Ben loves carbonara and similar types of meals so I set about creating something similar to that. I wanted something I could make easily and pop in the oven for him and so this ham and cheese pasta bake recipe was created!
He assures me it is nice and tells me that I should tell Jamie Oliver the recipe because it is that good, I will let you try it out and decide!
Quark tips
In recipes such as this ham and cheese pasta bake that need quark there are a few simple things you can do to ensure it tastes good. Quark doesn’t have much flavour so ensure you flavour the dish well.
Quark is available in most large supermarkets now and even stocked in Aldi and Lidl. You can usually find it near soft cheeses in a tub similar to that you would buy cottage cheese in.
Due to the low-fat content of quark, it easily splits if heated too much or has hot water or hot liquid added to it. Be careful and stir in gradually and you should be ok.
Making a healthy cheese and bacon pasta bake
If you prefer bacon to ham then this recipe can easily be adapted by frying or grilling some bacon and adding that instead of ham.
Of course, you will need to adapt the calories in the recipe slightly but it will be minimal if you cook the bacon is low-calorie cooking spray.
Making the ham and cheese pasta bake for weight loss
If you follow Slimming World, Weight Watchers (WW), Noom or any other weight loss plan you can usually count this as free or easily within your allowances, of course always check your plan for advice.
More healthy recipes you may enjoy
For more pasta-based recipes for all the family, as tasty as this ham and cheese pasta bake, check out my ultimate pasta recipes.
If this has made you realise you should use quark more and are looking for more recipes with it check out my ultimate quark recipe list.
If you like this kind of meal then you will love my Chicken and bacon carbonara recipe and my eggs in ham recipe.
Ham and cheese pasta bake
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
- Category: Main meal
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
A creamy ham and cheese pasta bake perfect for children who love ham and adults too.
Ingredients
250g Dry Fusilli Pasta
115g Mushrooms (roughly chopped)
1 Large Red Onion (diced)
250g Quark
1 Mushroom Stock Pot
1tbsp Dried Parsley
1tsp Mustard Powder
90g 50% Less Fat Cheddar (grated)
150g tube Primula Light
150g Ham (chopped into small pieces)
1 egg (beaten)
300ml Boiling Water
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200°c/Gas 6.
2. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and strain before setting aside.
3. Meanwhile 300ml of stock using the mushroom stock pot and 300ml of boiling water.
4. In a bowl mix together Quark, egg, red onion, mushrooms, ham, parsley, mustard powder and grated cheese.
5. Add the stock and cooked pasta and mix well before pouring into a large oven dish.
6. Squeeze the Primula light on top of the mixture and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Serve and Eat!
Loved the creamy cheese sauce – so delicious!
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of quark Jen xx
I haven’t tried it but I can’t see why not, or perhaps a closer alternative would be fat free fromage frais?
This is defo gonna be tried tonight Jen. Thank you for sharing as Defo need quick meals in our home at moment. Hope you are ok xxx
I have never come across mushroom stock pot. I will have to use vegetable one until I find some. I love mushrooms and they are on special offer in stores at the moment. Thank you for sharing.