This Cheesy Ham and Pasta Bake is a tasty version of baked mac and cheese with a crunchy top. We have parties and events going on just about every weekend from the middle of November until the holiday season ends. A big ham is the centerpiece of a few of those get-togethers. I remove the extra ham and save the bone to make soup or beans. If we have lots of ham left over I will wrap up portions of it tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to use later instead of living on ham all week long. While my husband would probably be okay with eating ham for a week, I prefer to have some variety in my life!

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5 from 1 vote

Cheesy Ham and Pasta Bake

Make good use of leftover ham in this delicious mac and cheese recipe!

Course Dinner, Main Dish, Meat, Pasta and Pizza

Cuisine Christmas, Easter, Fall, Mothers Day, Quick and Easy, Winter

Keyword holiday leftovers, leftover ham recipes, mac and cheese

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 980

Equipment

Ingredients

12 ounces gemelli pasta *
8 ounces ham diced**
2 cups milk
6 ounces gruyère cheese grated
4 ounces parmesan cheese grated
2 eggs
3 slices bread
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion diced
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425° and grease a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold all the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to cook your pasta. When the water is boiling add the pasta and cook for 4 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl, add 1/4 cup of milk and stir to coat.
In a smaller bowl beat 1/4 cup of milk with the eggs, then mix in the bread and a little less than half of each cheese.
In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and stir for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour. Whisking constantly, add in 3/4 cup of water and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Bring it to a boil and stir until thickened then remove from the heat. Stir in the cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, nutmeg and all the remaining cheese. When the cheese is all mixed in add it to the large bowl with the pasta and mix in the ham.
Transfer the pasta to your casserole dish and top it evenly with the egg/bread mixture from earlier. Bake until it is bubbly about 20-25 minutes. Let is cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

* You can use whatever pasta you like. Ziti, cavatappi, or rotini would all be good choices.

** This is a great use for leftover ham from the holidays. You could also use a ham steak or buy a half pound from the deli cut in half inch slices and dice it up.