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Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta with Parmesan and Peas

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This easy Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta is a great way to use up leftover ham and makes its own better-for-you magical cream sauce while it cooks. It’s a kid-approved easy weeknight dinner.

This easy Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta is a great way to use up leftover ham and makes its own better-for-you magical cream sauce while it cooks. It's an kid-approved easy weeknight dinner.

Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta

This yummy, easy pasta is something I came up with on-the-fly last night as a way to use up a seemingly endless supply of leftover ham from our Easter dinner. I hadn’t intended to do a recipe post about it but the kids enjoyed it so much and it was so easy to make, I snapped a couple of quick pictures mid-meal. So, if you’re wondering why there are basically three of the same pics in this story, its because I shot it over the course of 2 minutes before the kids started a riot asking for second helpings.M

Magical Cream Sauce

This Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta was so good it definitely is worth rioting over. It’s fast, it’s good, it’s a great way to use leftovers and it all comes together in one pot. I used the same method here that I’ve used in the past for other one-pot pasta dishes like my One-Pot Tuna Casserole and my One-Pot Pasta with Spring Vegetables. My like the latter, you start by sautéing some garlic and also ham, then add dry pasta and a mix of chicken broth and milk or half & half. As the pasta cooks down, it transforms the milk and broth into a magically creamy sauce — using far less fat than a traditional cream sauce. Even better, since we’re simmering the entire mixture with ham, each and every bite is also infused with smoky ham flavor.

This easy Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta is a great way to use up leftover ham and makes its own better-for-you magical cream sauce while it cooks. It's an kid-approved easy weeknight dinner.

Once the pasta cooks down, simply add your veggies and a handful of parmesan cheese for the most wonderful meal. I wasn’t sure how the kids (who have been SUPER picky lately) would respond but they both enjoyed this tremendously. My extra-persnickety five-year old ate two gigantic helpings and is currently polishing off the leftovers as his lunch. Now that’s magic.

This easy Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta is a great way to use up leftover ham and makes its own better-for-you magical cream sauce while it cooks. It's an kid-approved easy weeknight dinner.
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This easy Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta is a great way to use up leftover ham and makes its own better-for-you magical cream sauce while it cooks. It's a kid-approved easy weeknight dinner.

Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta with Parmesan and Peas

  • Author: Homemaker’s Habitat
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: One-Pot Pasta
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Description

This easy Leftover Ham One-Pot Pasta is a great way to use up leftover ham and makes its own better-for-you magical cream sauce while it cooks. It’s a kid-approved easy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 cup leftover ham, finely diced
  • 1 pound (16 ounces) bow tie pasta 
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups whole or reduced fat milk (skim/fat free milk may curdle)
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup baby spinach or kale, finely chopped
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • Juice of one lemon
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and ham and saute for about 1 minute. Add pasta, broth and milk and bring to a simmer* over medium-high heat, stirring often.
  2. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring often until pasta is cooked to al dente and liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency, about 10 – 12 minutes. If liquid absorbs before pasta is cooked, add an extra 1/2 cup of liquid. Be sure to keep the temperature at a simmer — the sauce may curdle at a higher temperature. 
  3. Add cheese, peas and spinach or kale, stirring until mixture is fully incorporated and veggies are heated through.
  4. Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and, if desired, additional parmesan cheese.

Notes

* Be sure to keep the temperature at a simmer — the sauce may curdle at a higher temperature. 

Keywords: Leftover Ham, One-Pot Pasta, Weeknight Dinners, Easy Dinners, Kid-friendly meals