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Macaroni cheese with ham
Macaroni cheese is a classic that can be jazzed up which way and another. Mine contains a few optional portions of extra veg too, and some crispy fried Princes Diced Ham. With oozy gooey cheese it is perfect for cold winter evenings. Make a day in advance and keep in the fridge until ready to reheat.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 150 g macaroni
- 20 g butter
- 2 dsp plain flour
- 500 ml skimmed milk
- 200 g roasted butternut squash
- 2 dsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp French mustard - (optional)
- 200 g can Princes diced ham - (drained and rinsed)
- 100 g strongly flavoured hard cheese, such as cheddar or parmesan - finely grated
- 100 g mozzarella - cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni as per the packet instructions in a large pan of salted water.
- Blitz the butternut squash with 75ml of the milk with a stick blender.
- Melt the butter in a large pan, add the flour and stir well. Cook for a few minutes; this is important to stop the sauce tasting of flour.
- Turn the heat right down, then add the remainder of the milk to the flour and butter, a splash at a time, stirring well all the time.
- Add the butternut squash puree, soy sauce and mustard. Stir in half the hard cheese and half the mozzarella.
- Drain the can of Princes Diced Ham, and fry briefly until the cubes are pale brown on a couple of sides. Stir into the sauce. Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix well.
- Transfer to the serving dishes, dot the top with the remaining mozzarella and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
- Put under a hot grill until golden and the sauce is bubbling.
- Serve with green vegetables or salad.
Notes
Prepare in advance and reheat in a medium oven, then grill before serving.
You can buy ready chopped frozen squash from all the major supermarkets, or roast your own and freeze any leftovers.
A quick and easy way to add some vegetables to the dish is to replace a third of the macaroni with chopped cauliflower.
You can buy ready chopped frozen squash from all the major supermarkets, or roast your own and freeze any leftovers.
A quick and easy way to add some vegetables to the dish is to replace a third of the macaroni with chopped cauliflower.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.
Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 1710mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 6115IU | Vitamin C: 10.5mg | Calcium: 491mg | Iron: 1.1mg