Easy Sausage Ham And Pasta Casserole Food

SAUSAGE PASTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush a shallow 3-quart baking dish with olive oil. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until very al dente; you still want it to retain a little bite. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and cook and crumble with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and fennel; cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Bring to a simmer and add the cream. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water from the pasta. Turn up the heat to medium high and simmer rapidly to thicken the sauce and blend the flavors, about 10 minutes.
• Add the rigatoni and basil and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in half each of the mozzarella and parmesan. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Bake until browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

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.

HAM & SWISS BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente; drain., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Gradually stir in Swiss and Colby cheeses until melted. Add ham and pasta; toss to coat., Transfer to a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients; sprinkle over pasta. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, 15-20 minutes.