
Big fan
Sally
I made this for the family last night and it was delicious! I used prawns and salmon fillets. I also added some baby capers, which worked well. It reminded us of a seafood meal we ate in Venice 20 years ago and have never been able to replicate and this will now be one of our regular dinners.
Thank you!
Delicious. So quick and easy. Used a premium seafood mix and did use a small amount of cream. Thank you again for such a comforting recipe, good enough for dinner party.
This is the xcellent! Used 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk! So gooood!
Could I pre make the bake during the day but then do the oven cook part later on? I like to pre prep my dinner date meals!
Hi Michelle, I would make the components and then assemble and bake when you’re ready to cook. So I would cook the pasta, toss in a little bit of oil to prevent it sticking, then make the white sauce and keep it separate, you could also pre-cook the leeks too. N x
I have made this recipe a regular in our household. My toddler and hubby both love it, as do I. I only make it with cod though as my hubby doesn’t like other seafood 😢 but i’d love to try the marinara mix one day!
Oh so good and creamy! Made mine with cod, shrimp and scallops. Seafood I had in the freezer. Used spaghetti noodles which was the only pasta in my cupboard and onions since I didn’t have leeks. I was happy how it turned out and everyone felt like I treated them to a very nice dinner especially with some white wine. Served with your strawberry cake. Thanks Nagi! You’re the best!
Lovely balance between the sauce and the seafood. I used closer to 2 cups of milk. Was very simple to make and the hint of garlic elevated the dish. Thank you.
This is a great recipe. Made it for dinner and kids loved it too. I didn’t add any additional salt (after adding the chicken stock cube). Very flavourful. Used salmons. Will def try again:)
So delicious. Would be great with some white wine in the bechamel sauce. I’ll be adding it to my regular recipes.
Sounds great Sarah!!
Want to make this for our Christmas Italian Seven Fishes Meal. Can I use seafood bouillon instead of chicken or do you not recommend it?
OMG!!! Dozers clothesline looks like my furbabies, have made this recipe, love it.
It’s ridiculous isn’t it Vonny!
Excellent. I will now be following you with your other recipes . Can you please freeze leftovers.
Why can’t I get the nice print version of your recipes anymore?
Just click the patina button at the top of the recipe card and it will print nicely for you ☺️
Loved it! Substituted the seafood for sausages instead and it was amazing! So flavorful. Almost feels like a faux mac and cheese with that baked crust on top.
Sausages? Why?
My dad loves seafood but is not a pasta fan. Could I substitute rice to make this casserole? If so…how much?
Hi! I’m sorry I haven’t tried this with rice but if you look for the chicken broccoli rice casserole you can switch the chicken with seafood if you want!