Baked Mac And Cheese With Diced Ham And Spinach Recipes

SPINACH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat while macaroni is cooking. Add flour and whisk until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in a little milk and continue whisking. Pour in remaining milk and add frozen spinach. Cook, whisking constantly, until spinach softens and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
• Remove sauce from heat and stir in 2 cups Cheddar cheese; whisk until melted. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Drain macaroni and spread evenly in the prepared baking dish. Cover with cheese sauce. Mix well. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Turn on the oven's broiler and broil until a golden crust forms on top, about 3 minutes.

CREAMY HAM 'N' MACARONI

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk, bouillon and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese, ham, Parmesan cheese and macaroni., Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° until bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain and reserve. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in flour to coat onion. In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.
• Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cayenne, if using, and 1 cup each yellow and white cheddar cheese. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Toss pasta with cheese mixture; fold in ham. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or individual dishes. Set aside.
• In a food processor, pulse bread until large crumbs form. Toss together with remaining 1/4 cup each white and yellow cheddar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Top pasta with breadcrumb mixture. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes.

BAKED MAC AND CHEESE WITH DICED HAM AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter an 8x8-inch baking dish.
• Prepare Kraft Macaroni and Cheese following package instructions, slightly undercooking the macaroni.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the ham. Cook 1 minute longer. Use hands to squeeze excess moisture from the spinach and add it to the skillet. Stir in the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Mix well and transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake until warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 20 minutes.

DERBY SAGE MAC AND CHEESE WITH HAM

Steps:

• Heat a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta just shy of al dente, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Melt the butter and when it foams, add the garlic and shallots, then season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the flour, whisk for 1 minute. Then whisk in the milk and thicken the sauce to coat the back of a spoon. Melt in the Sage Derby cheese, then add the ham. Separate the spinach as you stir it into sauce as well. Toss the pasta with the sauce, and pour into a casserole dish, top with the Parm. Cool and reserve for a make-ahead meal.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake from room temp until brown and bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes.