Ham, Pea & Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 40 g plain flour
• 200 g frozen peas
• 600 ml whole milk
• 40 g unsalted butter
• 400 g fusilli
• 250 g cooked ham, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 200 g mature Cheddar, grated
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 60 g panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 40 g Parmesan, finely grated
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 15 g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Cook the fusilli in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the pack time, dropping the peas in for the final minute. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a roomy saucepan, stir in the flour and cook over a gentle heat for 2 minutes without colouring; it should smell biscuity, not toasty. Gradually whisk in the milk, a splash at a time, until smooth, then simmer for 5 minutes, whisking, until it coats the back of a spoon.
3. Let the sauce bubble for another minute until glossy and even. Take off the heat and stir through the mustard, most of the Cheddar and a grating of nutmeg. Season boldly with salt and black pepper; pasta bakes need a well-seasoned sauce to sing once baked.
4. Fold the ham, pasta and peas through the sauce until everything is properly coated, then tip into a large ovenproof dish and level the top.
5. Mix the panko, Parmesan and olive oil with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand. Scatter over the bake, then finish with the remaining Cheddar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling fiercely at the edges and the topping is deep gold.
6. Rest for 5 minutes so the sauce sets, then scatter with parsley.