Gourmet Mac & Cheese

Recently I took dinner in to a family who needed a little help and I had no time to go to the store. Sometimes it is tricky to find something that most everyone will like young or old. So I decided Mac & Cheese was a good place to start. It's also great comfort food and they needed some comfort.
I was lucky enough to have lots of ham left over in the freezer from a family get together so I grabbed that. (If you didn't have ham any chunks of meat would work even hotdogs for little ones or hamburger etc.)
I boiled up some shell pasta because sauce can fill all those holes and it makes it super yummy. While the pasta was cooking I made a roux with butter and flour. I always wisk that together over medium heat for a couple of minutes to make sure the flour taste goes away. Then I added about 2 cups of milk while I kept stirring. Once that was creamy and bubbling I  added shredded cheddar and some monterey jack for good measure. In my family you can never over do the cheese so I used lots. Just keep melting and stirring. After I drained the pasta I added the cheese sauce and pasta together with some salt and pepper to taste. I added the chunks of ham and poured it all in a foil casserole pan. (This way no dishes have to be washed or returned). I added about 1/4 c melted butter to 1 c Panko bread crumbs and spread that over the top. I baked the whole casserole in the oven for about 30 min at 350 or until golden brown.

I just added steamed beans for a veggie and bread and off I went. Dinner in a snap. I made enough for my husband and I also since that is our rule. Make enough for those at home so not every great thing goes out the door for someone else! I really love having a big freezer because the rolls, chocolate chip cookies and ham from my freezer saved the day.