Carries Macaroni and Cheese With Ham

Submitted by CookbookCarrie

"Delicious, cheesy, yummy goodness. You can eat it right away, or bake it to get a crispy top, your choice. Cooking the onions with the pasta distributes the flavor. Give it a try. I did this as a pantry challenge, I had the stuff and threw it together!"

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 6 tablespoons margarine or 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 2 1⁄2 cups milk
• 3⁄4 lb American cheese, shredded or sliced
• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 1⁄4 cup onion, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups ham, cooked & diced

directions

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, adding the diced onion when you put the dry pasta into the boiling water. Drain and rinse.
2. While pasta is draining, melt Margarine in the pot and then add the flour, garlic powder & salt. Stir constantly until thick and turning a dark butter color.
3. Add the milk and stir until it starts to thicken, then slowly, a bit at a time, add the cheese, stirring constantly. When everything is melted together and smooth, add the macaroni and ham in and mix well.
4. Serve OR Bake in an oven proof dish for 20 minutes at 375 for a crispy top.

Reviews

[mama smurf]

A very good and easy recipe. I cut the recipe in half and like Bergy I added some jalapeno and red pepper flakes but also I added a few frozen peas at the end for color and baked it for about 15-20 minutes. Made for Think Pink Oct'09 Breast Awareness Month.

 

[FrenchBunny]

This was a delicious Mac and Cheese. The addition of the ham made for a yummy taste. It was a nice creamy sauce with a great flavor. I cut the recipe in half being only 2 for lunch. I got everything ready before I left for work and just popped it in the oven at work for about 30 minutes and was fantastic. The only complaint I had was it was too hot. Thanks for your recipe. Made for Think Pink Oct'09 Breast Awareness Month

 

[Bergy]

I cut the recipe in half them made it up to the point of adding the macaroni, separated half into an individual oven proof bowl - my friend does not eat meat very often, then added the ham to the remainder and now we have two happy diners from one recipe. I did add a Jalapeno pepper, finely chopped and 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes to the sauce just before adding the macaroni. Great comfort food on a Winters night Thanks CookbookCarrie for posting this tasty recipe

 

[looneytunesfan]

I really liked this. I am always on the search for a CREAMY mac & cheese. This was very good and creamy. Unfortunatly my daughters brought down the average because they felt it wasn't cheesey enough. All the more for me then. What was left I am freezing in individual servings for MYSELF!!! Thank you for sharing.

 

[*Parsley*]

Yummy! This sauce got thick, smooth and creamy and it didn't dry out after baking. I never made mac & cheese without any cheddar cheese until now. The American cheese was wonderful!! I used yellow American cheese, a bit more ham than called for (for my meat-lovin' boys);) I also put about 1/4 tsp of paprika in it and sprinkled the top w/ about 1/4 cup soft buttery breadcrumbs before baking. Mmmmmm! So delicious! On top of being delicious, it's an easy recipe to make. I will make this for my family over and over. Thanx for sharing this!