So, I was at Borders the other day (at The Block), and for $4 picked up this "Comfort Food" cookbook. Since I just cooked a ham the other day and need to find ways to use it all, I made their "Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake" recipe. I added a little flair of my own (shallots, sage, nutmeg), but here's the rundown:
Cook 1 chopped onion in 1tbsp oil til soft (I shorted the onion and added half a shallot)
Add chopped ham (they said 10oz, I have no idea how much I used >
) and cook for a couple extra minutes.
Add in 2 1/2 c of cream (I only had 1c cream so I used cream and milk, which was fine and probably cuts some fat)
Add in thawed frozen peas (I used maybe 1/3 of the bag which was less than the recipe but plenty of peas)
Cook, stirring, for another couple of minutes till it's thickened and a little bubbly. Season to taste (in my case: nutmeg, a dash of sage, white pepper, and a little garlic salt).
Pour the sauce over 12 oz of cooked pasta (I used farfalle, recipe was shells), and stir it all together. You're supposed to add some fresh basil leaves at this point, but I didn't have any so I used a dash of the dried stuff in the seasoning stage.
Mix in 1.5 cups of shredded cheese (they used mature cheddar, I used a combo of cheddar and mozzarella), and put it into a greased (2.5 qt) casserole dish. Spread another 1/2 cup of cheese on the top and cook in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes until cheese gets a little golden looking.
As of right now, I've tasted this at the scoop it into a casserole stage, and it was amazing, so I'm looking forward to the final result!