My aunt makes this for every family potluck. 4 ingredients for the ultimate cheesy comfort food that uses up leftovers perfectly.

My aunt has carried this dish to more church basements and VFW halls than I can count. It started as her clever way to use up the last of a holiday ham, and it turned into the one pan everyone expects at every family potluck. Four simple ingredients go into the slow cooker—leftover ham, dry elbow macaroni, a can of condensed cheddar cheese soup, and milk—and a few hours later you’ve got the kind of creamy, orange-yellow, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that feels like a hug on a cold Midwestern day. It’s not fancy, just practical and dependable, the way so many of our handed-down recipes are.

Serve this cheesy ham and pasta right out of the slow cooker while it’s still hot and saucy. It goes well with a crisp green salad or a simple plate of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers to balance the richness. Warm dinner rolls or buttered garlic toast are perfect for scooping up any extra cheese sauce. At a potluck, I like to set it between a pan of baked beans and a bowl of coleslaw—those old-fashioned sides seem to belong together on the same plate.

Servings: 6

3 cups diced cooked ham (leftover ham, cut into small cubes)

Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with butter or nonstick spray to help keep the pasta from sticking.

Add the diced cooked ham and the uncooked elbow macaroni to the slow cooker, spreading them out evenly.

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the condensed cheddar cheese soup and the milk until the mixture is smooth and no large lumps remain.

Pour the cheese soup and milk mixture over the ham and macaroni in the slow cooker. Stir gently until all of the pasta and ham cubes are coated in the sauce.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking if you are nearby. The pasta is done when the elbow macaroni is tender and the sauce is thick, creamy, and bright orange-yellow.

If the mixture seems too thick near the end of cooking, stir in a splash of additional milk, a little at a time, until it reaches your preferred creaminess. If it seems too loose, leave the lid off for the last 10 to 15 minutes to let some steam escape and the sauce thicken.

Once the pasta is tender and the cheese sauce is rich and smooth, switch the slow cooker to WARM. Give everything a final stir, making sure the ham cubes are evenly distributed, then serve straight from the crock.

If you like a little extra flavor without adding more ingredients, use smoked ham or a well-seasoned holiday ham for deeper taste. For a slightly sharper cheese note, replace 1 cup of the milk with evaporated milk, which gives a richer, old-fashioned creaminess. You can also change the pasta shape—small shells or rotini work well—but watch the timing, as different shapes may cook a bit faster or slower. To stretch the dish for a big crowd, stir in up to 1 extra cup of dry macaroni and a little more milk, then cook until tender. If you need to hold it for a potluck, keep it on WARM and stir in small splashes of milk now and then to keep it from drying out. Leftovers reheat nicely with a spoonful of milk stirred in before warming on the stovetop or in the microwave.