Asparagus and Ham Casserole

I am seriously loving the Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles recipe book I mentioned last week - the recipe I tried for dinner this time around was called "Bow ties with ham" which I promptly renamed "Asparagus and Ham Casserole."

It was chock-full of yummy things such as asparagus (seriously, one of my favorites), sundried tomatoes, havarti cheese and alfredo sauce - plus, it gave me the chance to use up leftover ham:



Dished up hot from the oven - again, the asparagus was my favorite part - it smelled and tasted so good!


Ingredients
3 cups uncooked bow-tie pasta (farfalle) (6 oz) (I used 3/4 of the package but I think you could get away with using a whole 12 oz box)
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce
10 medium asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (about one cup) (I used a full bunch of asparagus, which was perfect!)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil and herbs, drained, chopped (I recommend chopping these into tiny pieces, as they pack a big flavor)
1 cup diced cooked ham (I used up all my leftovers, which amounted to roughly a cup and a half)
1 cup shredded Havarti cheese (I couldn't find a block of Havarti or any shredded cheese, so I went with Sargento's Havarti slices)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2-quart casserole (I used a 13 x 9 Pyrex pan) with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, heat pasta sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot. Gently stir in cooked pasta, asparagus, tomatoes and ham. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese (I stirred in all of the Havarti cheese). Pour into casserole.
3. Cover; bake 35 to 45 minutes (25 minutes in my old oven) or until bubbly. Top with remaining cheese (I used some leftover cheddar cheese in my oven).

This recipe earned a thumbs up from me and Andrew, especially when served with garlic bread on the side.