Leftover ham makes a whole new meal the next day: gluten free ham tetrazzini with hearty cheddar cheese sauce and sturdy Tinkyada spaghetti.
On Sundays or holidays when company comes to visit, I often make a ham because it goes a long way and is always enjoyed by all.
Sometimes there’s enough leftovers to make a whole new meal the next day.
Simply dice up the ham the night before and, in no more than 15 minutes, you can prepare gluten free ham tetrazzinni casserole, that’ll be ready to pop in the oven. Fast and easy.
This dish is similar to my turkey tetrazzini except I add organic cheddar cheese into the cream sauce.
I use organic milk too. I love that the cheese and milk are free of hormones and antibiotics.
To thicken our sauce we make a roux.
How to make a roux
Our roux is a mixture of butter and flour cooked up to make a paste, which serves as the base to thicken our sauce. We cook the flour for about three minutes. This is to avoid a raw flour taste.
Ingredients
- gluten free Tinkyada spaghetti cooked according to package directions
- and leftover ham
For your sauce:
- mushrooms
- butter
- Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all-purpose flour
- gluten free chicken broth
- milk
- sherry
- lemon juice
- nutmeg
- salt
- pepper
- and cheddar cheese
For your crumb topping:
- gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
- and butter
Instructions
*Free printable recipe card is available at the end of the post.
First preheat your oven to 400°F and butter a 3 quart casserole dish.
Then in a large skillet cook the mushrooms in 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter over a medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes and set aside.
Now we’ll make our roux. Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a dutch oven pot. Stir in the flour, and cook the mixture over a low heat, whisking constantly for about three minutes. Remove from the heat.
Then slowly whisk in your broth until smooth.
Finally, whisk in the milk and heat over a medium flame, whisking constantly, simmering for one minute. Then stir in the sherry and simmer for one more minute.
Remove from the heat. Flavor with a few drops of lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Now add the cooked spaghetti, ham, cheddar cheese and mushrooms to the sauce and toss.
And transfer the entire mixture to the buttered casserole dish.
Now for the breadcrumbs topping. In a separate pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter and mix in your panko bread crumbs until the butter is thoroughly absorbed. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini.
Dot the top with a tablespoon of butter, cut into small pieces.
And that’s it. Bake your casserole uncovered on the middle rack of the oven until the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden.
Pro tips and recipe notes
- Looking for a delicious gluten free spaghetti? You may want to try Tinkyada spaghetti this time as I did. I love that it’s never mushy and always tastes great. Schar spaghetti and Sams Mills pasta d’oro are also good.
- If you prefer ham with no added nitrates or nitrites, no artificial ingredients or preservatives as I do, you may find this one at Whole Foods.
- Using a large skillet to cook the mushrooms will give the mushrooms plenty of room so that they can brown. Add butter to the skillet and cook your mushrooms, tossing them with a wooden spoon until they’re brown (about 5 minutes).
- Place your casserole on a baking sheet so that if it bubbles over, the baking sheet will catch all the drippings.
- You might like to add more vegetables to your casserole. Sweet peas are a popular choice. It’s up to you.
Go ahead. Enjoy ham tetrazzini, it’s gluten free! Have a happy healthy week.
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Gluten Free Ham Tetrazzini Casserole
Leftover ham makes a whole new meal the next day: gluten free ham tetrazzini with hearty cheddar cheese sauce and sturdy Tinkyada spaghetti.
Servings 6 -8
Calories 521kcal
Ingredients
- 12 ounce gluten free Tinkyada spaghetti cook according to package directions
- 8 ounces of mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 cup + 4 1/2 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all-purpose flour
- 2 cups gluten free chicken broth
- 2 1/2 cups of milk
- 2 tablespoons of sherry
- 3 cups leftover ham diced into bite size pieces
- 3 drops of lemon juice
- 3 pinches of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- dash of pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 cup gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Butter a 3 quart casserole dish.
- In a large skillet, cook the mushrooms in 1 1/2 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat, stirring, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large, dutch oven, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Stir in the flour, and cook the mixture over low heat, whisking constantly for three minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Slowly whisk in the broth until smooth.
- Then whisk in the milk and heat on a medium flame, whisking constantly, simmering for one minute. Then stir in the sherry and simmer for one more minute.
- Remove from the heat. Flavor with lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked spaghetti, ham, cheddar cheese and mushrooms to the sauce and toss.
- Transfer the entire mixture to the buttered casserole.
- In a separate pan melt 2 tablespoons butter and then mix in 1 cup panko bread crumbs until the butter is thoroughly absorbed. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini. Dot the top with the a tablespoon of butter, cut into small pieces.
- Bake uncovered on the middle rack of the oven until the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden, about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Looking for a delicious gluten free spaghetti? You may want to try Tinkyada spaghetti this time as I did. I love that it's never mushy and always tastes great. Schar spaghetti and Sams Mills pasta d’oro are also good.
- If you prefer ham with no added nitrates or nitrites, no artificial ingredients or preservatives as I do, you may find this one at Whole Foods.
- No leftovers? No problem. You can ask your deli person to slice ham 1/4-inch thick for you. Then just cut it up into bite-size pieces.
- Using a large skillet to cook the mushrooms will give the mushrooms plenty of room so that they can brown. Add butter to the skillet and cook your mushrooms, tossing them with a wooden spoon until they’re brown (about 5 minutes).
- Place your casserole on a baking sheet so that if it bubbles over, the baking sheet will catch all the drippings.
- You might like to add more vegetables to your casserole. Sweet peas are a popular choice.
Nutrition
Calories: 521kcal
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Cia from Cia Says says
I don’t really understand the gluten free diet but I am curious as to how this tastes.
Barbara says
Celiac disease is triggered by consumption of the protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the finger-like villi of the small intestine. When the villi become damaged, the body is unable to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, which can lead to malnourishment.
Left untreated, people with celiac disease can develop further complications such as other autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, and cancer.
Many folks who have not been specifically diagnosed with celiac disease have found that avoiding gluten helps with what ails them.
I have experimented with many gluten free products so that my family and friends enjoy tasting my recipes whether or not they need to avoid gluten.
Gluten free doesn’t mean flavor free 🙂
Mary says
Looks delicious! I wish I could smell it from my screen… Will have to give the recipe a try sometime.
Barbara says
Ha ha That would be some fresh technology to be able to smell the food! 🙂
Alana says
I can get nitrate free ham from a local supplier that sells at our farmers market – so fortunate! This sounds delicious, with the gluten free panko bread crumbs and cheese. Crusty!
Barbara says
I just love local farmer’s markets! That’s terrific.