Cheesy Crab Pasta Recipe (video)
Calling all seafood lovers! I have a new, amazing recipe for you to try – creamy, cheesy crab pasta made with real crab, mushrooms, pepper and loads of cheese! This dish is packed with so much incredible flavor, you’ll be floored! And, you can have this delicious pasta on your table in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients for Crab Pasta
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need for this creamy seafood pasta recipe:
- Crab: I recommend using real crab for this recipe. It can be a little more pricey than imitation crab but it’s worth the extra dollar. Real crab adds so much incredible flavor that just can’t be substituted!
- Pasta: I used small pasta shells but you can make this recipe with just about any type of medium-sized pasta.
- White Wine: for making the creamy sauce. Use a dry white wine, such as chardonnay, or cooking wine. If you don’t want to use wine in this recipe, replace it with seafood or veggie broth, then squeeze fresh lemon juice over the pasta once it’s done cooking.
- Cream: for making the cream sauce. You can use regular or heavy cream.
- Parmesan & Mozzarella Cheese: this combination of cheeses makes the sauce extra cheesy and creamy.
- Peppers, Mushrooms, Tomatoes
- Smoked Paprika: this aromatic spice adds tons of great smoky flavor to this dish!
Watch My Crab Pasta Video!
Make sure to watch my YouTube video recipe for all the details and step-by-step instructions for this creamy crab pasta! Want new recipe updates? Subscribe to my website and my YouTube channel to get a notification each time a new recipe goes live!
How to Make Cheesy Crab Pasta
Here’s how to make this easy seafood dinner:
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then add the mini pasta shells. Rotini or penne pasta will also work well. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
- Prepare the crab sauce. Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms and pepper; season lightly with salt and saute until onion is translucent.
- Next, add the garlic and diced tomato; saute for a few minutes. Add the crab, smoked paprika, dried basil, lemon juice and white wine. Stir all the ingredients together, then cover and simmer the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes, until the broth is reduced in half.
- Add the cream, grated Parmesan and grated mozzarella cheese. Add a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Simmer the sauce until the cheese is completely melted.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss it in the sauce, then serve.
A Family Favorite!
This creamy crab pasta recipe has been in my family for years! The original recipe was for stuffed crab shells; we found the recipe in an old thrift-store cookbook. Stuffing shells can be a bit of a hassle, so I’ve tweaked the recipe a little bit over the years. I still enjoy the flavors of this dish just as much as I did when I was a child.
More Recipes!
Enjoyed this delicious seafood recipe? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Smoky Garlic Shrimp Scampi – easy, 15-minute shrimp pasta recipe with garlic, smoked paprika, white wine and butter.
- King Crab Rolls – the best crab rolls ever, with brioche bread and smoky garlic butter!
- Pan-Seared Scallops – zesty lemon caper jumbo scallops with creamy mushroom risotto! Perfect for a special occasion dinner!
- You’ll love this creamy Salmon Fettuccine Alfredo with huge chunks of juicy salmon!
- ‘Butter Poached Lobster’ – learn how to easily prepare lobster tails, served with a simple risotto!
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Cheesy Crab Pasta Recipe (video)
Ingredients
- 1/2 – 3/4 pound pasta shells
- olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 5 white mushrooms, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 pound crab; real or imitation
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup white wine, cooking wine, chardonnay or pinot grigio
- 1 cup cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then add the mini pasta shells. Rotini or penne pasta will also work well. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
- Prepare the crab sauce. Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms and pepper; season lightly with salt and saute until onion is translucent.
- Next, add the garlic and diced tomato; saute for a few minutes. Add the crab, smoked paprika, dried basil, lemon juice and white wine. Stir all the ingredients together, then cover and simmer the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes, until the broth is reduced in half.
- Add the cream, grated Parmesan and grated mozzarella cheese. Add a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Simmer the sauce until the cheese is completely melted.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss it in the sauce, then serve.
Hi Tatyana
What’s the difference in using regular wine and cooking wine in a recipe, I thought that cooking wine has a lot of salt in it.
You can definitely use regular wine. I would go with a pinot grigio or something light, and adjust the amount of salt since cooking wine does have a ton of salt added!
Don’t use “cooking wine” (Yuk!) Use regular dry white wine, something you wouldn’t mind drinking with the meal. You won’t miss the excess salt since crab is salty already.
I work with a cooking wine brand, just trying to share their products 🙂
Hey Tatyana, what can I use instead of the wine? Or do I necessarily need it in this recipe?
I recommend adding the wine if you can, it adds great flavor that you just can’t get from anything else. If you absolutely cannot use wine, chicken or veggie broth will work 🙂
You can use Mirin if you don’t want the alcohol, or Verjus which is also alcohol free. Mirin is slightly sweet, so you may want to cut it with water, 1:1
I tried this recipe, with a few substitutions. Unfortunately, it turned out ok, not great. The flavors were there, but I used mozzarella Pearl’s, which did not at all incorporate into the sauce. That makes sense, as mozzarella is made in boiling water. I think if I had used the kind that you get pre shredded in a bag it would have worked better.
I’m so sorry that the mozzarella didn’t incorporate well. I use the preshredded kind, too.
Omg – this is now my favorite crab pasta recipe!! Can’t wait for leftovers!!
Hi Carla! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! 🙂
This was a quick and easy recipe. I used canned mushrooms and regular wine because that’s what I had on hand. It tasted great and I’d definitely make it again.
Hi Ellen! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Amazing recipe!! Have made it a few times and love the flavors! ❤❤👍
Thank you so much for leaving your review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! One of my favorites! 🙂
Delicious, even my non-pasta-loving dad enjoyed this 😁😁
That’s awesome! I’m so happy the whole family enjoyed it!
This crab pasta dish is so delicious! It is definitely a recipe to keep and use on a regular basis. I used regular white wine not cooking wine. I also used 16 ounces of crab meat and a few extra pasta shells. Soooo good!
Hi Kathy! I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been loving this dish! It’s a favorite of mine, too. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
I’ve made this a few times already and it’s delicious! The last time I made it I used fresh tomatoes but wasn’t a fan of the flavor when it was ready, neither was my brother. I also use milk instead of cream. Can I substitute the tomatoes for roma tomato paste or should I just leave it out?
Hi! I’m glad you have been enjoying the recipe! Yes, you can leave the tomatoes out and add a touch of paste instead. I like this recipe with cream since it does make the sauce richer. Enjoy!