Ham and Cheese Bowties

Ok, I did this a lot differently. First of all, you should probably add more pasta if you don't want too much of the sauce. I omitted the mustard. I added 1 cup colby and 1/1/2 cup mozzarella and then salt, pepper and italian seasonings. Oh ya, and peas. Was a great dish, will definately make again. This is a good recipe to keep around just for the fact that you can do so much with it(use it as a base). Maybe add chicken or turkey and/or french cut green beans next time. Maybe top it off with some sliced cherry tomatoes.

We had a big ham for Christmas with lots of leftovers to use up. This recipe had all the ingredients that my family loves, ham, cheese, noodles, garlic, I mean what’s not to like? And the added bonus was that I had all the ingredients on hand. Which meant no trip needed to the grocery store! Gotta love that! I followed the recipe exactly as stated and it turned out really yummy! Cheesy, gooey, and warm on a cold, stormy, winter night! Served with a big green salad. Will serve with some rolls next time too. My husband’s only complaint was that it was a tad salty. So the next time I make this I won’t add salt to the pasta water when I cook the noodles, and I won’t be adding any salt to the recipe. The Parmesan cheese and ham provide more than enough salt for this dish. One added bonus about this recipe is that while the noodles are cooking you can make up the sauce and slice the ham; then while the dish is baking in the oven you have just enough time to clean up the dirty pan from the sauce, tidy up the kitchen, set the table and toss the salad; then after dinner there’s only the casserole dish, the dinner plates and utensils to wash up! Nice! Thanks for sharing this recipe! We’ll be making this one again!

I was looking for an easy recipe to use up some leftover ham and came across this one...glad I did! The whole family (3 kids) enjoyed it and wanted seconds...and THAT doesn't happen often! I followed the recipe with the exception of using whole wheat pasta, dijon instead of reg. mustard, and a colby/jack blend of cheese. Next time, I'll be doubling the recipe. We'll be making this often.

I used dijon mustard and added a tablespoon of dillweed. Substituted the colby cheese (too mild for my tastes) with a mix of cheeses: 1 cup Extra Sharp orange cheddar, 3/4 cup monterey jack, and 3/4 cup mozerella. Topped with a mix of bread crumbs and parmesan.

Excellent recipe. My whole family loved it. It cooked up perfectly (just make sure you follow the instructions carefully to insure your white sauce turns out properly). I added some grated cheddar and bread crumbs to the parmesan topping and I included a little sharp cheddar and cayenne to the casserole to spice it up a bit. Yummy!

Everyone liked this recipe, and in our house, that's saying something! I left the prepared mustard out, and when we reheat (I double the recipe so we have leftovers), I add milk to make the sauce creamy again.

A very good recipe and this is a mild cheese flavored sauce. Use some cheddar if you want to zip it up.

My husband and I really liked this. I used 1 1/2 cup mozzarella and a cup of an Italian cheese blend in place of the colby. I used 12 oz of elbow pasta and added peas and a dash of cayenne pepper. Will make again.

Spectacular dish! I added a sprig (not a leaf but a whole sprig) of fresh, minced basil and about a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning. It was wonderful! I also took the suggestion of one of the raters and used a cup of colby and a cup and a half of mozzerella for the sauce. It was so yummy!

This was delicious! I needed to use up some leftover ham and this was the perfect recipe. I used 16 ounces of pasta rather than just 8 and there was plenty of sauce to spare.

This was a great recipe, easy to make and called for things I always have on hand. I've made it a couple times and done some different things each time. We like it with a combination of cheeses (tonight I used Havarti, cheddar, and muster) so I use whatever cheeses I have. I also add some chopped onion with the garlic, and fresh red bell pepper if I have it. My kids loved it when I added peas (it looked pretty with the red pepper and green peas). And I at least double the ham, even more if I have enough. This is a really great, flexible recipe!

What a great, basic mac and cheese recipe. Very easy. We omitted the ham, used cheddar instead of colby, and added diced cauliflower and peas. I also sauteed some panko in butter to give it a crunchy topping. Very easy and very good.

This was great... my family enjoyed it! I took the advice of not adding salt to the pasta water and I didn't put as much salt in as the receipe called for. VERY GOOD! I didn't put peas IN with the pasta, but we had it on the side, definitely a good side dish to have with it. I also added the italian seasonings and put breadcrumbs with the parm ontop. Definitely a keeper:) Also, I only boiled the pasta for about 6-7 minutes. I didn't want it to get floppy/soggy while baking it. It turned out really great, I am sharing this recipe with all who want it!

Best homemade mac n cheese i've ever had!

My family liked this. It was a little too thick/rich for me. I added peas to this. Next time I will add more milk to thin it out a little.

This was pretty good, the fam. went back for 3rds! I like to bake a ham to have handy for quick, economical meals and sandwich meat. I used what I had for cheese; 2 c. Jack, 4 oz cream cheese. I also added shredded parmesean to the sauce for extra bite, and used 1 c. milk and 1 c. heavy cream for richness. I used 16 oz of pasta like others and it was perfect. I added peas and they were my favorite part! I'll add more next time. A trick to keeping white sauces like these from being bland is to be sure to cook your flour long enough. Treat it almost like a roux and stir constantly over med low heat for about 10-13 min and your flavor will then have depth. (be sure to add your garlic AFTER the flour is almost cooked or you will have burnt, bitter garlic). I also added crushed ritz to the parmesean for the topping, yum!

This was fantastic. I made it with leftover ham and rotini pasta because it's what I had. Probably used 10-12 oz of pasta and it was just right. I also added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of frozen peas and a dash of tabasco too. Lastly I topped it with the parm and italian seasoned bread crumbs. It was a hit in my house!

delish! I used more pasta, more ham and added frozen peas to the cheese sauce before baking. My kids loved it. We'll make this often!

We loved this!! Had some leftover ham from Christmas.. I prety much followed the recipe with the exception of sauting some onion in the butter before adding the garlic. oh, and my son was scooping his with Chicken In a Biscuit Crackers so I crushed some of those up and it tasted even better with that as a topping. Yum! Will make again.

Love homemade pasta and cheese with no processed cheese product! I tried this recipe as written and it was fantastic! On my second baking, I made it mine by adding a 1/2 cup of mild cheddar and used 4 oz of leftover spiral cut honey ham, fresh Parmesan and of course, a handful of breadcrumbs on the top. Magnifico! Five stars. Thanks for the recipe!

My family loved this. I omited the mustard, added onions and used a mix of colby and mozz. cheese. I also topped with french fried onions. Good quick and easy casserole.

I changed it a little bit: I used penne instead of bows and used like 16 onz because it is a lot of sauce. I put peas and a lot more christmas ham because I love it. I used mozzarella cheese and gouda cheese because those where the ones I had, top with parmesan, I added a little more milk to the sauce because I thought it was too thick but nevertheless it dried more in the oven so be aware of that, overall VERY GOOD.

Excellent comfort food. Only made a few minor changes : used cayenne instead of black pepper, used cheddar (that's what we had), added conflake crumbs with the Parm on top, garlic powder (no fresh on hand) & onion powder. Also, I added a bit too much flour so my sauce was too thick, used a bit of chicken broth to thin it. Easy & fast. Thanks!

Very good, I used 16 oz of bow ties instead of 8.

I made this last night & my family gobbled it up & my boys had the leftovers for breakfast this morning. :) I didn't have bowties so I used the small seashell pasta.I'm not really sure how one "julienne's" ham so I just chopped mine into bite-sized pieces. I skipped all of the sauce making & instead, I used a can of undiluted cheese soup (I bet cheez-whiz would work, too, or melted velveeta). Added salt, pepper, garlic powder & stirred it all together, poured it into a baking pan, covered it with garlic bread crumbs & shredded cheddar.I was going to also add peas to it but I forgot so I just served them on the side. But this morning for breakfast, the boys stirred the leftover peas into the casserole, anyway. This is a keeper.

Like many others, I added whatever cheese I had including colby, chedder, swiss, and 4 cheese italian and it came out great. Next time I'll try adding a little more ham.

A very good way to use up some leftover Ham. I didn't do it t his time but I will add peas next time I make this.

Very salty. My kids didn't really care for it either.

Kids loved this!! I doubled this recipe because my 14 year old had a friend over and there were no left overs! I only had a cheddar cheese and jack cheese blend on hand, but it tasted great!

Very good use for leftover baked ham! I made quite a few changes to fit our likes: more pasta, added peas and more liquid, used lowfat (not notfat cheese). I used a colby, cheddar. mozzerella mix as that is what I had on hand, and used 1/4 tsp. dry mustard instead of prepared.

my kids LOVED this recipe. I'm not a large fan of ham or cheese, but even i have to admit this was fairly good. I did change a couple of things. I used marble cheese instead of colby as that is what i had on hand, i added extra ham and more pasta. I actually ended up almost doubling the whole recipe to feed everyone. Instead of just the grated parmesan on top, i melted 2 tbsp of butter, added about 2 cups of coarse bread crumbs, 1 cup shredded marble and 1/2 cup parmesan and spread it over the top to bake. It gave it a nice crunchy topping that my kids were fighting over. My very picky kids loved this so much, they even ate it as leftovers (a rarity in my home), so this is a definite keeper and a 5 stars from me! Thank you for sharing!

Very good. It did come out quite cheesy, which we liked.

Very good! Liked the combo of cheeses with the ham. A keeper.

This was pretty good. I would strongly recommend that if you are going to use the whole box of pasta that you make more sauce. Some reviewers didn't feel it needed it, but if you like your sauce more "saucy" then you're going to wish you had. If you're going to use just the 8 oz, then you will be fine. All in all, pretty good though. I followed the directions with the exception of using a cheddar/colby blend and more noodles. I'll make this again.

Very flavorful - I chose to do an elbow macaroni and a mix of Colby Jack and Sharp Cheddar - and successfully substituted regular mustard (no dry on hand). I cubed up some leftover Boar's Head ham to mix in, and on top used crushed garlic croutons. Delicious!

Yummy recipe! They only things I changed were instead of only Colby cheese I used a combination of Colby, sharp cheddar, and provolone cheese mixture. I also added some chopped onion in addition to the garlic. I served this on a bed of spinach along with some sauteed carrots and green beans.

This was delicious - I used Campanella shaped pasta which I really love the way it cooks up. I bought a 5 oz. piece of nice lean ham at the deli to dice. I topped the dish with fresh shaved parmesan which baked up lightly crusty and golden on top - my sweetheart loved this so it goes in with the "Keepers"!

I doubled this recipe and it's a good thing too! My family devoured it. I also added a can of peas and it was delicious.

Sauce easily accommodates a full 16 oz of pasta. I used a mix of cheeses (a taco blend). I topped with a handful of crouton crumbs. Other than that, this recipe is a keeper.

I made this recipe using rotini pasta and cheddar cheese. I used about 6 oz of ham. It was very cheesey (which I like), but it was missing something. My son added bacon bits to his bowl. I think I will try that next time. It was good and easy to make.

My husband and I really liked this. I hate reviewing after i've made modifications, but it turns out I didn't have all of the ingredients in the house like I thought I did. Instead of colby, I used a Kraft blend of 3 cheddar cheeses (it comes in a bag). I omitted the mustard and used smoked sausage instead of ham. It was really easy to make and very, very good. Next time I'll use the colby and follow the recipe exactly.

This is okay. Nothing to write home about. I didn't care for the mustard garlic combo. Kids ate some but it just wasn't a hit.

Perfect as is. I did add frozen peas as we just happen to love them. Previous reviews said it freezes well also - love to know that! Would be a great food gift for a friend or great potluck dish. Reheats well.

Tasted very similar to home-made macaroni and cheese with ham. Very yummy. I also cut the pasta to the amount our family normally eats.

Great kids meal. Add a veg and you're good to go.

This is the recipe that made me a fan of allrecipes.com. A friend of mine served me this for dinner, and I made it for my family the first chance I got. It was a hit!

This was really good! I used velveeta cheese, instead of colby because I didn't have any on hand. I also used bread crumbs on top, instead of parm. cheese. REALLY yummy!

I've made this recipe 3 times. This is a great recipe to work from...then add your own favorite cheese(s). The white sauce is just perfect as written in the recipe. My favorite combination of cheese includes equal parts of mild cheddar, swiss and gruyere. Oh so good!!!

