Swiss Cheese and Ham Macaroni and Cheese

Submitted by Judith N.

"An All-Time favorite with a twist of swiss cheese and peas. A dish that becomes more addictive with every bite! Talk about Comfort Food."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• salt
• white pepper
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 8 ounces dry elbow macaroni (uncooked)
• 8 ounces domestic swiss cheese, grated (2 cups grated)
• 8 ounces ham, cubed
• 1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
• 1⁄4 cup grated parmesan cheese

directions

1. In a 2 to 3 quart sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes.
3. Slowly add the milk, whisking to combine.
4. Bring to a simmer, add the salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
5. Reduce the heat to low and let sauce simmer slowly for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and, on the stove top, cook the macaroni according to pkg.
7. directions, drain and place in a large bowl.
8. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the swiss cheese and stir until it melts.
9. Combine the sauce, cubed ham and peas with the drained macaroni.
10. Pour the macaroni mixture into a 11x8x2" dish.
11. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
12. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Reviews

[Tymon]

Absolutely fantastic. Another thing to do is to cook it using bacon instead of ham. But either way, it's fantastic.

 

[ThinkJen]

I loved it! I'm on a low-FODMAP diet so I had to make a few substitutions: brown rice macaroni pasta; Finlandia lactose-free swiss cheese slices broken into small pieces; lactose-free, plain kefir in place of whole milk; and gluten-free flour. Note:The kefir and gf flour were very thick, so I added a little bit of water to thin it out. Lastly, I omitted the green peas which are no-no on the low FODMAP diet. <br/><br/>Flavors were yummy. Brought back memories of croque monsieurs. I may experiment and try adding a little mayonnaise and smidgeon of dijon mustard next time. I will definitely be making this again.

 

[omadarlin]

YUMMY! I took it to a pot-luck dinner and it was a huge hit. Made a few changes: added sauteed onion (as Grammy Bunny suggested) and doubled the ham. I also mixed the Parmesan with 1/2 stack saltines (crushed) and 1/4 c. melted butter. I spread this topping on 10 minutes prior to taking it out of the oven. Will make this, again! NOTE: Prep was more like an hour.

 

[LARavenscroft]

Absolutely amazing. This was a wonderful change from regular macaroni & cheese. This was really easy to make gluten-free. Thanks Tweeky for a great recipe.

 

[dgdutch]

My famiy loves this mac and cheese. Never many leftovers. But still good the next day. Total comfort food. I also use half cheddar and half swiss with smoked ham. Yum.