Pasta Cordon Bleu

Another pasta dish to make a happy hubby!  I found 
this recipe on With a Cherry on Top  and I knew he would love it.

I bought a half pound of ham at the deli, it was on sale so you know that made me very happy. I had heavy cream leftover from the Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. Recipe called for a cup and a half of milk and I diluted the cream with water to make up the amount needed. It made the dish extra creamy and rich.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Pasta ( used penne)
1 cup Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup Ham, cooked and cubed ( cut up 1/2 pound of deli ham)
1 1/2 cups Milk ( used cream diluted with water) *
8 oz. Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion ( Used half of a red onion and sauteed in 1 tablespoon of butter)
2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper
1 cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted

Directions:

In a large pot  bring water to a boil over med-high heat. Salt it and add the pasta; cook until al dente (about 10 minutes). 

 Drain and return to the pot then add the chicken and ham. Toss to combine. Preheat the broiler.



 In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cream cheese and minced onion over low-medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a smooth texture. Stir into the pasta mixture. Stir in the Swiss cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer pasta to a baking dish and top with the Panko crumbs. 

Pour melted butter over crumbs and broil until browned (about 3 minutes). Watch you don't want it to burn.