This was a super easy recipe for leftover ham and you can basically add anything you like to it. I skipped the garlic and added onion instead. I also added a mixture of cheeses like velveeta, swiss, and sharp instead of using the colby and parmesean. It came out very creamy and my kids loved it, not to mention the husband too.. :)

Very good. I made some changes suggested by others - used dijon mustard and a little more pasta. I don't recommend leaving out the mustard like some had. Even if you don't care too much for mustard, it really adds a nice flavor that isn't too strong. I had cheddar and mozz cheese on hand so used that. My only grips are the sauce isn't as creamy as I would like and it's pretty fattening. Next time I will try some different cheeses and maybe a little less flour. Also, broccoli or peas would be a great addition like others suggest. But in all, a great recipe. My family loved it, it was fast and easy to make and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. Will make this again (on occasion because of the fat & calories) as a fast, middle of the week meal with a salad and good crusty bread.

I used Fiori pasta instead (honeycomb shaped) which allowed the cheese to hold better. It is a rich sauce so I added a little more pasta. I also would mention to add the milk while adding the flour. It was loved in my household!

Super easy and yummy. I typically mess up a mac n cheese. Not sure what was different about this one. I added frozen mixed veggies to the pasta at the end of boiling to make it a better balanced meal. Also, not a big deal, but I used penne instead of bowties since that's what I had on hand. 2 year old loved it! p.s. I used non-fat milk...Suprisingly worked like a charm.

This was excellent! Even my 4 yr old gobbled it all down. I did make a few changes. Per others' suggestions, I increased the milk and that made it more creamy. I used Colby jack cheese and added frozen broccoli to the mixture as well. Used Romano instead of Parmesan cheese (since that is what I had). I never noticed the dish to be "garlicky" so I think that the amount called for was just the right amount. Definitely a keeper!

If you don't already have ham- just go to the deli and ask for one to two slices of the thickest cut they can do. Julienne it and its ready to go. Used a mixture of Cheddar/Jack and Mozzarella in the sauce. Added some bread crumbs to the top. Pretty yummy.

I doubled this recipe, eliminated the mustard and substituted a mix of cheddar and mozzarella for the colby(only because it's what I had here)...and this was deeeeee-licious! This will definitely be a favorite use for leftover ham in our family! Thank you! :)

Very good!! The colby cheese gives it a smoother taste than cheddar. In this way it was easy to have it as the main course and didn't feel like we were just eating mac and cheese. I used smoked ham. It combined perfectly with the cheese. Followed the recipe exactly and highly recommend.

Good basic recipe, I doubled so we would have leftovers. Personally, I like my cheese with a little more zip, so I would go for sharp or extra sharp and maybe a little more mustard.

really yummy although I used cheddar cheese as I like the flavor of cheddar better.

My kids loved it but I thought it to be a bit bland and a bit greasy even though i used cheddar. with some tweaking, it definately has some possiblities. There are a lot better cheese pasta recipes out there.

I've made this dish several times, and love it! Make it exactly as the recipe says, except I use the pre-cooked, cubed ham they sell in grocery stores. I usually serve this with crescent rolls and steamed vegis. Great as leftovers too!

Delicious! I made this tonight for myself, my fiance and his best friend as something hearty after a long days work, and they loved it!. For the milk I used skim, which didn't stop it from being a thick and bubbly sauce, I used Light Becel instead of butter, and a combination of mild cheddar and monterey cheese instead of colby. For the ham, I don't really cook many hams, so I just bought an inexpensive ham steak, cooked it up and chopped it julienne. Wonderful! Thanks so much, its a keeper.

Really good, I used dried mustard powder instead of prepared...think next time I will also add some broccoli for color.

this recipie is great using regular elbow macaroni and hotdogs. left overs for lunch the next day as well

YUM! This is really good, and a kid pleaser! Ham, Mac and Cheese....how could you go wrong?

This came out exceptionally well. I made this last night for my parents, sister, and grandmother and they all loved it. I got rewarded by being selected to cook meals for the fam more often. Only 3 slight changes. 1) Add frozen peas 2) Cube the ham instead of jullienning it and 3) use chedar cheese instead of colby

This was delicious and comforting. I threw in a handful of frozen baby peas and that was yummy. I also served it right away without baking it, as I find so many casseroles get dried out when you bake them. Super good!

