A rich, cheesy seafood lasagna that's pure comfort food—with a little something extra.
If you love lasagna and you love seafood, there really isn't a good reason these two shouldn't be friends.
This Creamy Shrimp & Crab Lasagna combines tender shrimp, sweet lump crabmeat, creamy garlic sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan between layers of tender lasagna noodles.
It's rich. It's cheesy. It's ridiculously comforting.
And honestly? It's the kind of dinner that makes you want to pretend you spent all day in the kitchen when, in reality, you were probably scrolling Facebook for 45 minutes and wondering what the heck to make for dinner. 😂
This is a great recipe for Sunday dinner, date night, a special occasion, or anytime you want something that feels a little fancier than your usual Tuesday-night casserole.
🛒 Ingredients
For the Seafood
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
- 8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for shells
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the Creamy Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
For the Ricotta Filling
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For Assembly
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 2½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, optional
👩🍳 How to Make Shrimp & Crab Lasagna
1. Cook the noodles
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions until just al dente.
Drain and lay the noodles flat on a baking sheet or parchment paper so they don't stick together.
Nobody needs to wrestle with a giant pile of lasagna noodles while trying to assemble dinner. We've got enough problems.
2. Cook the seafood
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the chopped shrimp, Old Bay and black pepper.
Cook for approximately 2–3 minutes per side, just until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Gently fold in the crabmeat.
Don't overcook the seafood. The shrimp will get another trip through the oven, so we don't want them turning into little pieces of seafood rubber.
Set aside.
3. Make the creamy garlic sauce
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream.
Continue whisking until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5–7 minutes.
Stir in the Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and optional red pepper flakes.
Continue cooking for another minute or two until smooth and creamy.
Remove from the heat.
4. Make the ricotta mixture
In a medium bowl, combine:
- Ricotta
- Egg
- Parmesan
- 1 cup mozzarella
- Parsley
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
Mix until everything is well combined.
Try not to eat half of it with a spoon.
I said try.
🧀 5. Assemble the Lasagna
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Spread about ½ cup of the creamy sauce over the bottom.
Place 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce.
Spread about one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles.
Add about one-third of the shrimp and crab mixture.
Spoon about one-third of the remaining cream sauce over the seafood.
Sprinkle with mozzarella.
Repeat the layers:
Noodles → Ricotta → Seafood → Cream Sauce → Mozzarella
Repeat until you've used everything.
Finish with a final layer of noodles, the remaining cream sauce, the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese.
Because there is absolutely no such thing as too much cheese on lasagna.
🔥 6. Bake
Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 15–20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly and lightly golden.
If you want that gorgeous browned cheese on top, turn on the broiler for the final 1–2 minutes.
Watch it carefully.
We want golden and bubbly—not “I walked away to answer a text and now dinner is charcoal.” 😂
⏰ 7. Let It Rest
This part is important.
Let the lasagna rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing.
I know.
You're hungry.
I know it smells amazing.
But if you cut into it immediately, all those beautiful layers are going to slide around like they have somewhere else to be.
Give it a few minutes.
It'll still be hot.
🍋 Serve It Up
Garnish with fresh parsley and, if you like, a little extra Parmesan.
A squeeze of fresh lemon over each serving brightens up all that creamy richness.
Serve with:
🥖 Garlic bread
🥗 A simple green salad
🥦 Roasted broccoli or asparagus
🍋 Lemon wedges
And maybe a little extra Parmesan on the table, because apparently we're choosing happiness today.
❤️ A Few Tips for the Best Seafood Lasagna
Use lump crabmeat.
It gives you those delicious little bites of crab throughout the lasagna instead of disappearing completely into the sauce.
Don't overcook the shrimp.
They're going into the oven after they're sautéed, so just cook them until they're barely done in the skillet.
Fresh Parmesan makes a difference.
It melts more smoothly into the sauce and gives it a much better flavor.
Let it rest before cutting.
Ten to fifteen minutes makes a huge difference in keeping those beautiful layers together.
Want more seafood?
You can increase the shrimp to 1½ pounds or add ½ pound of scallops.
🦐🦀 The Bottom Line
Regular lasagna will always have its place at the dinner table.
But every once in a while, it's fun to give the old classic a little makeover.
This Shrimp & Crab Lasagna is creamy, garlicky, cheesy and packed with seafood in every bite. It's comforting enough for a family dinner but special enough to serve when you're trying to impress somebody.
And if somebody asks how long it took you to make?
That's between you and the kitchen. 😉
Because some recipes aren't just dinner.
They're an event.
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