Creamy Ham Pasta Bake

A very simple pasta bake with ham, cream and cheese for when you don't have a lot of time to cook. 

Forget ready-made meals, this home-cooked meal is ready in no time at all, and you can customise it with leeks, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, spring onions or whatever you have to hand.

Most types of pasta are fine to use with this recipe. Personally I use bows [farfalle], shells [conchiglie], spirals [rotini], penne or macaroni.

Ingredients
250g pasta of choice
1 garlic clove, finely diced
125g ham, finely diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
dried oregano to taste
dried basil to taste
200ml cream
grated cheese (mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar etc.)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 220 C / Gas 7.

2. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta in it for about 8 minutes until al dente. Drain and put back into the pan. Stir in the garlic, ham and herbss. Pour in the cream, mix and pour into a buttered baking dish.

3. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

4. Serve with a side salad and/or garlic bread