I did this some time ago after I made a ham. It’s really just mac and cheese, but with a fancy touch or two. The ‘mac’ is campanelle pasta, the cheese is goat cheese, and it’s herbed with some rosemary and a little tomato. The chunks of ham add the saltiness and meaty-ness it needs to make this a very fulfilling dish. It’s also very simple and fast.
6 ozs. goat cheese
3 T butter
1/2 cup cream
1-2 T fresh chopped rosemary
5-6 chopped cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 to 2 cups diced ham
Boil the pasta – I had the luxury of a leftover ham hock so I threw it in the boiling water. Saute the tomatoes in the butter, reduce the heat to low, add the cream and melt in the goat cheese. When the cheese is melted, add the rosemary. It should reduce quickly just to stick-to-the-back-of-the-spoon thickness. You should be fast enough to be there by the time the pasta is ready. Mix the cheesy sauce with the pasta.