Ham & Cheese Noodle casserole
- Servings Per Recipe: 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 211.9
- Total Fat: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 8.6 mg
- Sodium: 207.6 mg
- Total Carbs: 28.7 g
- Dietary Fiber: 3.4 g
- Protein: 10.0 g
Introduction
Why isnt there a category for comfort food or potluck food? This is great for both, it can be made ahead of time with no loss of quality. Men, women and children like it. Its a great way to "sneak" loads of veggies in. This is one of the few recipes my mom ( a noted hate to cook-er) passed down to me. Why isnt there a category for comfort food or potluck food? This is great for both, it can be made ahead of time with no loss of quality. Men, women and children like it. Its a great way to "sneak" loads of veggies in. This is one of the few recipes my mom ( a noted hate to cook-er) passed down to me.Ingredients
-
1 Med onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 c. frozen peas
0.5 lbs ham, chopped (1.5 cups-ish)
0.5 c sour cream
0.5 c plain non-fat yogurt
1 tsp dijon mustard
0.5 c shredded cheese (provolone, swiss or cheddar are good, NO Mozzarella!)
1 tbsp parm cheese
6 oz no-yolk egg noodles.
Tips
Q1) Sour cream!! You know this is a diet website, right?
A1) I have tried lots of variations to make the easy creamy sauce that this requires: canned cheese soup (tastes chemically, & salty), 100% yogurt (doesn't cling right), homemade cream sauce with 1% milk (why dirty another pan?). The sour cream/ yogurt mix coats the noodles just right. The yogurt lightens things up as much as you can and the sour cream stops the sauce from breaking. I suppose you could use full fat yogurt if you wanted....
Q2) Eww! I cut some leftover Easter ham that I had in the freezer and it oozed water all over the place!
A2) Stick a clean paper towel under the defrosted ham before you cut. It wont stop the leak, but it will prevent a giant cleanup.
Q3) Can this be made ahead of time?
A3) Yes! You can chop, fridge and then cook, or you can go all the way to the pan stage, stick it in the fridge and then put the COLD pan into a COLD oven uncovered at 350 for 1 hour. You just walk in the door, put the mail down on the counter, pull the pan out of the fridge and pop it in the oven and THEN go get changed, set the table, walk the dog etc.
Q4) My skillet isn't ovenproof.
A4) In this case transfer to a regular casserole dishes - it fits in an 8x8, but you get more crunchy bits if you have a 9x11. The ovenproof business is just because I dont like to wash more than I have too.
Q5) Ummm, this doesnt look like enough noodles for the veggie meat mix..
A5) We're being sneaky here! Volume-wise, you should have about 2-3x veggie -meat to noodles.
Q6) I dont have egg noodles, can I use regular?
A6) Of course! Egg noodles make my skirt fly up in this dish, but its not worth a special trip to the store.
Q7) Turkey ham?
A7) I guess, I've never tried it. Let me know,'k?
Directions
2) In an oven-proof skillet or casserole dish (I used my cast iron) heat the oil & saute the veggies and ham until they are soft. When the water comes to a boil add the noodles and cook until they are 90% done.
3) Mix the sour cream, yogurt, mustard and then pour into the skillet on top of the cooked veg & meat. Add pepper if desired. Mix thoroughly.
4) Add cooked noodles to skillet, mix, add cheeses to skillet & mix again.
5) Put into oven for 30 minutes, uncovered until top is brown
Serving Size: 6 servings