Creamy Ham ‘n’ Macaroni

Name: Creamy Ham 'n' Macaroni
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings.
Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni; 1/4 cup butter, cubed; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups 2% milk; 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided; 1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

The original comfort food, macaroni and cheese gets a makeover with the addition of cubed ham and grated Parmesan. Kids will love it! —Christy Looper, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk, bouillon and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese, ham, Parmesan cheese and macaroni.
Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° until bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 434 calories, 26g fat (16g saturated fat), 93mg cholesterol, 1414mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 1g fiber), 22g protein.

Originally published as Creamy Ham and Macaroni in Taste of Home December/January 2006

Reviews

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Average Rating:

lyndaengland

Apr 26, 2019

I loved this! Left out the bouillon though. Easy and amazing!
marysueharper

Feb 4, 2016

This recipe does not need the bouillon at all. The butter and cheese have enough salt. Otherwise it was delicious and easy.
paulaj1233

Dec 21, 2015

My teens ask for this all the time (and they aren't ordinarily big fans of baked mac and cheese). So simple and sooooo yummy! As for the sodium, I don't think it's salty at all. However, I always use sodium-free bouillon in any recipe. Maybe they don't have that in Denver. Maybe that's only something we have in Ohio.
Grannyhen1

Sep 28, 2014

My family LOVES this
tracy0515

Aug 23, 2014

We love this dish in our house...only change we make is a little extra cheese and I use a pound of pasta...there's 6 of us It's a fantastic and easy dinner to make...
SammiDad

Jun 25, 2014

Must agree w/DenverPatti, TOO SALTY. Maybe that's the midwestern casserole norm, I don't know. I think the mac+cheese flavors would actually come through better w/less salt. 1 tsp bouillon granules sounds right, then add more to the sauce to taste IF NEEDED before combining with macaroni. But otherwise very clear, well written recipe, and rich cheesy flavor. And simple, that's a plus. Hence, 3 stars.
DenverPatti

Jun 18, 2014

This was WAY TOO salty for health of humans! I had to rinse all of the pasta and ham off and start over. Typically chicken bouillon granules are so salty. I recommend cutting the amount in half. I actually cut it to one teaspoon and MUCH MORE HEART HEALTHY! The ham adds enough sodium! I also added about 1/2 cup frozen peas and it turned out great! LOOK at the 1414 mg. of sodium in this recipe for a one cup serving!!!!! Is this healthy??? NO WAY! Not to mention it was so salty you couldn't taste anything else.One more comment, no parent with any knowledge of healthy nutrition and childhood obesity should EVER feed their kids a dish with so much sodium and the cholesterol is not good either. No wonder we have unhealthy overweight kids. I have to be honest!And btw, I made the recipe EXACTLY as it is written the first time. Not healthy that way at all.
2princesses2luv

Mar 11, 2014

This was just ok to us.
katlaydee3

Jan 23, 2014

This was excellent, super rich and a great way to use up leftover ham.
Aidandrewmom

Dec 12, 2013

Didn't have enough of ingredients on hand and had to use only 1 cup white cheddar, 1 cup whole milk with 1 cup water and about 1/8 cup Italian parmesan. It still turned out great..my kids loved it and are asking for me to make again! Cant imagine the flavor with the right amount of ingredients. Finally a recipe they like since I wont buy the box mac and cheese anymore!