Very good!! Used 1/2 colby and the rest a mix of stronger cheeses. Cheddar, italian mix and more parmesan. I increased ingredients, some I doubled (pasta) and the meat and some I just increased 1 1/2 times. Used very little salt. Doubling the pasta made it just enuf to fill a 13x9 pan! After I added the parmesan on top I sprinkled on some panko bread crumbs for some crunchiness. It was AWESOME. My mom loved it and my I-hate-pasta son even liked it!

an excellent way to use leftover ham; however, My kids would have preferred I left out the dijon mustard.

This is yummy!! My kids loved it, as did I. I added a little more ham, a whole 12 oz. packed of pre-chopped ham. And I browned the ham in a frying pan before putting in the casserole. Also added 1/2 of a 16 oz. bag of frozen peas to the pasta the last minute of cooking......This will be part of my dinner rotation for sure!

I decided to give this a try since I had so much leftover ham from Christmas. My husband noticed the mustard right away and said that it definitely added some zest to the dish. I will definitely be making this again

I tweeked it abit. I added green peppers, tomatoes, and onion to the garlic. Instead of using ham I chopped up some summer sausage and added it to the cheese mixture while I was waiting for my macaroni to cook. I also finly crumbed uop about 10 Ritz crackers and added it to the parmesan cheese then baked it like normal. Everyone loved it. I will be adding this to our routine in meals.

This was a tasty dish however I doubt anyone in my family will request it again. I guess it just didn't appeal to our taste buds but it may appeal to yours so it's easy and worth a try.

This was very good. Following what other reviewers said, I added a couple dashes of cayenne and used more pasta and ham than the recipe calls for (I also used tri-color bowtie pasta). We don't have Colby cheese here (in Spain), so I used half mozzarella, and the other half was a packaged blend of mozzarella/blue/Swiss/Gouda/cheddar. Will definitely make this again (I'd give it four and a half stars).

This casserole was DELISH! I made it exactly like you said to and it turned out wonderful. The flavors were perfect. My fiance and I will be having it again and again. Thanks for sharing!

Okay I thought I should edit my previous review, because I have tinkered with the original recipe and still do so to this day. I've added 3 cups instead of 2 and a half cups of shredded Colby Jack cheese. I also use a bit more mustard and garlic than the original, but I keep the amount of milk the same. Also, I add more than a 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and I use about 6 to 8 oz. of ham cubes. After doing this it's even better, but the original is still good too, so I'd still give it five stars-because really it all comes down to your personal taste.

You know, this was really very good. I will for sure be making this again. Great use for leftover ham! Speaking of ham, I would add at least six ounces, instead of four, and I also used tri-colored bow-tie instead of plain.

Suprisingly really really tasty! I followed the directions but used 2 cups colby cheese and 1/2 cup shredded mozerrella. My son and husband loved it! will be making this again

This recipe was sooo easy. My family ate it up!! The only change I made was, I used spicy brown mustard instead of the prepared. I think the cheese sauce was lovely! Very creamy and with perfect taste! I will definitely be making this again and again!

This was EXCELLENT!! One of the best, simple pasta dishes I have made from this site. I used Cheddar cheese instead of Colby and it was like a rich, creamy mac n' cheese!

This was very, very good. Even my husband, who doesn't like ham, liked this. I did, however, tweak it a little. I added onion with my garlic to caramelize them just a bit, added peas, used jalapeño jack instead of colby, and omitted the mustard. We both were sneaking bites out of the pan before dinner! Thank you Stephndon for giving me a wonderful way to use up my easter ham!

Very yummy. I made it for my family and they loved it. I used longhorn cheese because our store doesn't carry colby.

We loved this recipe. Very filling. I forwarded the recipe imm. to my girlfriend. I used a shredded Colby mixture, next time I will try it with a mexican cheese mixture.

