Lunch: Ham and Cheese Macaroni Bake with Peas

Recipe by Laura Zapalowski Mac 'n' cheese gets a main dish makeover with the addition of chopped ham and frozen peas. Add a green salad to round out your meal and enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked medium elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups chopped lean ham
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extrasharp cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 (1-ounce) slices white bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 °.
Cook pasta in boiling water 6 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Combine pasta, ham, and peas in a large bowl.
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add milk; bring to simmer. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses, salt, and peppers. Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9 –inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 1/4 cups. Combine breadcrumbs and butter in a bowl. Arrange breadcrumb mixture evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 400 ° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

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