INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter
2 cup chopped onion
2 chopped bell pepper
1 teaspoon garlic
Creole Seasoning to taste , Tony's
2 lbs. crawfish or shrimp
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cans Rotel chopped tomatoes
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon paprika
Kitchen Bouquet to color
2 lbs. Velveeta cheese
24 ounces pasta (spirals hold the suace really well)
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
Olive oil

PREPARATION:

Cook pasta in water with 2 tablespoons oil and seasoned with salt and black pepper until just done. Drain and drizzle with olive oil in pot.
Sauté onions in butter until clear, add pepper and seasoning.

Continue to sauté until lightly caramelized. Add garlic and crawfish or shrimp and cook until just done and liquid thickens. Add soups, tomatoes, herbs, spices and Kitchen Bouquet. Simmer briefly to allow flavors to meld. Stir in Velveeta cheese cut into cubes until melted.
Crush crackers and mix with parmesan cheese and enough olive oil to lightly moisten. (Grated cheddar may be substituted for cracker topping.)

Mix pasta and sauce and pour into greased baking dish. Top with crumb mixture and bake until bubbly and browned in a 350 degree oven.

This recipe makes a large amount. You may divide and freeze half without the crumb topping or make two smaller dishes. Use all the crumb topping on the first dish and make another batch when you bake the second dish.

Variation: Do not use Velveeta cheese and serve over rice. Very similar to etouffé