Macaroni Ham Cheese Bake Recipe

This simple mac and cheese meal has bits of ham throughout adding extra flavor to an already favorite comfort food.

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings
8 oz. thinly sliced and diced deli ham
1 pound uncooked elbow pasta
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Gouda cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 1/4 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon seasoning
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350�

Lightly butter a 9x13 inch baking dish

Cut the ham into thin strips.

To cook pasta, fill a large pot 2/3 of the way with hot tap water.

Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the pasta and stir with a wooden spoon to be sure noodles don�t stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat down, enough to maintain a boil and stir every so often to prevent noodles sticking. Do not cover the pot.

After 8-10 minutes, take a piece of pasta out of the water, allow it to cool and do a test for doneness.

Bite into the pasta. If it is too hard to bite or you see a white center, it needs to cook a little longer.

When it cooks all the way through it is ready and cooked el dente.

Turn off the heat, put the pasta into a strainer. Shake out excess water and put the pot back onto a cool part of the stove.

Cut the ham into thin strips.

In a dutch oven or skillet, melt the butter. Whisk in the flur and cook for one minute stirring. Add the milk and cook until smooth, stirring as it cooks to keep the lumps out. Stir in the cheeses, salt and red pepper and cook until you have a smooth sauce. Remove from heat.

Pour the sauce into the cooked pasta, add the ham pieces and stir in. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Put the breadcrumbs into a bowl along with the parsley flakes and seasoning and stir in the melted butter. Spread the bread mixture over the top of the macaroni.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving.