Award Winning Mac n Cheese

This is a Grand Prize winning recipe by someone named Elizabeth Guise.
I made it and left out the cream cheese as I felt it had enough cheese already and it was SO good. One time, I also used chicken instead and elbow pasta and it came out just as good.

Crab & Macaroni Bake
Serves 8.

Ingredients

10 ounces rotini pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground
pepper
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
3/4 teaspoon garlic and herb Old Bay seasoning
4 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces Medium Cheddar cheese, grated
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (Trader Joe's has a great brand)
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
8 ounces fresh crabmeat
3 slices white bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic and herb Old
Bay seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Boil pasta in salted water until tender, drain and set aside.
Place slices of bread on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with seasoning, and bake for 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Turn over and bake an additional 5 minutes until golden on both sides. Remove from oven and let cool.
Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Continue stirring butter and flour mixture over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it has a slightly nutty aroma. Pour in milk while whisking and whisk until smooth. Cook while stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until mixture thickens. Add salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and Old Bay seasoning. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and add the grated cheddar and monterey jack cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in peppers, onions, shallots, and cilantro. Stir in pasta and gently fold in crab meat. Spray a large shallow (12" x 1 1/2”) ceramic casserole dish with pan spray. Pour in filling and spread out evenly. Grate toasted bread slices and sprinkle over filling.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling around the edge. Serves 8 as an entree with a side salad.