Ham Cups with Mac n’ Cheese
By 
You’ll Need
- 8 oz macaroni or other small pasta
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 cups aged-cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
- 12 regular slices deli ham (or 6 large)
- ¼ cup panko or traditional breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp butter
Prep and Cook
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. One minute before the pasta is done, add the peas. Drain well and return to the pot.
- Meanwhile, shred the cheese using a grater. While the pasta cooks, combine the cheese, milk, flour, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and mix it in, cooking the pasta over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is creamy, smooth and thick.
- Lightly grease a muffin tin and press the ham slices into the muffin cups. Fill each with a few spoonfuls of the mac and cheese. Divide the panko evenly between the ‘muffins’ and top with a dot of butter.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the panko is golden brown and the edges of the ham cup are crisp.
