Baked Crab Mac-n-Cheese

Ingredients

• ½ pounds Medium-sized Pasta Shells
• 3 slices Loaf Bread
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Plus The Wrapper For Greasing The Casserole Dish
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 3 teaspoons Kosher Salt, Divided
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1-¾ cup Milk
• 1 cup Light Cream
• ¼ teaspoons Cayenne
• ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
• ½ teaspoons Ground Mustard
• 2 cups Medium Cheddar, Grated ( Grate Your Own, Please!!!)
• 1 cup Fontina Cheese, Grated
• 2 cans (6 Oz. Size) Crab Meat, Drained (I Used One “Fancy Lump” And One “Fancy White”)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F. Set a large pot of water on to boil. Cook pasta for about 5 minutes or until the outside is cooked but the inside is underdone. Drain and rinse, set aside.

Meanwhile, tear your bread into pieces, place in a food processor and process make bread crumbs. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and toss with breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Add parsley, garlic powder, Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the crumbs and set aside. In a small bowl mix the milk and cream together, set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and cream until the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook and stir until milk has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Hey! You just made a Bechamel sauce!!!)

Remove from the heat and stir in cayenne, old bay, mustard, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in cheese until it has all melted. Taste and add salt if necessary.

In a large bowl, stir pasta, cheese sauce and crab meat together well.

Using the wrapper from the butter, grease the bottom and sides of a 1.5 quart casserole dish. Pour the mac-n-cheese into the dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until top is browned and mac-n-cheese is bubbly.