Ham N Cheese Pasta

I am NOT Rachael Ray's biggest fan...in fact she drives me freakin' insane. But I digress, this recipe could definitely be described as YUM-O, as RR would say. The kids loved it because I substituted Pixar's Cars shaped pasta for bow-tie pasta. Hubby loved it because of the leftover Easter ham and I loved it because of the asparagus!

Ham 'n' Cheese Pasta

SERVINGS: 4

TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Ingredients:

* 3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
* 3/4 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 2 cups milk
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 pound sliced deli ham, chopped (I substituted leftover ham from Easter)

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, adding asparagus during the last 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter; add garlic. Stir in the flour, onion powder, pepper and thyme until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Reduce heat. Add cheeses; stir until melted. Stir in ham; heat through. Drain pasta and asparagus; toss with cheese mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

This recipe says it makes 4 servings and I usually consider 4 servings to be exactly enough for our family of 4 but probably not enough for any other family of 4 with older children. However, this recipe made plenty. We all had seconds PLUS lunch the next day.

Enjoy!