Pasta ham and cheese

Pasta with cheese sauce has been a kid pleaser since such a dish was served for the first time. This recipe uses a fancy pasta shape and adds some extra protein sure to benefit all active kids, especially those in after school sports.

Ingredients

2 cups pasta (bow tie pasta, uncooked)
1⁄4 cup butter (or margarine)
1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
1⁄4 cup flour (or starch)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt (and some more to boil pasta)
1 pinch black pepper
2 cups milk
1⁄2 teaspoon mustard (prepared mustard)
1 1⁄2 cups cheese (shredded Colby cheese)
4 ounces ham (cooked ham, sliced thick then cut into strips)
1⁄4 cup cheese (Parmesan cheese, grated)
  water (to cook pasta)

Instructions

Cook and drain pasta as usual.

Melt butter in a saucepan. Sauté garlic in this for a few seconds. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper, stir until smooth. Add milk and stir constantly while heating to a boil. Continue to boil for a minute then stir in mustard and cheese. Cook and stir until cheese melts.

Stir in cooked noodles and ham cubes until well coated in melted cheese.

Sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese at serving time.

Yield
4 servings
Preparation time
15 minutes
Cooking time
40 minutes
Total time
55 minutes

Notes

Keep a jar of cheese sauce around or use the package of cheese sauce from macaroni and cheese for those rushed and in a hurry nights.

Substitute bow tie pasta with other short pasta such as pasta shells or elbow macaroni.

Source

Favorite Southern recipes for kids