Ham and Cheese Casserole

Leftover ham and cheese casserole made with homemade condensed soup.

PREP TIME: 30 minutes

COOK TIME: 25 minutes:

TOTAL TIME: 55 minutes

SERVINGS: 6

INGREDIENTS:

16 ounces small Rotini Pasta

4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

4 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Milk

1 cup Heavy Cream, divided

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

3 cups leftover diced Ham

2/3 cup Sour Cream

3 cups grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

4 scallions, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and lightly butter a 9x13" oven-safe dish.

2. First, cook the small rotini pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al-dente -- about 1-2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for 1 minute until homogeneous. Whisk constantly.

4. Next, stream in the milk, 1/2 cup of the cream, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Lower the heat and cook while stirring occasionally until slightly thickened. It will take about 5-8 minutes, and the mixture will coat the back of a spoon when it's properly thickened.

5. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cream sauce, sour cream, 2 cups of the grated cheddar cheese, ham and the sliced scallions. Stir well to combine.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese. Drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream evenly over the mixture.

7. Cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5 minutes to slightly crisp up the cheese on top.

8. Let stand for 5 minutes before scooping and serving.

NOTES:

-Instead of making your own cream sauce, you can use 2 cans of condensed cream of cheddar soup. For this, omit all ingredients starting with the flour and ending with garlic powder. Just used the 2 cans of soup instead.