Ham and pasta bake
Favourite Czech recipe for a quick dinner, or lunch. It is close to Austrian Schinkenfleckerl. The dish is built from short pasta, sautéed onion, diced smoked ham or cooked smoked pork and a simple egg and milk mixture that sets in the oven.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 onion
- 50ml / 1,7 fl.oz / 0,2 cup milk
- 300 g / 10,5 oz smoked meat
- 400 g / 14,1 oz pasta
- Pepper
- Salt
Recipe steps:
- Cook the pasta in saltwater with a few drops of oil.
- Drain, rinse briefly with cold water and drain.
- Cut the cooked smoked meat or ham into approximately centimetre cubes.
- Cut into a fine one of the medium-sized onions.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
- Put drained pasta in a baking dish, mix with cubes of smoked meat and onions, stuff and put in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the milk, season enough with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the partially ham and pasta bake and bake in the oven (an estimated 20 minutes, depending on how much crisp we like).
- Baked hams taste delicious with sour pickles. We can also top them up with fresh salad. We can add corn or other vegetables, depending on the taste.
Before you start:
- Cook pasta 1 minute shy of package time. It will finish in the oven and keep a pleasant bite.
- A brief rinse is fine if you plan a longer bake and want to avoid sticking. Skip the rinse if you want stronger bonding with the egg mixture.
- Lightly grease the baking dish. Combine pasta with meat and onion, pack into the dish and pour over the seasoned eggs with milk.
Ingredient choices:
- Pasta: fleky sheets if available, otherwise penne or wide spirals.
- Meat: diced cooked smoked pork or good quality ham. Bacon can replace part of the meat for a deeper roasted note.
- Onion: sauté until golden for gentle sweetness.
- Custard: eggs and milk, or swap some milk for cream for a richer bake.
Technique tips:
- Mix pasta, meat and onion while warm.
- Season the egg mixture with salt and pepper and a pinch of marjoram if you like.
- Bake until the top is golden and the center is just set.
- Rest 5 minutes before cutting into squares.
Regional and home variations:
- With bacon: crisp bacon, use part of the rendered fat to coat the pasta.
- With cheese: a light layer of grated Edam or Gouda on top and a short broil.
- Mushroom version: fold in sautéed mushrooms.
- Vegetable add ins: peas, corn or small diced blanched carrots.
- Spiced: a pinch of nutmeg in the custard or a little sweet paprika.
Alternatives and dietary tweaks:
- Meat free: onions and mushrooms with fresh herbs.
- Lactose free: neutral plant milk plus a spoon of oil for body.
- Whole grain: whole wheat pasta and a splash more milk.
Serving and storage:
- Serve with pickles, beet salad or a simple green salad.
- Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days.
- Reheat in a skillet with a spoon of milk and let the bottom crisp lightly for a nice texture.
