Creamy Ham, Peas, and Pasta

Farfalle pasta with ham and peas in a creamy sauce in a large cast iron skillet.

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5 from 6 votes

Creamy Ham, Peas, and Pasta

Creamy sauce tops pasta with ham and peas. A great recipe to use leftover holiday ham.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword creamy pasta sauce, ham peas pasta, leftover ham recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 863kcal

Author Eileen Kelly

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked farfalle pasta or your favorite small pasta
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided into 1 and 3 Tablespoons Note 1
1 shallot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning Note 2
½ teaspoon kosher salt Note 3
½ teaspoon black pepper Note 2
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream Note 4
1 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Gouda cheese, shredded
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup diced ham Note 4
pasta water Note
fresh parsley, optional garnish

Instructions

Prepare the farfalle according to package directions, set aside
While pasta cooks, in a saute pan, over medium heat add 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter (Note 1), let melt. Add in diced shallots, saute about 2 minutes to soften shallots.
Add in minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Continue to saute another few seconds to blend flavors. (Note 6)
Stir in the remaining butter (Note 1), let melt. Whisk in the flour, continue to whisk about 1 minute to blend flavors.
Whisk in heavy cream to blend. Cook and stir occasionally, about 5 minutes to thicken sauce.
Mix in the shredded cheese combo. Whisk to melt cheese, about 1 minute.
Gently stir in the peas, ham, and cooked farfalle. Simmer another minute to blend flavors and warm pasta, stirring occasionally.
Taste sauce for seasoning, adjust any, if needed.
Serve with chopped fresh parsley, optional.

Notes

Note 1: Use 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter to saute the shallots and garlic. The remaining 3 Tablespoons get added in with the flour to make a roux to thicken the sauce.

Note 2: Italian seasoning is my go-to for depth of flavor. You can vary dried herbs with what you have on hand such as dried basil or parsley.

Note 3: Start with this amount, you may need more depending on your taste when you finish the recipe.

Note 4: Half and half can be used for a lighter flavor.

Note 5 : Use leftover ham or purchase diced ham or a ham steak.

Note 6: Be sure to saute garlic quickly to blend flavors. Burnt garlic doesn't taste good at all.

Note 7: The water that the pasta cooks in is valuable for any sauce that will be made for it. Always reserve a cup or two of the water before draining the pasta. The pasta water adds flavor and can thin out the sauce if too thick.

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