Ham and Ziti Casserole

Despite it being the middle of May, yesterday was cold and rainy. Not quite stew weather but definitely not the kind to grill in. So what's a girl to do? Casserole. A yummy, gooey, cheesy one.

With some broccoli and whole wheat pasta so it's not a total caloric black hole.

Baked Ham and Ziti Casserole

Excuse the craptastic picture, it was a gloomy day and the lighting sucked and by the time I realized the pic was a little blurry, dinner was looooooooooong gone.

What you need:
-8oz of whole wheat penne pasta {or regular penne if that's your preference}
-12oz broccoli florets {I usually just eyeball it and put more in after all, the broccoli is the good stuff}
-8oz ham steak cut into cubes

-preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-boil the pasta in rapidly boiling water for 4 min, add the broccoli and cook until tender and pasta is al dente
-drain and put in a serving bowl that is oven safe, add the ham
-toss with the cheese sauce {recipe below}
-place in the oven for about 30 min or until browned and bubbly
-serve immediately

For the cheese sauce
-melt 4tbs of butter in a microwave safe bowl
-stir in 4tbs of flour to the butter, I use a fork to make sure I get all the lumps out
-add 2 cups of milk {I use either 1% or skim milk and it still comes out creamy. Also heat up the milk for about 30-45 sec in the microwave so that it blends with the butter without lumping.}
-heat the milk/flour/butter mixture in the micowave, until the sauce is thick and bubbly, stirring every 30 seconds. I find it takes about 3 or 4 min but every microwave is different.
-when its nice and thick, add 3/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese


I serve this usually with either some fresh bread or some rolls. and since the leftovers are lunch for flyboy today its safe to say this is as yummy the next day as it is for dinner. Enjoy!

I had a hard time deciding what recipe to do so I have a couple more to post before this is over so stay tuned.