Baked Penne with Ham and Cheese, a classic of Italian cuisine, loved for its simplicity and comforting taste: a dish that feels like home and conviviality.
This simple yet rich dish is perfect for a family lunch, a dinner with friends, or just when you want to indulge in something tasty and satisfying. Its versatility allows you to personalize it with different types of cheese, vegetables, or a touch of cream to make it even creamier.
Today we’ll prepare this delight together, step by step, to bring a piece of Italian tradition to the table that warms the heart and delights the palate.
With their simplicity and versatility, they lend themselves to countless interpretations, accommodating rich meat sauces, fresh seasonal vegetables, melty cheeses, and inviting aromas.
Let’s see together how to prepare Baked Penne with Ham and Cheese. Prepare the ingredients, let’s begin.
And if you try them, don’t forget to let me know in the comments on my Facebook page HERE. I look forward to it.
Gabriella
Other delicious recipes to try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Baked Penne with Ham and Cheese
- 11 oz pasta (short: penne, casarecce, fusilli, mezze maniche …)
- 5.3 oz cooked ham (diced)
- 1 mozzarella
- 5.3 oz fontina (or other melting cheese like scamorza, emmental…)
- 1.8 oz grated parmesan
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- 1.4 oz butter
- 1.4 oz flour
- 1.9 cups milk
- as needed salt
- as needed pepper
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Small Pot
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Baking Dish
Steps for Baked Penne with Ham and Cheese
First, set a pot with plenty of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. When the water boils, add the pasta (I used Sgambaro’s penne) and cook it for at least 11 minutes (depending on the instructions on the box).
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pot over low heat. Remove from heat and add the sifted flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a whisk to avoid lumps. Return to low heat and cook the roux (butter and flour) for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously.
Heat the milk (without boiling it) and gradually pour it into the roux, stirring with the whisk to achieve a smooth cream. Continue to cook the béchamel over low heat, stirring often, until it thickens and coats the spoon. Remove from heat and season the béchamel with salt and pepper (a dash of nutmeg, if you like). If it is lumpy, you can pass it through an immersion blender.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and pour it into a large bowl (or the pot where you cooked it). Add the béchamel, diced cooked ham, mozzarella, and fontina cubes (or the cheese you prefer) and some of the grated parmesan to the pasta. Mix gently to distribute the ingredients evenly.
Preheat the oven to 392°F (fan oven).
Oil a baking dish lightly. If you want a crunchier crust, you can sprinkle the base with some breadcrumbs.
Pour the dressed pasta into the baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the surface with more grated parmesan, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and, if you like, some breadcrumbs.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the surface is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly. If necessary, turn on the grill for the last minutes to further brown the surface, being careful not to burn it.
Take the baked penne out of the oven and let them rest for a few minutes before serving so that they compact slightly and are easier to portion. Here are the Baked Penne with Ham and Cheese ready. Enjoy your meal!
Until the next recipe
Storage
You can store Baked Penne with Ham and Cheese in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, covered with food film.
Tips and Suggestions
– For a more intense flavor, you can use prosciutto or speck, previously browned in a pan until crispy.
– If you don’t have time to prepare the béchamel, you can use a good quality ready-made béchamel.
– For a creamier version, you can add a couple of tablespoons of fresh cream to the béchamel.
– You can enrich the recipe by adding other ingredients as desired, such as peas, sautéed mushrooms, or other types of cheese (scamorza, emmental …).
Variations
– With prosciutto: instead of cooked ham, use prosciutto strips, which provide a more intense and slightly salty flavor.
– With vegetables: you can add sautéed vegetables like peas, mushrooms, zucchini, or eggplants to enrich the dish with flavor and color.
– With other cheeses: besides mozzarella, you can use other cheeses that melt well like emmental, smoked scamorza, or a cheese mix.
– With a touch of nutmeg: a pinch of nutmeg in the béchamel adds a delicate and enveloping aroma.
– With tomato sauce: the penne are dressed with a simple tomato sauce, diced cooked ham, and mozzarella, then baked with a sprinkle of parmesan.
– With cream: a creamier version is achieved using cream instead of béchamel, mixed with ham and cheese.
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