Busy, busy, busy.

Tired, tired, tired.

That’s me.

I am so happy that we will be out of school next Monday and Tuesday for Mardi Gras! I need a few days to relax and recharge.

And wash clothes.

Today was a Monday. All. Day. Long.

Kids were cranky. Teachers were tired. A stomach bug is hovering over our school, affecting teachers and students.

We’re ready for a break.

When I got home this evening, I just wanted to make dinner quickly and simply. Because the quicker I finish making dinner, the sooner I can sit down.

This really and truly took 15 minutes from start to finish.

I had a package of frozen crawfish tails that I simply put in the sink and ran warm water over it. Once I started the water running over the crawfish, I put a big pot of salted water on a burner to bring it to a boil. In a big skillet, I melted butter, sauteed the veggies, and then added the thawed crawfish. By this time, the water was boiling, so I added the egg noodles and set a timer for 6 minutes. Then I added milk and Velveeta to the skillet and once the cheese was mostly melted, I turned off the burner and waited for the pasta timer to ding. When the pasta was done, I reserved about a cup of the pasta water and then drained the pasta and added it to the pot. I stirred to combine everything and then added the pasta water and stirred again.

This came together so quickly and it was delicious!

Crawfish Queso Pasta

  • 1/2 stick of butter
  • 1 10-ounce bag of frozen seasoning blend
  • 1 12-ounce package of crawfish tails, thawed
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup of half and half
  • 16-ounce block of Velveeta Queso Blanco
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Chipotle Tabasco
  • 1 pound of egg noodles

Directions:

  • Put a large pot of water on to boil
  • In a large skillet, melt the butter.
  • Add the seasoning blend and sautee until onions are soft and translucent.
  • Add crawfish to the skillet and stir until heated throught.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  • Whenever water boils, add the egg noodles and set a timer for 6 minutes.
  • Into the skillet, add the half and half and Velveeta and stir.
  • Add Chipotle Tabasco and stir until combined.
  • Turn off the heat and wait until pasta timer goes off.
  • Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
  • Drain pasta and add it to the skillet. Stir to combine completely.
  • Add the reserved pasta water and stir again.
  • Serve warm.

Well Duh #1: If you don’t want to use the seasoning blend, use half of a small onion (diced), half of a green bell pepper (diced), and one stalk of celery (chopped).

Well Duh #2: I really strongly recommend getting the Chipotle Tabasco for this recipe. The smoky flavor and warmth is perfect. I would NOT use classic Tabasco for this. It’s just too aggressive. If you can’t find the Chipotle Tabasco, you may want to use a tablespoon of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers.

Elizabeth and Michael and I really liked this warm, hearty dish. I especially liked how quickly it was ready!

Perfect for the Monday-est Monday that ever Monday-ed!