Six Cheese Mac & Cheese with Ham

Mmm I will be posting our Christmas feast with recipes very soon, but here's a little something to hold you over until then. My mom prepared a delicious ham for Christmas dinner, and needless to say, we had a ton left over. Since my mom was working the other night I decided to use some of the leftover ham to make mac and cheese with ham (a family tradition after we have a big ham for dinner). 

Mac and cheese is one of the easiest things to make, and probably one of the most delicious & comforting foods (in my totally biased pasta-loving opinion). 

What You Need:

1 lb pasta (I used orrecchiette, but elbow or shells work great too)

5 tbs butter

3 tbs flour

3 cups of milk (I used 2 cups whole, 1 cup skim)

1/2 large yellow onion, diced

pinch of paprika

pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

1/2 cup mild cheddar, shredded

1 cup Bel Gioiso Four Cheese Shred (if not available, this includes Asiago, Fontina, Parmesan, and Provolone cheeses)

1/2 - 3/4 cup of ham, diced

1 cup breadcrumbs

To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Boil a pot of salted water, and cook the orrecchiette until it's al dente (the box will tell you how long)

As your pasta is cooking, begin to melt 3 tbs of butter in a separate pot. As your butter melts, whisk in the flour, and continue to whisk for approximately 5 minutes until it is well combined and no longer clumpy. Next, mix in the milk, onion, paprika, and cayenne pepper, and allow it to simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes. 

As the mixture is simmering, dice up your ham so it'll be ready to add.

After it has simmered, add in almost all of the cheese, and mix everything until it's smooth. At this point you should have already drained the pasta, and should now combine the cheese sauce and pasta. After you have poured in the cheese, add the diced ham and mix it all together. After it's been combined, pour it into a large baking dish. 

Check out that creamy goodness!

Set the dish to the side, and begin to melt the remaining butter in a skillet. Add the breadcrumbs to the skillet, saute them, and then add them to the top of the mac and cheese. Sprinkle the remaining bit of cheese on the very top, and place in the oven.

Cook the mac and cheese for approximately 25 minutes (until the breadcrumbs appear toasted and the top cheese is melted). 

This is an awesome dish, and depending on the types of cheeses you use, it can really take on many different levels and layers of flavor. By using the mix of the six different cheeses, seven if you count mild and sharp cheddar separately, it gives the mac and cheese a more "sophisticated" taste.  Also, the ham added a really great smokiness to the mac and cheese... mmm mmm mmm!

I served my creation to my brother and his friends for dinner, and there were no complaints! Although there were also not any compliments either...15 year old boys are still pretty shy so I guess they could have hated it... we may never know. 

Obviously added some extra cheese to the top of mine :)

Here's a little secret... mac and cheese does not have to come out of a box! It is so simple to make, and it is a great vessel for leftovers (extra bacon left over from the morning, spinach, broccoli, etc). Don't be afraid to get creative, and in less than 40 minutes you can have a quick and easy dinner that everyone will love! (except the lactose intolerant). 

Enjoy!