Betty's After Easter Cheddar Ham Casserole
Betty's After Easter Cheddar Ham Casserole is a delicious way to use up leftover Easter ham. This casserole combines pasta, cheese sauce, ham, and green pepper for a satisfying and flavorful meal. It's easy to make and can be prepared using canned ham if you don't have leftover ham from Easter.
Betty's After Easter Cheddar Ham Casserole is a delicious way to use up leftover Easter ham. This casserole combines pasta, cheese sauce, ham, and green pepper for a satisfying and flavorful meal. It's easy to make and can be prepared using canned ham if you don't have leftover ham from Easter.
- 1/4 cup flour flour
- 6 ounces uncooked pasta i used medium -sized shells.
- 1/2 pot boiling water pot boiling water
- 1 tbs salt salt
- 2 tbs butter or margarine butter or margarine
- 1 1/2 cups milk milk
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese shredded cheddar cheese
- dash of salt for the cheese sauce
- 2 5 oz. can tender-chunk ham i used hormel.
- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper chopped green pepper
- 1/2 cup milk added after all other ingredients
- cooking oil spray cooking oil spray
- Carbohydrate 16.7660379944725 g
- Cholesterol 50.36136389725 mg
- Fat 12.024543023475 g
- Fiber 0.31116250666976 g
- Protein 9.6763645469575 g
- Saturated Fat 7.331955951826 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (79g)
- Sodium 186.4092820045 mg
- Sugar 16.4548754878027 g
- Trans Fat 0.820556535246748 g
- Calories 214 calories
Step-by-step
- Place 6 oz. uncooked pasta into rapidly boiling water in a medium tolarge pot.
- Add 1 tablespoon salt.
- Stir and then let cook for about 8minutes, until al dente (cooked, but still chewy, not mushy).
- While cookingyour pasta, prepare your cheese sauce.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter ormargarine in a saucepan.
- Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup flour.
- Stir theflour and butter or margarine until blended.
- Now, add 1 1/2 cups milk and 11/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese.
- Return this mixture to the stove, add adash of salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened andsmooth.
- Your pasta should be done now, and when it is done, drain the waterthrough a colander and return the cooked pasta to its original pan.
- Combinethe cooked cheese sauce with the cooked pasta.
- Add (2) 5 oz. cans oftender-chunk ham and 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper.
- Stir together, andthen and an additional 1/2 cup milk (or desired amount for creaminess).
- Stircompletely, and then pour into a fairly large baking dish that has beensprayed with cooking oil.
- Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 350 for1/2 hour.
- Turn oven to broil, and brown the top for about 5 minutes, or toyour liking.
When refrigeration space reaches a premium after a holiday feast, consolidating leftovers into a single baking dish solves both storage and meal planning problems. This preparation takes surplus roasted meat or canned alternatives and binds them with a dairy-forward roux and shell pasta, yielding a hearty main course that feeds eight portions without requiring complex kitchen equipment.
- Boil the medium shells for precisely eight minutes so they retain a firm, al dente chew that prevents them from turning mushy during the baking cycle.
- Whisk the flour directly into melted fat off the direct heat source to prevent lump formation before introducing the milk and shredded cheese.
- Incorporate the final half-cup of milk just before baking to maintain moisture within the dense starch structure of the pasta.
- Switch the oven setting to broil for the final five minutes to achieve a golden-brown surface crust.
Balance the rich saltiness of the cheddar and cured meat by pairing the heavy casserole with a sharp, vinegar-dressed green salad or steamed bitter greens like broccoli rabe. Acidic accompanishments cut through the dairy fat and provide textural contrast to the soft pasta shells.
