Mac and Cheese with Diced Ham

In my last post I talked about sauces. Here is an idea for how to use one of those recipes to create a comfort food favorite. I started with a Bechamel(white sauce), tripled the recipe, added grated cheese, some additional spices and some diced ham and ended up with a delicious mac and cheese.  Here is the recipe. You can eliminate the ham to make this vegetarian.

Ingredients: (yield 8-10 servings)

6 TBSP butter 
6 TBSP all purpose flour
3 Cups milk
salt and pepper
grated nutmeg
1/2 of a medium onion, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsps paprika
3 Cups grated cheese ( I used a mix of Swiss and Sharp Cheddar)
12 - 14 Oz. diced ham
2 Cups(8Oz.) Elbow macaroni
1/2 Cup coarse ground bread crumbs
2 TBSP butter
Dry Parsley

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a deep 21/2 quart baking dish.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour until well blended and smooth, about one and a half minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk. Return the pan to the heat and slowly bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce is smooth and thickened, about one to two minutes. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg to taste. Stir in the minced onion, paprika and bay leaf and cook on very low heat for about 15 minutes. Don't allow to come to a simmer.  Remove the sauce from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in 2/3 of the cheese. Reserve the rest of the cheese. Check the seasoning again.  

While the sauce is simmering, cook elbow macaroni per package directions. Drain and remove to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sauce and the ham. Pour half of the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese. Top with the rest of the macaroni and then the rest of the cheese. 

Melt 2 TBSP butter in a small skillet and stir in the bread crumbs. Cook until butter is absorbed by the bread crumbs. Top the casserole dish with the bread crumbs and sprinkle with some dried parsley for color.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. Bread crumb topping should brown and the casserole should be hot and bubbly. If you are not sure if the macaroni is heated through, check it with an instant read thermometer. It should be at least 140 degrees in the middle of the dish. This is comfort food to the max. Enjoy !!