Asparagus and Ham Casserole

I always find great recipes in Cooking Light.  They are creative, flavorful and varied.  I also really like to use their recipe website, My Recipes.  This one is from an article they did about under 300 calorie casseroles.  I make a lot of casseroles, because, despite how it might appear, I don't cook big dishes every day.  Casseroles can be made in advance, freeze well, are good gifts for people who are sick or have new babies, and reheat well when taken to work.  


This recipe reminds me of mac and cheese, but it doesn't have any cheese in it besides the parmesan sprinkled on top.  

Asparagus and Ham Casserole
very slightly adapted from Cooking Light  

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 3 3/4  cups  uncooked egg noodles
• 2 1/2  cups  (1 1/2-inch) sliced asparagus
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1  cup milk (I used skim)
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 3/4  cup  finely chopped onion
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed ham (about 8 ounces)
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or a few teaspoons dried
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Cook pasta in boiling water 5 minutes. Add asparagus; cook 1 minute. Drain.

Place flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in medium bowl; gradually add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk until well-blended. 

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion; saute 4 minutes. Add milk mixture slowly; cook until thick (about 4 minutes), stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice. Add in the ham, noodles and asparagus.

Spoon into a 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, cheese, and parsley.

Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.

Makes about 6 - 1 cup servings.  Enjoy!