Recipes

Vanessa Greenwood’s Ham and French bean pasta bake

Once all the ingredients are ready, the dish takes 20 minutes in the oven.

Vanessa Greenwood
Sat Mar 12 2016 - 02:47
Serves: 6
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 0 hr 35 mins
Ingredients
  • Serves 6
  • 500g cooked ham, bitesize chunks, trimmed of any fat
  • 450g macaroni, or other pasta
  • 100g French beans, trimmed
  • 75g butter
  • 75g flour
  • 750ml milk
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 125g mature cheddar cheese (100g for bechamel, 25g for topping), grated
  • 3 scallions, very finely sliced
  • 20g parsley and chives, freshly chopped
  • 50g breadcrumbs
  • 25g butter, melted
  • Salt and pepper</li><li/></ul>

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Cook the pasta as per pack instructions, set aside. Cook the French beans in boiling salted water for two minutes until just tender. Drain, then refresh under cold running water, slice in half and set aside.

To make a bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a pan, add flour and cook the mixture through for one minute. Over a medium heat, gradually add the milk, whisking the whole time. Stir in 100g of the grated cheese (reserving 25g for the breadcrumb topping). Season with salt, pepper and mustard.

Stir the sauce through the pasta, then gently fold in the ham, French beans and scallions. Transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Stir melted butter through breadcrumbs, then add the remaining grated cheese and the herbs. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the top of the pasta.

Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden.

LATEST STORIES