Mac & Cheese with Ham Casserole

Last week I saw a bunch of my favorite food bloggers mentioning this new cookbook:Perfect One Dish Dinners and I decided to try the "Shells & Cheese for Everyone" from it. Only I can't leave a recipe as is, ever. I added ham, onion, garlic and mustard powder. It turned out *really* good and while I was a bit hesitant about the addition of cottage cheese, I was pleasantly surprised to find that you couldn't tell there was cottage cheese in it at all! This dish was delicious and satisfying and very much a full meal in one dish. We had a nice green salad along side it and everyone loved it! I hope you'll try it out and let me know what you think of it :)

While I'm here, I also wanted to mention a new food related website I've had recommended to me. Foodspring: Gateway to Food Adventure.(http://foodspring.com/) It's a site with a ton of information on anything and everything food related. From specialty foods to new food trends and even recipes!


Mac & Cheese with Ham Casserole

Ingredients:
1 Pound Ham, diced small
1 Medium Sweet Onion chopped
2 Cloves Garlic minced
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 pound medium sized Pasta Shells
1 pound grated sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 container (16 oz) Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1 Cup finely grated Parmesan
1 container (16 oz) Sour Cream
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Cup plain Panko Breadcrumbs
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh Parsley
3 Tablespoons Butter, melted
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Teaspoon dry mustard

Method:
Make sure oven rack is in the lower middle position and heat oven to 350F degrees. Coat 13×9 baking dish or dutch oven with cooking spray.

Following package directions, cook entire box of pasta until just tender.

While pasta cooks, sauté ham, onion and garlic in olive oil until the ham is browned and the onions are translucent.

Mix cheeses and sour cream in a large bowl. Add the ham and onion mixture to the cheese mixture. Add the hot pasta and toss to coat thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and ground mustard, stir well and transfer to casserole dish.

Mix bread crumbs, parsley, and butter together in a small bowl, and sprinkle evenly over the shells and cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes until the casserole is bubbly and crumbs are golden brown.