Spaghetti Ham Bake -- The Smoker's Heat, Brought Indoors

December 2021. Winter in Memphis, 63 years old, and the cold has settled into the house on Deadrick Avenue the way cold settles into old bones — persistently, without malice, just the physics of aging and December. Rosetta has the thermostat set at 74, our eternal compromise, and I cook warming things: stews and soups and slow-braised meats that fill the house with steam and flavor.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 38 years of marriage.

I made cornbread in the cast iron skillet — buttermilk, cornmeal, bacon drippings, the recipe that goes back to Mama and before Mama to her mama and before that to wherever the tradition began. Baked at 425 until golden and crusty, the edges dark and lacy, the center soft and crumbling. Some weeks cornbread is enough. Some weeks the simplest food is the most profound.

The week ended on the porch with Rosetta, the evening settling over Orange Mound, the smoker cooling in the backyard. The fire was banked but not out — it's never out, just resting between cooks, holding the heat the way I hold the tradition: carefully, permanently, with the understanding that what Uncle Clyde gave me is not mine to keep but mine to pass, and the passing is the purpose.

With the smoker cooling in the backyard and the week’s warmth still in the air, I wanted to bring something of that fire inside—something that used the ham the way the tradition demands, slow and purposeful, folded into a dish that fills the kitchen the same way the smoke fills the yard. This Spaghetti Ham Bake is that bridge: it takes what the smoker gives and turns it into a supper Rosetta and I can sit down to together, the heat of the oven doing the quiet work the smoker does outdoors, the whole house smelling like a meal that was made with intention.

Spaghetti Ham Bake

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 8 oz spaghetti, broken in half
• 2 cups cooked smoked ham, diced
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook the spaghetti. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until just al dente, about 8–9 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
3. Saute the vegetables. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add diced onion and green bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Build the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and milk until smooth. Add garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and smoked paprika. Fold in the diced ham, sauteed vegetables, and 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar.
5. Combine. Add the cooked spaghetti to the bowl and toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated and the ham and vegetables are distributed throughout.
6. Bake. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar over the top. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
7. Finish and serve. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and bubbling at the edges. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 890mg