Ham and cheese pasta bake

Pasta tubes in a smooth cheese sauce with chunks of ham and a handful of peas, baked under more cheese until golden. The weeknight bake that gets scraped clean.

Ingredients

• 350 g Penne
• 200 g Cooked ham, cut into chunks
• 150 g Frozen peas
• 40 g Butter
• 40 g Plain flour
• 700 ml Milk
• 200 g Cheddar, grated: 150g for the sauce, 50g for the top
• 1 g Black pepper
• 2 g Salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Cook the penne in a big pan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the packet says, adding the peas for the last minute. Drain.
2. Meanwhile melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for a minute, then whisk in the milk gradually. Simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
3. Take the sauce off the heat, stir in 150g of the cheese and a good grind of pepper, then fold in the pasta, peas and ham.
4. Tip into a baking dish, scatter over the rest of the cheese and bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling at the edges.
5. Leave to settle for 5 minutes before spooning out.