Ham and Vegetable Bake : Easy Midweek Dish

Before I start this post, Eddie and I just want to say thank you to all our readers who visit this blog, and a special thank you for all who take time to leave a comment ... you are all appreciated 😊

Today's post is for an easy ham and vegetable bake that makes a great mid-week dish, but could also be enjoyed for a Friday/Saturday supper.

Ingredients

Serves Four

900g/2lb frozen cauliflower or broccoli, or a mix of both
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp plain flour
400ml/14fl oz milk (any variety)
200g/7oz mature cheddar, coarsely grated
1 tsp mustard (optional)
300g/10½oz shredded gammon or ham (see recipe tips)
salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
2. A third fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the cauliflower and/or broccoli and return to the boil. Once it's boiling, remove from the heat and drain well.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion for 3–4 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Stir in the flour and cook for around 30 seconds before slowly adding the milk a little at a time. Cook for 4–5 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add two-thirds of the cheese, the cooked gammon or ham and the mustard, if using. Simmer very gently for 1–2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Scatter the vegetables over a shallow ovenproof dish and pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for around 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Recipe Tips
This is an easy recipe to prepare ahead, simply complete steps 1–4 and finish in the oven just before serving (it will take a little longer to cook if it's been stored in the fridge).

This recipe uses a gammon joint that has been cooked ready for use in multiple meals. Batch cooking in this way saves money while still ensuring there's plenty of variety in your meals. The other recipe suggestions can be seen here

To cook the gammon, put a 1kg/2lb 4oz gammon joint in a large saucepan and bring to the boil in 2 litres/3½ pints water. Simmer for an hour. Remove the gammon and set aside to cool. Keep the cooking water to use as stock.

Above taken from original idea here

Alternative Recipe Suggestion

Leek, celery and gruyère gratin, so delicious, see here

~ wishing you a happy day ~

You will find a variety of recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan