The Mid-Century Kitchen with Molly Starlite: Cooking with SPAM?!?!

One of my all-time favorite dishes growing up was this rigatoni pasta and Spam concoction my mother made every other Sunday afternoon. It's creamy, the Spam adds salt, and the BBQ chips on top add the perfect crunch.

Though a lot of people turn their noses up at Spam, it really is the key component to this tasty dish of comfort food. This casserole takes less than half an hour to put together, 20 minutes to bake, and is also GREAT to take to potlucks! (You'll come back with just an empty pan, I promise!)

No, it's not gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, lactose free, low carb, or low calorie, but it is darned delicious!

Here's the recipe in text; a printable recipe card is below, in both JPG and PDF format, and you can follow along with my video (below), too!

INGREDIENTS
1 can of Spam (any flavor - I like Hickory Smoke)
1 box of rigatoni noodles
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed BBQ potato chips
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika for color (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 375-degrees.
Prepare pasta according to box directions.
Dice Spam into small cubes and put in foil-lined baking pan (no sense in making more work for yourself)
Melt butter in saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add flour to butter to make a paste.
Add milk to roux (your flour/butter mixture)
Whisk constantly until sauce reaches a medium-thick consistency. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
Drain pasta (do not rinse) and add to baking pan. Stir in white sauce and mix until fully incorporated.
Top with a layer of cheddar cheese, a layer of crushed chips, and a second layer of cheese. Top with a sprinkle of paprika, if desired.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Serves 4-8 people for a main dinner meal; many more at a potluck.

Click to view larger or print.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF OF RECIPE CARD.