Cheesy Ham & Pasta Bake

We were going through our freezer and cleaning it out/re-organizing it this weekend. We realized we had a small bag of frozen smoked ham from a few weeks ago. We decided to make a cheesy ham and pasta bake with it and we loved it. It was easy and it was creamy and delicious. It was a super filling meal as well. If you use whole wheat/whole grain pasta, this dish is actually quite healthy, as long as you stick with the serving size.

Cheesy Ham & Pasta Bake
Serves 6 to 8
Adapted by: http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/2010/04/cheesy-ham-pasta-bake.html

Ingredients
1 pound of whole wheat/whole grain penne, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly chopped
2 ½ cups broccoli florets
2 cups diced ham
1 – 8oz pkg provolone cheese, sliced
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese (plus a little more for topping)

For the sauce:6 tablespoons light butter
5 tablespoons heaping flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
3 cups nonfat milk
4 oz shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Spray nonstick cooking spray in a shallow baking dish - I used a 13x9 dish.
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente stage.
-In a nonstick skillet, add olive oil and cook shallots and onions until tender. Add broccoli florets, cover and let steam until slightly tender.
-In a saucepan, melt the butter and add flour. Cook for 1 minute and then add 2 cups of milk whisking frequently to get rid of lumps.
-Bring saucepan to a boil and add remainig milk. Whisk in the mustard and salt. Simmer for a few minutes. Add the cayenne pepper and cheese and stir to combine.
-In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce. Stir in shallots, onions, ham and cheeses. Pour into greased baking dish.
-Cover dish with foil and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
-Cool for 10 minutes before serving

Enjoy! :)