Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

Ok so there is some thing you should all know about me...It's our random fact of the day . I have a really unhealthy relationship with cheese. It's very high on the list of thing I need to be happy . I mean I guess there are worse addictions .. But my quest for new ways to get it into my meals led me to pintrest as usual .. And I got inspired to try this .. It's worth a try if you are a fan of the original !I

made it last night for my family , most definitely a hit ! And it was pretty easy . Great for a Sunday night that's for sure. I tweaked it to include what we had on hand . That's the key to life . Flexibility .Then I pushed my little sidekick right up to the counter and got cooking .

This serves four generously, up the ham and chicken if you have it and it could easily serve more . It's a very flexible recipe .

WHAT YOU NEED :

1 Ham steak: cubed

1 chicken breat : butterfly and chop into small chunks

1 tsp S&P

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 box penne

3 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp spicy mustard

Milk ( I don't measure ! I'd say 1 - 2 cups , it will reduce some but needs to cover pasta )

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Garlic powder

1 tsp adobo ( powder)

1 tsp ground red pepper flake

1 block Swiss : grated by hand

1 block aged sharp cheddar : grated by hand

3 oz cream cheese cut into small chunks

Bread crumbs of choice ( + 1 Tbsp butter for toasting ) I used pre-seasoned.

*** a good block of Parmesan in place of the cheddar would have been PERFECTION : but I was short exactly one good block of parm ... ****

TOOLS:

Pot for pasta water

Frying pans ( med and small )

13x9 baking dish or casserole dish of choice

Strainer

Med sauce pot

Cheese grater

Cutting board

Knife for chopping meats

STEP ONE :

Boil water : meanwhile put your ham cubes into med hot frying pan for a few min to get some heat and good flavor developed . The ham is fully cooked so it does t need long . Dump ham cubes into casserole dish . Return pan to stove and drop in your chicken cubes. Season with salt , pepper and Italian seasoning and cook until done but not dry . Nobody likes dry chicken .

STEP TWO:

Drop your pasta into water once it's boiling . Watch it carefully , you want it to be 5 min shy if done or " al dente " because we are popping this bad boy in the oven . The cooked chicken will join the ham when it's finished to await their cheesy destiny .

STEP THREE:

Finish and strain your pasta . It too can go into the love boat (aka 13x9 ) .| Ok time out |We need to talk a bit about white sauce also known as béchamel ... Once you know how to do this . You have a serious life skill. I don't care what anyone says . The ability to make a good cheese sauce . Will serve you later in life .

mount cheese : this photo is deciving. Its quite a bit of cheese.

STEP FOUR :

Your going to need to trust me in this one because it will look a little funky if this is your first go at a béchamel ( white sauce). Just take a deep breath and go with it , now is not the time for fear. Cheese sauce can sense your fear ..

Put your butter into your sauce pot , let it melt a bit , now put in your mustard (this it the trust me part ) , wisk them quickly , and add your flour . It will form a paste .( This funky paste is called a" rue " it's a thickening agent used in everything from chowder to pot pie ....)

Let this cook for about a min . Then add a splash of milk to start . Wisk the rue and milk to get out all big chunks . You will likely notice it thicken considerably . This is good . This is what you want . Add some more milk stirring the entire time . We need to get that rue incorporated into the milk so that magic can happen .Once your satisfied that you have gotten out all your chunks turn the heat down and let it simmer and thicken.Now add all remaining spices , stir to incorporate .

Do not doubt yourself . It will look thin and you will doubt yourself . Have faith my friend , it needs to simmer and reduce , stir it enough so it doesn't burn but you don't need to hawk eye it either . Once you are satisfied with it's consistency ( I like it to coat a wooden spoon enough so I can draw I line through it, and it stays )No add all that beautiful cheese ! Stir well and behold it's beauty ..You did it !!! Cheese sauce . (Really wasn't so bad right ?? )

STEP FIVE:

Pour cheese sauce into the 13x9 with the pasta and meat . Stir enough to cost and mix everything set into even-ish layer .

STEP SIX:

Put bread crumbs and butter into small frying pan over med heat to toast . This extra step makes ALL the difference . I was short on bread crumbs . So know I would have more on mine if I had then in the house . But you gotta use what yha got! Now cover with foil and bake 10 min covered at 350

Remove foil and cook an additional 10 uncovered.