Ham Macaroni & Cheese

By KimberlyB

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pasta, like macaroni or cellentani
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 3 tablespoons skim, 2% or regular milk
• 1 large egg
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh black ground pepper
• 4 ounces American Cheese slices, torn into small pieces 6 wrapped slices
• 4 ounces smoked Gouda shredded
• 4 ounces sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
• 1 cup ham diced into 1/2" cubes (plus a dozen extra pieces for garnish if desired)

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from savingdessert.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish with vegetable cooking spray and set aside.
Cook the pasta al dente, per package instructions. Drain well.
Return the cooked pasta to the pot and add the butter. Toss to coat until all butter is melted.
In a small bowl with a spout, whisk together the evaporated milk, regular milk, egg, cayenne and black pepper.
In a separate small bowl or ziplock bag, combine the American, Gouda and Cheddar cheese.
Spread 1/3 of the pasta in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with 1/2 of the ham. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the ham and pasta.
Repeat again starting with the cooked, buttered pasta, the remaining ham, and 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Finally, spread the remaining pasta and cheese on top.
Pour the egg and milk mixture over the top of the casserole. Top with a few extra pieces of ham if desired.
Bake until the casserole is set and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the casserole to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

NOTES

Base recipe inspired by a recipe in the January 2017 issue of RealSimple Magazine
Cover and refrigerate leftovers.
Since the casserole includes ham, no additional salt is needed when cooking.:-)
To freeze the casserole, bake then cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and foil and freeze until needed. Defrost completely in the refrigerator, remove the wrapping and rewrap lightly with foil. Bake (covered with foil) at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until warmed through.
Recipe may be doubled and cooked in a 13x9-inch casserole dish
Make sure you are using unsweetened evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed milk