Cheesy Leftover Ham Pasta Bake Food

CHEESY HAM CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix together topping ingredients, set aside.
• Cook shells al dente according to package directions. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, melt butter, flour and seasonings in a saucepan. Allow to cook 1 minute.
• Slowly add in cream and milk while whisking after each addition. The mixture will seem thick at first but will smooth out with each addition.
• Once all of the cream/milk is added, whisk while bringing to a boil over medium heat. Allow to boil 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and stir in 2 ½ cups cheddar, gruyere cheese, and parmesan until smooth.
• Mix cheese sauce with cooked pasta and ham and place in a 9x13 pan. Add topping and remaining ½ cup of cheese.
• Bake 22-26 minutes or until heated through and topping is browned. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

HAM AND CHEESE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Make pasta: Put a big pot of salted water onto boil on high heat for the pasta (4 quarts, 2 tablespoons salt). While the pasta water is heating, prep the other ingredients. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the pasta and stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Let the water return to a rolling boil and cook, uncovered, for 9 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is "al dente", cooked through but still slightly firm to the bite.
• Make roux: Melt the butter in a large (3 to 4 quart), thick-bottomed pot on medium heat. Add the minced garlic. Let the garlic sizzle for a few seconds. Add the flour and whisk so that any lumps are dissolved. Let the roux (flour and butter) bubble and cook for a minute or two.
• Make the sauce: Slowly add the milk and cream, a quarter cup at a time, whisking until incorporated after each addition. Increase the heat to medium high. Add 1⁄4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg and 1⁄2 teaspoon of ground black pepper. (You may want to increase these later to taste.) Add 1⁄2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Add half of the shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, whisking until melted and incorporated into the sauce. Add 3/4 teaspoon of salt (again, you may want to increase this to taste). Stir in 1 cup of water (can use pasta cooking water if you want).
• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Combine pasta with sauce, ham, parsley, onion greens: Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the ham. Add the chopped parsley and onion greens or chives. Gently stir to combine. Taste, and add more nutmeg, salt, pepper, or Italian seasoning to taste.

CHEESY HAM & BROCCOLI PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta following pack instructions, adding the broccoli florets to the pan for the final 4 mins. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion for 5 mins to soften, then stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Stir in the ham, cream and mustard, then bring to the boil. Add the pasta and broccoli, then stir in the cheese, coating everything in the sauce.

CREAMY HAM & MUSHROOM PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, then drain. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6, then melt a little butter in a large saucepan. Fry the mushrooms for a couple of mins, then scoop out and set aside. Use some kitchen paper to wipe out the pan.
• Melt the remaining butter in the pan, then add most of the onions and soften for 1 min. Stir in the flour for another min, then gradually stir in the milk until you have a lump-free sauce. Increase the heat and bubble the sauce, stirring for a few mins to thicken. Turn off the heat, stir in the ham and most of the cheese, then season to taste.
• Tip the pasta and mushrooms into a large ovenproof dish, then pour over the sauce and mix well in the dish. Scatter over the remaining cheese and spring onions, then bake for 10 mins until golden.

DELUXE HAM CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Stir in the macaroni. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ham and onion in melted butter until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir garlic into ham mixture and cook for about 2 minutes more; remove skillet from heat.
• Mix cooked pasta, Cheddar cheese, cream of celery soup, peas, milk, sour cream, onion powder, and garlic powder into the ham mixture until well mixed.
• Transfer pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle French-fried onions atop casserole and bake until golden, about 5 minutes more.

BAKED CHEESY HAM AND SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Pasta -- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook until al dente, drain and set aside.
• Ham and Vegetables -- Now in that same large pot you cooked the pasta in, add the butter and heat to medium. Then the mushrooms, ham, onion, scallions, parsley and cook until the mushrooms and onions are soft.
• Sauce -- To the vegetables, add the flour and stir until well blended. Then the broth, sherry, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt because the broth and ham are both salty. Cook and stir until the sauce mixture thickens on medium to medium high heat. Reduce to medium and add in the cream, 1/2 of the parmesan, 1/2 of the white cheddar and the peas.
• Combine and Bake -- Add the drained pasta to the vegetable and cheese sauce and toss well. Spray a casserole dish 13x9 or similar with Pam or a nonstick spray and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pasta mix into the casserole and top with the extra cheese. Bake about 30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese get nice and brown on top. Let set 5 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to firm up.
• This is a absolutely great casserole. I have also done this same recipe with leftover turkey or chicken and was just as good. And don't be afraid to use a sharp cheddar or even a swiss cheese as well. I just happen to like the white cheddar and parmesan best.