Ham and Broccoli Cheesy Pasta Bake
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Difficulty:
easy
Difficulty
Preparation:
20 min.
Preparation
ready in 1 hr 5 min.
Ready in
Ingredients
for
8
- Ingredients
- salt
- 8 cups dried Penne
- 1 head Broccoli (trimmed and cut into small florets)
- 1 ½ cups diced carrots (frozen)
- 4 Tbsps unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¾ tsp Dry mustard
- ⅛ tsp Nutmeg
- freshly ground Black pepper (to taste)
- 2 cups shredded, sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere
- 2.333 cups cooked ham (cut into strips)
- ¼ cup Parmesan
Preparation steps
1.
Preheat oven to 350º F / 180º C. Coat a 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 8 minutes. Add broccoli florets and frozen carrots and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, rinse well with cold water and drain again. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
3.
In a large sauce pan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add flour to the pan and whisk until smooth and bubbly. Slowly whisk in milk. Add cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir constantly until sauce begins to boil, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat source.
4.
Stir the Cheddar and Gruyere cheese into the hot sauce, continue stirring until cheese melts and consistency is smooth and thick. Stir in ham.
5.
Stir sauce into pasta and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbly. Cool for several minutes before serving.