Ham And Cheese Rigatoni With Sauce

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 4 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (or your favorite hard cheese blend)
• 16 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed in 1/2-inch pieces (a ball)
• 1/2 lb cubed ham (1/2-inch pieces)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (i prefer the panko but you can use any kind you like)

Recipe

• 1 butter a 2 quart baking dish and lightly sprinkle 1 tsp bread crumbs over butter. just sprinkle it with your finger tips like you would sprinkle salt over plate. it will be very sparse.
• 2 pour milk into a medium saucepan. using a seive, whisk in flour. squash out any lumps.
• 3 place saucepan on high heat for 2 minutes to get the milk warm then turn down to just above medium to avoid boiling. when the milk is warm, add the butter, nutmeg, grated parmesan and a dash of salt. (be careful because your ham will be salty as well) stir gently. continue to stir until the sauce thickens, 15 - 20 minutes. (this is a long way to get a bechamel sauce but it comes out nice).
• 4 cook your pasta just to al dente, it will continue to cook in the oven.
• 5 when the sauce is thick and creamy remove it from the heat.
• 6 put your pasta in a large bowl, add the sauce over top. (all of it, it looks like a lot but it makes a nice creamy dish) mix gently.
• 7 add ham and mozzarella cubes, fold all together. pour into baking dish and top with breadcrumbs and grated parmesan to your liking.
• 8 bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, sauce should be bubbly and tips of pasta will be golden.