Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti

March 25, 2021
Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti is an easy and tasty way to enjoy that leftover ham.  Loaded with chopped ham, cheesy white sauce, and fabulous flavor, it's a deliciously different twist on classic spaghetti.

Serving Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti with Tongs Image

Ham is probably our family's favorite meat.  So rest assured, we're never upset when there are ham leftovers to finish up.

Not only do we love enjoying baked ham just in slices on its own, we also adore all the many other dishes that can be created with leftover ham.  Like creamy and comforting ham salad sandwiches, ham & cheese macaroni salad, or my very favorite slow cooker ham & kidney bean soup.

And the newest addition to our leftover ham line-up is this creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti. Loaded with chopped ham, cheesy white sauce, and fabulous flavor, it's a deliciously different twist on classic spaghetti.  And a deliciously different twist we love, for sure.

Loaded with chopped ham, cheesy white sauce, and fabulous flavor, creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti is a deliciously different twist on classic spaghetti.

This Ham & Cheese Spaghetti recipe is loosely based on the ham & cheese lasagna recipe my Mom came up with many years ago when I was a kid. -- And it was always one of my favorites.  Her ham & cheese lasagna uses a basic white sauce loaded with Monterey Jack cheese and chopped ham as the base of the dish. The sauce is then layered with traditional lasagna noodles and baked up in the oven with even more Monterey Jack cheese on top.

I decided to use Mom's same recipe concept to create this skillet-based version with spaghetti.  This version has no baking involved, which means it gets to the dinner table more quickly.

Just like Mom's lasagna, Ham & Cheese Spaghetti uses a basic white sauce loaded with chopped ham and cheese as its base.  Whip up the sauce, toss it with cooked spaghetti, and you're good to go with enjoying the creamy ham and cheese deliciousness!

Fork Twisting Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti Image

Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti Ingredients:

It takes just a handful of pretty basic ingredients to create the components of creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti.  To whip up a pan, you'll need:

  • White Sauce - A basic white sauce made with butter, flour, and milk serves as the base of the spaghetti's sauce. This particular white sauce's flavor is amped up with a chopped medium-sized onion.

  • Seasonings - Salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and fresh parsley season the dish.

  • Chopped Ham - Use 1 & 1/2 to 2 cups of chopped, fully-cooked ham from either ham leftovers you have on hand, or packaged diced ham available at the grocery store.

  • Shredded Cheese - A combination of shredded Monterey Jack and medium cheddar cheeses brings great flavor and cheesy creaminess to the spaghetti.

  • Spaghetti - Cook and drain 8-ounces of spaghetti noodles to toss with the sauce.
Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti Ingredients Image

How to Make Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti:

To make a pan of creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti, start by preparing a basic white sauce that's infused with sauteed onion to amp up its flavor.

To do this, first melt butter in a saucepan. Add chopped onion and saute it in the butter until it's tender.  Then stir a little flour into the butter/onion mixture until it's smooth (except for the lumps of onion, of course.)  The flour will act as the thickener for the sauce.

Then gradually add milk to the saucepan, cooking and stirring it with a whisk until it's thickened and smooth.

Making White Sauce for Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti Image

Stir in a little touch of salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce for seasoning. Then add chopped ham, shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, chopped fresh parsley.  

Cook and stir these together until the cheeses melt and the ham is heated through.

How to Make Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti Image

Add cooked drained spaghetti to the sauce, and give it a good toss to coat.

Adding Spaghetti to Pan to Make Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti Image

If the sauce seems too thick, you can stir in a splash more milk. -- Like maybe a tablespoon or two to loosen up the sauce, but not dilute the flavors.

Finally, season with a little more salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with a bit more chopped fresh parsley, if you'd like.

Pan of Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti Image

So if you're a ham lover like our family, give this creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti a try. Loaded with chopped ham, cheesy white sauce, and fabulous flavor, it's a deliciously different twist on classic spaghetti.

Not to mention, its an easy and very tasty way to enjoy that leftover ham.  

Check out these other fabulous recipes for enjoying leftover ham:
Plate of Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti Image
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

ham spaghetti, spaghetti with ham, recipes with leftover ham, ham cheese spaghetti
Main Dishes
American
Yield: 4-6 servings
Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti

Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti

Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti is an easy and tasty way to enjoy that leftover ham. Loaded with chopped ham, cheesy white sauce, and fabulous flavor, it's a deliciously different twist on classic spaghetti.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Ingredients

  • 4 T. unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 T. all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 c. milk
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 to 2 c. chopped fully-cooked ham
  • 1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/2 c. shredded medium cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • 8 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender.
  2. Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually add milk; cooking and stirring with a whisk until thickened and smooth.
  3. Stir in salt, ham, shredded cheeses, parsley, Worcestershire, and pepper.  Cook until cheese melts and ham is heated through.
  4. Add cooked spaghetti; toss to coat.
  5. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
  1. If the sauce seems too thick, stir in a splash more milk.
  2. If you have leftovers, the sauce will thicken as it stands.  When reheating, stir in a few tablespoons of milk to loosen it up.
Created using The Recipes Generator

Creamy Ham & Cheese Spaghetti ~ Such an easy & tasty way to enjoy that leftover ham! Loaded with chopped ham, cheesy white sauce, and fabulous flavor, it's a deliciously different twist on classic spaghetti.  www.thekitchenismyplayground.com


This post is linked with Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday.

6 comments

  1. Definitely a recipe worth pinning to try out. Sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing more yummy things with us this week. #HomeMattersParty

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks very tasty - and it is always great to find new things to do with leftovers, ham or otherwise! Thanks for sharing your suggestions with Fiesta Friday!

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  3. I was looking for something to do with the left over ham I have from Easter and i saw your post!! Perfect!! I will be trying this but I am going to be a bit lazy and use fettucine sauce instead of making my own.....Thanks for sharing!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  4. We sure have enjoyed featuring your awesome post this week at Full Plate Thursday, 531. Thanks so much for sharing with us and come back real soon!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete
  5. So yummy and easy! Winner!!

    ReplyDelete

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