Iron Mike's White Sharp Cheddar N' Ham Macaroni and Cheese

By Addie

"I ate the most incredible macaroni and cheese with ham that my wife brought home from some fancy restaurant in town known for their Mac n Cheese. (It was packaged in aluminum foil which was formed to look like a swan - I don't even WANT to know how much she paid for this dish!) ANYway - Since Kraft doesn't make this in a box, I thought I'd try out my hand (and whisk) at making it from scratch. Below is the result of many trials (and a few errors...) on my journey to Mac 'n Cheese perfection. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family. There are some recommendations at the bottom regarding different substitutions.

Ingredients

• Macaroni and Ham:
• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 cup cooked cubed ham
• .....................................
• White Sauce and Cheese:
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter or 1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese ( grated)
• pepper, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Begin the cooking process of the macaroni- according to package directions; Add cubed ham (to warm) during the final minute or so of cooking the macaroni; Drain and set aside.

While water is heating and macaroni is cooking, make your White Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; add Flour and Salt, and cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Stir the Milk into the mixture and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, boil mixture for 1 minute.

Lower heat and cook until thickened, stirring regularly about 4-6 minutes. (Don't forget to add the ham to the macaroni as it is cooking!).

Remove White Sauce from heat; Add cheese; stir until melted; Pepper to taste.

Combine cheese sauce with the macaroni and ham in a bowl (or the macaroni pot); stir well.
Serve with a yummy green vegetable on the side like green beans or asparagus.

Enjoy!

CHEF'S NOTES: You may use Medium/Mild Cheddar or maybe even Pepper Jack with this recipe as well; I would add a little"kick" with the milder cheeses by adding a clove of minced garlic, or by using salami pieces instead of ham - Yum!
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REVIEWS:

WOW! I am a Mac'n Cheese junkie, so I am always looking for new recipes. We were having friends over and one thing we share in common, is our love for cheese:) This recipe certainly didn't disappoint! Very clear instructions and I had to physically remove myself from the kitchen so as to not eat it all before our guests arrived! I made it ahead of time, put it in a casserole dish and warmed it up right before dinner. The only thing I changed was to add a bit of mustard powder to the cheese mixture. Divine!

I made this in a crockpot for my family reunion, so I tripled the recipe, added some velveeta for consistency and smoothness (and color) it was an outstanding hit. There was not a morsel left!

Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed this, and DH went back for a second helping (and he is so not a mac and cheese person, lol). I served orange and yellow carrots and green beans on the side and we both enjoyed it more with the veggies stirred right into the dish. I used an old/sharp orange cheddar and penne noodles as that's what I had on hand. Definitely a make-again dish! Bonus points for using up some of my easter ham leftovers too.

Super cheesey goodness! I doubled this recipe, and used half extra sharp white cheddar and half mild yellow cheddar. What a great combination! I used campanelle pasta just for a fun shape. I served it w/ steamed broccoli. The kids REALLY loved it. I'll be making this again. Thanx for sharing.

This was really good. I did make the following changes. 10 oz of White cheddar because that was the size of the cheese I bought. I also thinned the cheese sauce with extra milk put everything in a buttered casserole, topped it with bread crumbs and baked until it was bubbling.

My family loves it!!

We really enjoyed this dish! In little more than the time it takes to make boxed macaroni & cheese, you could have this delicious, gourmet version! The sharp white cheddar makes it extra special. The sauce was smooth, rich, and creamy. We had some leftover honeybaked ham which fit into this dish perfectly. I did add a bit of salt when I tossed it all together. I went for seconds and SO went for thirds! I will definitely be making this recipe again. Thanks so much for posting this and adding to my collection of favorite recipes.