Fast and easy meals are the only thing helping me survive this time of year (…or any time of year for that matter), and this super quick and creamy pasta with peas and ham was a total winner for me. It’s inspired by a classic Italian dish, Pasta alla Papalina, and follows my favorite “formula” for easy meals: pasta + butter + Parmesan + vegetable. This variation on that formula has a few extra ingredients to give it a rich finish, but it’s still just as fast and easy (hello, one pot)!
What is Pasta with Peas and Ham?
This super simple dish is based on a classic Italian dish, Pasta alla Papalina, which features fettuccine, cured ham, peas, and onions in a rich sauce made with cream and either Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese. For this budget interpretation, I used a diced ham steak, heavy cream, and grated Parmesan. It may not be as fancy, but it’s EASY (read no chopping!) and still super delicious.
Ingredients for Pasta with Peas and Ham
This recipe is super flexible, so here’s what I used to make my pasta with peas and ham with some possible substitutions listed for each item:
- Pasta: I used ditalini (small short tubes) because we had it on hand and I thought the shape would be a good match for the green peas, but you can make this dish with literally any type of pasta you might have in your kitchen. It’s a great way to use up the odds and ends of boxes of pasta!
- Sweet Peas: I used frozen sweet peas, but you can use fresh peas if you have them. Simply add the fresh peas to the boiling pasta water a few minutes earlier so they can cook with the pasta. You can also substitute the peas with another green vegetable like broccoli or spinach.
- Ham: I used a simple ham steak from the grocery store that I diced up and browned in the pot for extra flavor. Ham steaks can usually be found in the refrigerated packaged meat section of the grocery store, near bacon. You could also use bacon, pancetta, or even a cured sausage for this dish.
- Butter and Heavy Cream: Full-fat dairy is what makes this dish so scrumptious. I’ve made plenty of pasta dishes similar to this one with just butter, so that is an option if you don’t have the heavy cream, but I love the rich sauce that the cream creates.
- Parmesan: Parmesan coats the pasta for a nice boost of nutty umami flavor. You can also use Pecorino Romano or another hard-aged cheese.
- Salt and Pepper: I love the way salt and pepper sprinkled over the pasta at the end adds small pops of flavor to every bite. You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want a little kick.
How Are the Leftovers?
Quick pasta dishes like this are definitely best when made fresh, and luckily they are easy enough to whip up even when you’re short on time. The creamy sauce will tend to absorb into the pasta as it refrigerated, so if you do reheat your leftovers you might want to add an extra splash of cream or milk to add some moisture back in.
Pasta with Peas and Ham
Servings 4 (about 1.5 cups each)Ingredients
- 8 oz. ditalini pasta* ($0.63)
- 1 cup frozen sweet peas ($0.38)
- 8 oz. ham steak ($2.50)
- 1 Tbsp salted butter ($0.11)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream ($0.75)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.40)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook just until tender. Add the frozen peas and continue to cook for one minute, then drain the pasta and peas in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking, dice the ham into small pieces. After draining the pasta and peas, add the diced ham and butter to the pot. Cook over medium, stirring often, until the ham has browned.
- Add the drained pasta and peas back to the pot along with the heavy cream. Stir and heat over medium until the cream is hot, dissolving the browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you stir.
- Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the pasta, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Pasta with Peas and Ham – Step by Step Photos
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add 2 cups of ditalini pasta (or 8oz. of your favorite pasta shape) to the water and boil just until tender. Add 1 cup of frozen sweet peas to the water and continue to cook for one minute. Drain the pasta and peas in a colander.
While the pasta is cooking, dice one 8oz. ham steak into small pieces. After draining the pasta and peas, add the diced ham to the pot along with 1 Tbsp butter. Cook the ham over medium heat until it is browned (3-5 minutes).
Add the drained pasta and peas to the pot with the ham, along with ½ cup heavy cream. Stir and heat the pasta and cream over medium, dissolving the browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you stir. Heat and stir just until the cream is hot.
Remove the pot from the heat and sprinkle ¼ cup grated Parmesan over top. Stir to combine.
Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste (I used about ¼ tsp of each).
And that’s it! Super easy peasy (pun intended) and delicious! Enjoy!
Delicious and comforting and all in one pot! This was a winner.
Ditalini is missing from the recipe index, just FYI! I don’t get any results when I search for it either. (Love this recipe btw).
Made this tonight. Instead of the cream, butter, and parmesan I just used a jar of garlic alfredo sauce since I’m lazy. Pretty good! Might add some red pepper flakes next time.
Used bow tie pasta, and it turned out great! Definitely adding this to my list of easy dinners for busy weeks.
This was really good. I made it with leftover Easter ham. I used macaroni because that is what I have in the pantry. I also used fat free half and half as my usual sub for heavy cream. It was outstanding. I sprinkled a little red pepper flakes on mine just because I like the added spice.
Pretty good as written, but a little bland. I added some garlic powder to mine. I think next time I’ll use a bit less pasta, though, so I can have a higher pea-to-pasta ratio.
I doubled everything except for the ham. This made 4 servings. My husband really enjoyed it with extra Parmesan. Very easy, would totally make again.
Very easy, quick recipe. When I see ham I think mustard, so I added some Dijon. Surprising how good this is with so few ingredients.
I love the quick and easy recipes!!! Very simple and tasty… on a low budget 💕
Very easy to make and came out delicious! I didn’t have cream on hand and didn’t want to use butter so I subbed by sprinkling flour over the sautéed ham (I also added onion) and stirred to form a roux with milk and it worked perfectly!! Doubled the Parm because… we love Parm :)
Ooh thank you for this tip! I can’t eat dairy and couldn’t figure out a good alternative, but I’m gonna try this!
Turned out great! I used flour for thickening, pea protein milk and vegan parm (Follow Your Heart brand), and this is a delicious, hearty and comforting dairy-free meal!
Just used this recipe using leftover Christmas leg ham. So easy and tasty. Kids smashed it (1 & 6) without added pepper. We sprinkled with garlic/chilli/pepper to serve for adults. Total comfort food.
Made this tonight, but made it with smoked sausage instead of ham. Didn’t measure out the pasta so I should’ve added more liquid as it was a bit dry. Delicious all the same! My toddler actually finished her bowl.
Made with leftover Christmas ham as written, except I saved about 1/4 cup of pasta water and mixed that in since it was a little dry imo. I’d probably reduce parmesan too, I think a couple tbsp would be fine. Delicious overall!
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was fantastic! Super easy to make and tastes amazing. I didn’t have ditalini so I used fusilli instead. I also added some sautéed mushrooms.