I made this tonight and logged on to be sure to review it. It was a big hit with our family. I haven't had much luck in the past with homemade macaroni and cheese, but with this recipe, I've finally found a keeper. I did make a few changes based on what I had on hand. I used about 1 1/4 cups of 2% milk and used half and half for the rest, only because I ran out of milk. I couldn't find shredded colby cheese, so I used a package of shredded sharp cheddar and I also threw in a handful of an italian blend shredded cheese leftover from another recipe. My 4 year old loves broccoli, so I threw some broccoli flowerets into the pasta water for the last two minutes of cooking time. I also misread the directions and used 1 Tbsp of dijon mustard instead of 1 tsp., but it was just right for us. I tried this before baking it as a casserole, and thought it was really good, but after baking, it was excellent. It really wasn't difficult to make- this is definitely one I will make again. I also might try substituting chicken for the ham for a change. Thanks for the recipe!

Excellent! My family loved it.=)

This is a wonderful recipe for the whole family. My kids consistently clean their plates when we have this dish. I use penne pasta instead of bowties and usually double the recipe with great results.

Excellent! I was looking for a way to use leftover ham and this worked great. I also added peas and that was good. We will definitely make again!

I followed the recipe except for doubling all ingredients. We were not fans of the sauce and felt it needed more flavor, and tasted like flour. Not sure if I did something wrong or if it's just not our "cup of tea", but I do appreciate you sharing your recipe with me and my family. Thank you.

This was an alright recipe. I made double the amount of pasta and I'm glad I did, there would have definitely been too much sauce. I used a 16 oz package of cubed ham which went well with the extra pasta. I kept everything else the same.

This was a great recipe. Very easy to make and a big hit with the kids. I used whole wheat pasta and added peas to make it a little healthier.

Very easy and good. My family enjoyed it very much, prepared as recipe read.

This was good, but I agree w/ others that said it was a little bland. It just seemed to be missing something, but not sure what. I also wish that I would've went w/ my instincts and used velveeta, because while the colby melted fine, it had a grainy texture/flavor that I didn't really care for. I used a 12oz. bag of egg noodles and that worked well. Topped it w/ both parmesan and seasoned breadcrumbs before baking. The concept was great to use up the last of the leftover ham, but I think I will play with this more to suit it to our tastes. Thanks for sharing. :)

I thought this was great, as is!

I felt this was very bland. It could have been my fault though. I had no Colby cheese so I used Co-Jack and Co-Cheddar. I used 1-1/2 cloves of garlic and also added some onion powder and added more milk than the recipe called for as I felt it was too thick. I won't blame the recipe but the cook because of my substituted ingredients. I took it to a party and others felt is was good. The recipe yields quite a bit.

This dish was absolutely fantastic. Of course, it helped that I also have a great recipe I use for Holiday Baked Ham. I used the leftover ham for this dish. It made a lot, but all leftovers were eaten.

Really good! I didn't change anything except for using ziti pasta instead of bowties. I did use a 16 oz. box, but it was delicious and made plenty of cheesy goodness!

YUM! I actually doubled this recipe because....we'll.....we like macaroni and cheese. Super simple. I used a mixture of different pasta I had in boxes/packages in my pantry and threw in the last ends of cheese I had along with the Colby, like a little sharp cheddar and a little mozzerella. I was running low on milk so I used one can of evaporated milk. I did take Nuggets suggestion and added about a tsp. of onion powder. Really, really good. Just what we needed on a stormy day outside. I served this with a green salad and leftover BBQ chicken. NOM! NOTE: This whole recipe, doubled, didn't cost me more than five dollars. All my pasta, cheese and even the ham was all bought at Grocery Outlet for a buck a piece. I'm really thrilled.

This was good, but it seemed to be missing something, Hubby agress to use some cheddar next time.

This was so good! I changed the servings to 8 and added additional pasta beyond the 11 oz it called for, a little more garlic, and a little less mustard (used mild dijon). I had an 8oz package of julienne ham strips and I used the whole thing for this and it seemed like the perfect amount. I just used whatever cheese I had on hand (colby/jack and mozzarella) and it was fabulous! I cooked the 8 servings in an 7 x 11 pan, and it was right to the top, maybe could have even gone to a 9 x 13 pan. Will definitely be making again!

Granted, this was just macaroni and cheese with ham, but it was pretty darn tasty! I used a heaping teaspoon of garlic and also probably about 3 cups of cheese total (cleaning out the fridge). Served with green beans for an easy dinner.