Christmas Ham and Macaroni Cheese

A lovely recipe for Christmas Ham and Macaroni Cheese, that I adapted from Slimming World, and one that uses festive leftovers.

An Easy Recipe using Festive Leftovers from Thanksgiving and Christmas

A lovely recipe for Christmas Ham and Macaroni Cheese, that I adapted from Slimming World, and one that uses festive leftovers.

We really enjoyed this recipe when I last made it, and I can see it being very popular as an easy to whip up dish thoughout the holiday season.

The original recipe called for leeks, spinach and red peppers – I have kep the red peppers for colour, but as I didn’t have any spinach or leeks, I added leftover veggies.

I also had lots of leftover gammon (ham), so that was added, as well as odds and ends of cheese that was lurking in the back of the fridge.

I served this Christmas Ham and Macaroni Cheese with salad for the first sitting and with steamed sweetheart cabbage the next day.

It’s a handy recipe, insofar as you can use all manner of leftovers, such as: sprouts, carrots, peas, cabbage, parsnips etc.

I have listed what I used the last time I made this, which was Brussels sprouts, red pepper, carrots, and lots of fresh parsley, as well as ham.

I hope you enjoy this recipe if you make it, and please do let me know what you added to your cheesy sauce and macaroni, happy cooking! Karen

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Cooking Notes:

• Add chopped cooked bacon, diced pigs-in-blankets or diced cooked turkey.
• Add any leftover cooked vegetables such as peas, parsnips or braised leeks.
• Use any cheese you have to hand, such as Cheshire, Wensleydale, Double Gloucester, Lancashire or Danish Blue.
• For a richer sauce, use semi-skimmed or whole milk.

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Recipe for Christmas Ham and Macaroni Cheese

Christmas Ham and Macaroni Cheese

Yield:
4

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
25 minutes

Total Time:
45 minutes

A lovely recipe for Christmas Ham and Macaroni Cheese, that I adapted from Slimming World, and one that uses festive leftovers.

We really enjoyed this recipe when I last made it, and I can see it being very popular as an easy to whip up dish thoughout the holiday season.

The original recipe called for leeks, spinach and red peppers – I have kep the red peppers for colour, but as I didn’t have any spinach or leeks, I added leftover veggies.

I also had lots of leftover gammon (ham), so that was added, as well as odds and ends of cheese that was lurking in the back of the fridge.

I served this Christmas Ham and Macaroni Cheese with salad for the first sitting and with steamed sweetheart cabbage the next day.

It’s a handy recipe, insofar as you can use all manner of leftovers, such as: sprouts, carrots, peas, cabbage, parsnips etc.

I have listed what I used the last time I made this, which was Brussels sprouts, red pepper, carrots, and lots of fresh parsley, as well as ham.

I hope you enjoy this recipe if you make it, and please do let me know what you added to your cheesy sauce and macaroni, happy cooking! Karen

Ingredients

• 200g dried elbow macaroni
• 25g butte ror low-fat spread
• 1 large red pepper, deseeded and finely diced
• 200g to 250g leftover sprouts and carrots, finely diced
• 200g to 250g leftover ham or gammon, shredded or diced
• 1 large bunch of fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• SAUCE:
• 25g butter or low-fat spread
• 2 teaspoons plain flour
• 300mls skimmed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 100g extra strong mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• 25g half-fat Cheddar cheese, grated
• 25g Stilton cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Cook macaroni in salted water as directed on package; drain well and set aside.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly add flour, stirring constantly; cook for about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to thoroughly incorporate flour mixture. Stir in the mustard powder and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently; remove from heat.
4. Combine the Stilton cheese with two-thirds of both types of cheddar cheese, then add the cheeses to the white sauce, mix well to melt the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in to the cooked macaroni.
5. Wipe clean the pan and add a little butter, saute the red pepper witht the leftover sprouts and carrots until the pepper is soft.
6. Stir the vegetables into the macaroni and cheese sauce, mix well. Then add the chopped parsley and diced or shredded ham and mix well again.
7. Spoon the macaroni mixture into prepared casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar cheeses.
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving with a mixed salad or steamed seasonal vegetables.

Notes

Optional extras:

Add chopped cooked bacon, diced pigs-in-blankets or diced cooked turkey.

Add any leftover cooked vegetables such as peas, parsnips or braised leeks.

Use any cheese you have to hand, such as Cheshire, Wensleydale, Double Gloucester, Lancashire or Danish Blue.

For a richer sauce, use semi-skimmed or whole milk.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4

Serving Size 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories 410Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 87mgSodium 1010mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 3gSugar 7gProtein 31g