Ham, Pea & Pasta Bake

Ingredients

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

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. Whisk in the butternut squash purée and let it 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.