Ham and Cheese Bow Ties (small batch)

 

Many years ago I used to frequent a site called Steph's Country Kitchen.  She had lovely recipes on there. There were no photographs. This was in the early days of recipe pages.  I think hers may well have been one of the first food blogs out there before there were even such a thing as blogs!

There was just recipes on her page,  and she had some really lovely ones.  What I liked the most about them was that they were every day, simple, family food type of recipes.  The kinds of things your mom might have made.

 

I had printed out a lot of her recipes and included them in my Big Blue Binder. Thank goodness I did not lose my Big Blue Binder when I came back to Canada.  

I had the forethought to include it in one of my nine boxes that was sent over.  

My Big Blue Binder is one of my life treasures, having travelled with me all over the world now.  It is a compendium of all of my tried and trues and favorite recipes having been collected through the years.

 

Recipes shared by family and friends, clipped from magazines, etc. Some of those recipes go right back to my childhood.  It truly is a treasure.  A real family heirloom, I hope! 

Sadly, I no longer really need recipes that feed any more than 2 or 3 people at the maximum, and so I am downsizing some of my favorites.  This is one I downsized today. The original recipe fed 6 people, and now it feeds only 2 or 3 depending on appetites. 

 

Is it only me, or have you noticed how expensive food is getting?  It doesn't take very long for what is in your cart to add up and I am looking at ways of cutting corners and bringing down my expenses when I can.  Trying to be more economical.

This is a really delicious way to make a bit of ham and some pasta go a long way!  You can use sliced ham that you buy for sandwiches, but I find it much more economically sound to buy a quarter boneless ham, which is what I did today.

 

You end up with ham to use in sandwiches if you want, or casseroles such as this tasty one. You can also cut it into slices and fry it for supper along with some potatoes, or for breakfast with eggs.

You will find that buying a small quarter ham pays for itself in the long run in all the ways that you can invent to use it up!  There is no end to things you can do with it!

 

This is a very delicious mac and cheese type of casserole made with bow tie pasta (Farfalle) and cubed ham in a lush garlicky cheese sauce.  It really is very simple to make and quite, quite delicious!

I think you are really going to love this one!  And not just for its incredibly tasty flavors either. It is economical and very simple to make!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HAM AND CHEESE BOW TIES

The list of ingredients is really very simple.  There is nothing too far out of the ordinary here.

• 1 cup (4 ounces/120g) uncooked bow tie pasta
• 2 TBS butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic paste (or 1 very small clove garlic crushed)
• 2 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/4 cups (150g) grated medium cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces (60g) diced cooked ham
• 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

 

You could use any kind of pasta in this really, but bow ties are really quite pretty. Today I used the type of pasta which has extra fiber added.  We all need to get as much fiber into our diets as we can. 

I find that you really can't tell the difference between regular pasta and the high fiber pasta. If you don't have bow ties you can use regular elbow macaroni, or fusilli.  Both would work very well I think.

 

I sometimes add some thawed frozen peas to this casserole as well. They add even more fiber, added nutrition and a spark of color!

Be judicious when salting this dish as both cheese and ham are salty ingredients.  Salt is very difficult to take away once its been added.  It is much easier for people to just add a bit of salt at the table if they need to.

I think you'll find however that my suggested amount is just right.  You could also add a bit of hot sauce if you want to spice things up a bit! 

 

HOW TO MAKE HAM AND CHEESE BOW TIES

If you can make a cream sauce, then you can make this. I have given instructions for making the sauce in a saucepan, but truth be told I, more often than not, make it in the microwave.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 cup shallow casserole dish. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well, rinse, drain again and then set aside.

Melt the butter until foaming in a saucepan. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the mustard. Cook for about a minute.

Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until the mixture comes to the boil. Simmer for several minutes, stirring constantly and then whisk in the cheddar. Season with the salt and pepper.

 

If you wish to do the sauce in the microwave. Melt the butter in a microwave safe jug for 30 seconds on high. Whisk in the flour and the mustard. Microwave on high for another 30 seconds.

Whisk in the milk, slowly, whisking it well in and making sure you get everything from the sides and corners.

Microwave on high for a further 1 1/2 minutes to 2 minutes, whisking every 30 seconds, until the mixture thickens and bubbles.  Whisk in the cheese until it melts completely.

Season with the salt and pepper. Use as per the recipe.

 

Stir the cooked pasta and ham into the sauce. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over top.

Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.

This is so delicious. I think it is one of my favorite of all the mac and cheese dishes that I make.

 

If you are fond of mac and cheese you might enjoy these dishes as well:

MAC AND CHEESE PIE - This is a great dish to make on those nights when you are wanting to make something quick and easy but something that the family will still enjoy.   Macaroni and Cheese is a popular dish with most people, but when its also a pie, that's a win/win!  Plus it all cooks in the one dish. No fuss. No muss.

CROCK POT MAC AND CHEESE - For those days when you really don't want to be heating up the kitchen by turning on the oven. This is simply delicious, and is another small batch recipe.

EASY CHILI MAC AND CHEESE - If mac and cheese and chili got together and had a baby it would be this deliciously simple casserole. This is an old favorite! 

Enjoy!!

 

Ham & Cheese Bow Ties

Yield: 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

This is like homemade mac and cheese, but made with fun bow tie pasta and hearty ham! This is a delicious small size recipe which can easily be doubled to serve more.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4 ounces/120g) uncooked bow tie pasta
• 2 TBS butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic paste (or 1 very small clove garlic crushed)
• 2 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/4 cups (150g) grated medium cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces (60g) diced cooked ham
• 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 cup shallow casserole dish. Set aside.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well, rinse, drain again and then set aside.
3. Melt the butter until foaming in a saucepan. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the mustard. Cook for about a minute.
4. Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until the mixture comes to the boil. Simmer for several minutes, stirring constantly and then whisk in the cheddar. Season with the salt and pepper.
5. Stir the cooked pasta and ham into the sauce. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over top.
6. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.

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