Ingredients
Bread Crumb Topping
6 slices sandwich bread or potato rolls, cubed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pasta and Cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni or penne noodles
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups milk
6 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
In a medium sized bowl toss the cubed bread with melted butter until evenly coated and set aside.
For the Macaroni and cheese:
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot, cook the pasta until tender, drain and set aside in a colander.
In a large saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the flour, mustard, and cayenne and whisk until smooth {about 1 minute}. Slowly add in the milk, whisking constantly until the everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to whisk until the sauce is nice and thick {about 3 minutes}.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly stir in shredded cheese until fully melted. Fold in noodles.
Pour noodle mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish and cover with bread topping.
Turn the oven on to broil and toast the buttered bread until just browned. Serve warm.