Ham and Pea Macaroni and Cheese

We had ham on New Year's day and we had so much leftover!  I knew there were only going to be the five of us eating it so I made sure to buy the smallest ham I could but we still had a lot leftover.

My  husband remembered me making ham and pea macaroni and cheese a few years ago and asked (OK begged!) me to make it again.  It's his favorite!

I could not for the life of me remember what recipe I used so I made one up as I went along and I have to admit I think this was one of the tastiest meals I've ever made!

My secret?  The addition of the cream of soup mix; it gave it some really great added flavor.  

Ingredients:  

16 ounces cavatappi

16 ounces of frozen peas, thawed

3 cups cubed ham

4 cups shredded cheese; I used 2 cups of Monterey Jack, 1 cup of Mozzarella, I cup cheddar

4 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons cream of soup mix (I use this recipe here)

4 cups milk

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers

To make my macaroni and cheese I first cooked up the whole box of pasta in a large pot following the directions on the box. 

While the pasta was cooking I mixed together the ham, peas, and all the cheese in a large glass bowl and set it aside.  

Then I melted 2 Tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan and added 2 Tablespoons of the soup mix to make a roux of sorts. 

I slowly poured in 4 cups of milk (I used whole but any milk will do) making sure to scrape up all the bits off the bottom of the pan.

I cooked the milk mixture over medium heat until it was boiling and had thickened up a bit.

I poured the milk mixture into the large glass bowl with the cheese, peas, and ham and added the drained pasta too. Making sure to really stir everything together well.

I poured everything into a greased 13x9 pan. You will still see lots of milk at the bottom of the pan but that's OK since it will thicken up in the oven and keep the pasta nice and soft.

I melted the final 2 Tablespoons of butter and mixed with a sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers. Then I sprinkled the crackers over the top of the macaroni.

I baked the pan of macaroni and cheese at 350 for 15-20 minutes until the top was a light golden brown and all the cheese was nice and bubbly.

Doesn't that look yummy?!

Linking Up With:

Miz Helen's Country Cottage