Click for bigger
I made macaroni, cheese & ham for dinner the other night. I don’t know if anyone in a
health care career would consider this heart healthy but it was really good.
2 cups pasta cooked and drained
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cooked ham cut into small cubes
1 3/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp. melted butter
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook, stirring until the the mixture foams. Add the milk all at once and stir until the sauce thickens into a smooth cream. Add the salt and simmer over very low heat for about 2 minutes.
Pour the sauce into a large mixing bowl (I used the the pan I cooked the pasta in) and stir in the pasta, ham, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and mix together.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly butter a 3 quart casserole. Spoon in the macaroni mixture and spread the bread crumbs that have been mixed with the remaining cheese and melted butter evenly over the top. If you use a different sized dish, as I did, you may have to make a larger batch of the breadcrumb mixture. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cheese and bread crumb topping is lightly browned.
Makes about 6 servings.
