Crouton Topped Mac n Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and reserve.

In a large saucepan, melt half of the butter over medium heat. Add flour and continue stirring until mixture starts to thicken. Add half of the milk and continue stirring. Add in the remaining milk. Season with pepper to taste; continue stirring. Then slowly stir in the cheese until it’s melted (reserve ¼ cup of the cheese for the topping).

Pour this cheese mixture over the pasta. Mix well as the cheese mixture will be absorbed into the pasta quickly. Add more pepper if you like, and salt to taste.

Pour mac n cheese mixture into a lightly greased (or buttered) large baking/casserole dish, or multiple smaller dishes if you prefer.

For the crouton topping, place bread pieces in the bowl that the pasta was mixed in. Mix in the remaining butter (you can mix in 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil instead, if you prefer). Salt and pepper to taste.

Place the bread pieces over the pasta. Top with the remaining ¼ cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Best when served right out of the oven.