Pasta with Ham
After yesterday’s heavier post on my career change story and my current emotional unraveling of my professional path, today’s ham pasta recipe is much lighter.
Well, I mean, it still has pasta and it will certainly fill you up, but it’s not quite so contemplative, thankfully! I don’t often crave pasta, but if I’m in the need of some comfort food, pasta is usually a top choice! Go figure.
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Ham Pasta
With Easter in a few weeks, I have ham on the brain. I actually LOVE ham. My mom only cooks it bone-in and she serves it with her homemade pear chutney, which is just to die for.
My siblings and I end up passing her little jars around during any meal with ham. And then any leftover sandwiches or the like have a slather of the chutney too. It’s also good with some mustard too – a true sweet and savory combination!
Anyway, if you have oodles of leftover ham (Christmas, Easter, or whenever), this ham pasta recipe is just the recipe you want. It uses up those leftovers and it’s a SUPER EASY DINNER RECIPE, which after cooking that big meal is just what we need!
Diced Ham Recipe
If we’re being honest, I’ll eat leftover, sliced ham straight out of the fridge. But that’s not everyone’s cup of tea and I can’t get through it all with just that.
There are a number of leftover ham recipes, but I tend to like those that have diced ham. The smaller pieces of ham add flavor throughout a dish and offer a great way to reheat the meat.
Or if you want to try a similar recipe with bacon, try this spaghetti carbonara! Such a classic, Italian dish!
Leftover Ham Recipe
These Ham and Cheese Waffles are another favorite leftover Easter ham recipe. They’re a savory waffle that’s great at breakfast, but we like it even more for dinner. It’s super fast (perhaps faster than this ham pasta) and it reheats well (again for breakfast or dinner)!
It’s also delicious on a ploughman’s lunch plate (see the inspiration here in this travel post on our Cotswolds visit in rural England).
Want some other good pasta recipes? This canned tuna pasta recipe is easy, inexpensive and delicious! Simpler versions (great as a side dish too) are pasta and peas and this one pot green bean pasta is a mandatory one in our house. On the lighter side, this cherry tomato pasta is divine and this creamy vegan pasta is heartier than you’d ever expect from a plant-based meal!
PASTA WITH HAM
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups diced cooked ham
- 8 ounces pappardelle pasta cooked according to package directions
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- Grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until it begins to sizzle and you can smell it. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes, until it becomes bright green and softens slightly. Add the ham and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, until heated through. Turn off the heat and add the warm, cooked pasta to the skillet.
- In a small dish, whisk together the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pour into the skillet and toss all ingredients together. Garnish with Parmesan before serving.
Simple, delicious and perfect for spring! We love asparagus here so we both liked your recipe very much!
Ham and asparagus is such a great combination and your photos make the dish look so mouth wateringly delicious, yum. I can’t wait to try it.
This recipe has me longing for Spring. Might have to buy some ham so I can try it instead of waiting until I have leftover ham. 🙂
This was awesome! I also love the opportunity to break out my cast iron too! Thank you for a great recipe!
Oooh, this pasta looks fantastic. Definitely the perfect use for leftover ham. Sounds amazing paired with the asparagus.