Home-Style Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 7 ounces elbow macaroni
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 4 slices canned jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 3 dashes hot sauce, or to taste
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir flour into melted butter and cook until smooth and bubbling, about 1 minute. Mix milk, cream cheese, jalapeno peppers, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and salt into flour-butter mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Mix macaroni and Cheddar cheese into sauce; pour into a 2-quart casserole dish.

Mix bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons butter, and parsley together in a bowl; spread over macaroni and cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.