Pasta With Ham and Peas
Linguine pasta, cubed ham, and green peas are tossed in a simple garlic parmesan sauce. Perfect way to use leftover ham from the holiday feast, it is comforting and also makes for a great weeknight dinner.
Ham and peas pasta also known as ‘Pasta alla Papalina’ is a classic Italian dish. Fettucine pasta, cubes of cured ham, and green peas tossed in onion, cream, and parmesan sauce. While I can’t claim the authenticity of this recipe to the original version, I can assure you that this pasta is delicious and hearty. I have used linguine pasta here and substituted onion with garlic.
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Ham and Peas Pasta
Making pasta couldn’t be easier than this. You will love this pasta for its simplicity and ease of preparation. When it comes to holiday dinners, no matter how well you have done the planning, you will always have leftovers. And I am the most excited about leftovers because there are so many interesting ways you can use them.
I often make frittata, sandwiches with leftover ham. But if you are planning to make a meal out of It then, then try out my Ham Casserole or this amazing pasta recipe. Fresh spring green peas are sweet, and crunchy and add a burst of freshness.
Ingredients
- Pasta- If you go with the classic, then use fettuccine or linguine. But like with many pasta recipes, you can use any pasta you prefer.
- Garlic- I have used sliced garlic. Use finely chopped onion instead.
- Ham- The idea is to use leftover ham in this recipe. But you can also grab Ham steak from the supermarket and dice it up. Alternatively, you can use prosciutto crudo.
- Green pea– Fresh spring green peas are crunchy and sweet. For convenience use frozen sweet peas.
- Parmesan- Always freshly grated parmesan in pastas. Pre-grated pasta has anti-caking agents and doesn’t have the same taste.
- Heavy cream – When a recipe calls for a handful of ingredients, I don’t usually compromise on quality or try substituting with low-fat stuff. Heavy cream makes the sauce velvety and creamy.
- Salt and pepper
The beauty of this pasta lies in its simple flavors, hence it doesn’t call for a lot of seasonings. however
Step-by-step instructions to make Ham and Peas Pasta
This is one those recipes, which doesn’t have lots of chopping or longer cooking hours. This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights because it’s so quick. The simplicity is a major advantage. By the time your pasta is cooked, you’ll have the sauce ready.
Cook pasta
Bring a pot of water to boil and salt it generously. While the pasta is cooking, saute garlic in butter until aromatic but not brown.
Saute aromatics
Add diced ham and cook for 2 minutes. Sometimes I like to brown ham a little bit, it adds a nice flavor to the sauce. Frozen peas take less time to cook, as they are already blanched. You just need to cook until the frozen peas are thawed. Fresh green peas take a little longer to cook, so cook along with ham for 2-3 minutes.
Make the garlic parmesan sauce
The sauce doesn’t have any thickener like flour etc. For making sauce first lower the heat before adding cream. If the heat is high, chances are there that the cream will split. After adding cream, stir in fresh parmesan cheese and pasta cooking water. Give it a good mix and let the sauce simmer a bit. At this point, you can add lemon zest if using.
By now the pasta would have been done. Toss in the pasta until it is well coated with the sauce.
Can the leftovers be stored?
Like any other saucy pasta, when stored the sauce will thicken up. Saying that, leftovers can also be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can add a splash of hot water to the stock to loosen up the sauce a bit.
More Pasta Recipe to try
Ham and Peas Pasta
Ingredients
- 250 grams Linguine pasta
- 1.5 cup Diced Ham
- 1 cup Green Peas
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 2-3 cloves Garlic
- ½ cup Hevay cream
- ½ cup Pasta cooking water
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated)
- Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
Cook Pasta
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water to be used later to make the sauce.
Cook aromatics, Ham, and Peas
- While you are cooking the pasta, In a large skillet melt butter. Saute Garlic for 1-2 minutes or untill the garlic is aromatic but not brown.
- Stir in diced Ham and Green peas. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Make the sauce
- Lower heat, add heavy cream, 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, and grated parmesan. Stir to make the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. (Keep in mind the pasta cooking water has salt in it).
Toss Linguine
- Toss in cooked pasta. Add more pasta cooking water to adjust the sauce consistency.
- Serve with more shredded parmesan on top.
Video
Notes
- If using Frozen peas, it doesn’t need cooking as it is already blanched. For raw peas, you will have to cook for 2 minutes until it is cooked.
- You can add chilli flakes or lemon zest for more flavor.
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