Ham and Veggie Cobbler

Originally this dish was called broccoli cobbler.  I found it over at the blog Half Baked Harvest. I really messed with this recipe.  I added loads of other veggies, reduced the amount of canned soup, and added ham! 

The whole family really enjoyed this dish.  The only bad thing about it was the broccoli.  The dish fed the three of us for two meals, with one more leftover.  No one wanted to eat it because the broccoli had gotten stinky sitting in the fridge for several days.  To avoid wasting food, the next time I make this I will leave the broccoli out all together and replace it with  other mixed veggies.

I really hated to toss the odoriferous leftovers. The cheddar biscuit topping was amazing.  It was even better than the topping on the crumble pot pie.

The cheese made the topping all crispy.  I just love crispy cheese.  OK.  So I know the photos make the topping look burnt.  My camera does that.  I blame the horrible lighting in my kitchen.  The topping is deep golden brown.

Ham and Veggie Cobbler adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Filling:
1 can  Cream of Garlic and Mushroom soup
2oz softened cream cheese
3 c broccoli florets, fresh (about 2-3 heads) or frozen (or replace with veggies of your choice)
2c ham
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese (I used a 3 cheddar blend from Kraft)
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 diced carrots
1 1/2 c corn (I used frozen)
1/2 c peas (I used frozen)

Cheddar Drop Biscuits:
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 t baking soda (I forgot this)
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter (1 stick), cold
1 c grated cheddar cheese, and 1/4 c more for topping
1/2 c plus 2 T buttermilk, cold and shaken (I used buttermilk powder combined with skim milk)
1 egg, cold
Freshly ground pepper for topping

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl, add soup and cream cheese. Mix until combined. Fold in ham, veggies, cheese, and black pepper. Add to greased 8x12 baking pan. Set aside and prepare biscuits. Add dry ingredients to med bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and mix. Using a box grater, grate cold butter into flour mix. Stick bowl in freezer for 5 min. Meanwhile, combine  buttermilk and egg. Remove bowl from freezer. Gently break up butter and combine with flour, using hands, until it resembles small peas. Next, add cheese and combine until evenly mixed. Add  buttermilk mix all at once and mix until barely combined; lightly knead dough until it forms one solid mass. Drop 6-8 mounds of dough onto surface casserole. Top with cheese. Top each biscuit with black pepper. Bake 40-45 min. Biscuits will be golden brown and the sauce will be bubbly.  (This dish can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. cover and chill until ready to use. Bake as directed.)