Rotini and Cheese with Broccoli and Ham

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow we are having Rotinit and Cheese with Broccoli and Ham for dinner. I'll have to change this up a bit for my non melted cheese eating family but I think I can make it work. I fully plan to make this as written for myself. Um Velveeta, yum! For my boys, I'll just toss the broccoli and pasta with the ham, add the seasonings and call it done. They just don't know what they're missing by not eating cheese though.

Rotini and Cheese with Broccoli and Ham
Amy - amylz

4 quarts water
2 cups uncooked rotini (about 8 ounces corkscrew pasta)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free milk
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) cubed light processed cheese (such as Velveeta Light)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped reduced-fat ham

Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add pasta; cook 5 minutes. Add broccoli; cook an additional 5 minutes or until pasta is done; drain. While pasta cooks, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a medium saucepan; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 8 minutes or until mixture is thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and next 4 ingredients (cheese through pepper). Combine pasta mixture, cheese sauce, and ham.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)
CALORIES 288 (15% from fat); FAT 4.7g (sat 2.5g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 19.1g; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 296mg; SODIUM 937mg; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.6g
Cooking Light, MARCH 2003

Amy