White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

This recipe is from the September Issue of Family Circle. I was excited to try it out, and just as I expected, it yielded fantastic taste bud winning results. My husband and I both loved it, and the big batch allowed us to dig into it for more than a week!

NEED:

• 1 lb farfalle pasta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups Milk
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 lb white cheddar cheese, shredded (about 4 cups) [I used casserole shredded cheese]
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas
• 1/2 pound finely diced smoked ham (such as Cumberland gap)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cook pasta in lightly salted water following package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until well blended; cook 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup of milk and cook, whisking continuously until smooth. Whisk in remaining 1 cup milk , and continue to cook, whisking until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk in 2 cups cheese until smooth.
3. In large bowl, mix together the pasta, cheese sauce and 1 cup of the remaining cheese. Stir in the peas and ham. Pour into prepared baking dish. Scatter remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over the top.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PER SERVING:
12 servings
372 calories
17g fat/21 g protein/34 g carb/3 g fiber/625 mg sod/58 mg col.

COST: $7.74 or $0.64 per serving