Asparagus Crab Au Gratin

bmcnichol's Note:

The whole family enjoys this. Adapted from Quick Cooking.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen asparagus cuts , thawed and drained
• 1 (6 ounce) cancrabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed or 1 cup flaked imitation crabmeat
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter , divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8; teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 cup soft breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Place asparagus in a greased 1-qt. baking dish.
2. Top with crab and cheese and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter.
4. Stir in flour until smooth.
5. Whisk in milk, mustard, salt and pepper.
6. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
7. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice.
9. Pour over asparagus.
10. Melt remaining butter and toss with bread crumbs.
11. Sprinkle over top.
12. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Reviews

[mums the word]

I made this for the "Cooking from the Pantry Challenge" and it was a great success. I made just a few minor changes to suit what I had on hand. I added 1/2 C of fresh scallops that I needed to use up and added about 1/4 C of swiss cheese on top of the cheddar that the recipe called for. I also added about 1/4 tsp of garlic powder to the roux before adding the milk in. An excellent dish that I will be sure to make again. Thanks for the recipe!

[*Parsley*]

This was a wonderful use of imitation crab meat. It was quite simple to make, too. I added minced garlic, but otherwise made no changes. Thanx for sharing! I'll make this again.

[MiMi's Kitchen #2]

This was very good. I added more crab and more cheese. It did need more seasoning of some sort. I will experiment. I was easy to make.