MONDAY RECIPE POST - HAM AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE - 6 SERVINGS

Today's recipe came from Christine at Christine's Blog here.  Her inspiration came from Taste of Home at this address.  It was a big hit in this house as we gave it a ten out of ten.  I made a few changes depending on what I had on hand, which I will detail below.

Christine’s recipe:

2 c cauliflower florets

1 large carrot sliced

2 celery ribs chopped

Water to boil vegetables

2 cups cubed ham

1 green pepper chopped

1 onion chopped

7 tablespoons butter divided

1/4 tablespoons butter set aside for topping

3 tablespoons flour

1-1/2 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (Christine used panko as did I)

1/2 tomato sliced

 

In a saucepan bring cauliflower, carrots, celery to a boil. 

Cook for 15 minutes and drain.

In a skillet sauté 3 tablespoons butter, onions, green pepper. 

When softened mix ham in.

Add the vegetables.

Transfer to a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

 

Make cheese sauce: 

Melt remaining butter, stir in flour until smooth. 

Gradually whisk in milk, salt, pepper. 

Stir constantly until thickened, about 2 mins. 

Add cheese and stir until melted. 

Add sliced tomato.

Pour over ham mix and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. 

Dot with small bits of butter (1/4 tablespoon).

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 25-30 mins until browned.

 

Changes I made:

I had no tomatoes or celery or green pepper.  Instead I used the following:

4 large mushrooms, sliced

1/2 head of cauliflower plus 1/2 head of broccoli cut up into smaller ‘flowers’ (one of us heartily dislikes broccoli but announced it tasted pretty good in this recipe)

4 medium potatoes (because someone said “What?  No potatoes?”)

I added a diced parsnip it did not overpower the other vegetables, very subtle   

1 yellow sweet pepper

I added an extra 2 carrots as they were small and wanted to make up for no celery.

I diced them all up and instead of sautéing the onion and pepper in butter, I put all the vegetables (except the potatoes) in one large pot of boiling water for 15 minutes, not adding the sweet yellow pepper until I mixed it in with the ham and vegetable mixture before putting it into the oven.  I cooked the potatoes separately because I couldn't fit them into the one pot. I felt a bit lazy skipping the sautéing part out, but after all the preparing of the vegetables I went the easier route and did them all in one step.  I couldn't tell the difference once everything had been put into the casserole, did not miss the extra butter and the finished product was creamy and very tasty.

(I made an early start to our meal and got in the kitchen first today.  Gregg announced this was the best casserole that I had ever made.  I can't remember the last time I made a casserole to tell you the truth, but I was happy he felt that way as he is honest and helpful in his constructive critiques.  I welcome them.  It’s what we do when we both cook). 

I put everything into a 13 x 9 inch glass dish, and there were leftovers for other meals, which only tasted better the next time. 

You can freeze any leftovers even with the potatoes.  

I served the casserole with a few fresh spinach leaves and rings of red onion on the side.

The aroma in the house was wonderful!

Thanks Christine, this was a definite keeper.  I got to use up a lot of leftover ham after Easter (I made this recipe shortly afterwards) and added a new meal for the next time we have company.

Thanks for taking a look everyone and have a great week.