This easy one pot pasta is ready in less than 30 minutes! A quick and easy dinner recipe from the pantry, or to use up that leftover holiday ham!
There really is nothing better than an easy pasta dinner, right? This little number has it all: Vegetables, the opportunity to use up holiday leftovers (no more ham sliders for 8 days in a row!) and a creamy, dreamy sauce.
The best part? Everything cooks in a single pot, which means less washing up to do. Sounds pretty perfect after a holiday cook-a-thon!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Ham: Use diced ham, or dice your own leftover ham. You can also buy thick ham steaks and dice them. Very thin deli ham might not work well.
- Broth: Chicken broth is my favorite here, but vegetables broth works just as well. I would personally not recommend beef broth.
- Pasta: I like long pasta shapes like linguine, tagliatelle or spaghetti best. You can use short pastas, but please bear in mind that the cooking time and liquid needed may vary.
- Cream cheese: I used the cream cheese from the tub. Feel free to use mascarpone for a richer result!
How to make Ham and Pea Pasta
1. Start by cooking the garlic and ham in butter, just until the garlic has softened.
2. Now, add the dried parsley and flour. Stir well and cook for 15-30 seconds. Make sure the flour doesn’t turn brown! It’s important to use medium or medium-low heat for this.
3. Next, stir in the broth. Bring to a boil once, then ad the pasta, making sure to fully submerge it in the broth.
Simmer until the pasta is almost done.
4. Finally, all that’s left to do is adding the peas. Stir them in, then finish cooking the pasta (it’s important for the peas to be fully cooked, so do not overcook the pasta before adding the peas).
Finish the pasta with cream cheese and grated parmesan for a super smooth and silky sauce!
Recipe tips
- Only cook the flour for a few seconds. Don’t let it get brown, or the sauce will look and taste off.
- Make sure there are no lumps of flour remaining once you have stirred in the broth.
- Make sure the pan doesn’t get too hot when simmering the pasta; otherwise it could start sticking to the bottom.
- The peas go in at the end, but you still need to simmer them for 3-4 minutes to heat them through (don’t just throw them in – make sure they cook).
Leftovers
If you have a lot of leftovers, they taste great as a pasta casserole!
Add to a buttered dish with ½ cup of broth (to keep from drying out), sprinkle with cheese and bake at 400°F for around 20 minutes.
Serving tips
We enjoy this pasta dish with a side of roasted broccoli or sautéed zucchini.
When we have this with leftovers from Easter, it’s delicious with roasted asparagus or a cool and creamy cucumber salad.
But, to be perfectly honest… It’s just as great by itself, with a generous helping of parmesan and black pepper 😉
More easy pasta recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
One Pot Ham and Pea Pasta
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced ham or more if you like
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 4 cups chicken broth plus extra as needed
- 1 (8-oz) box uncooked pasta (I like using long, thin shapes here; like Linguine)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 oz cream cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Sauté ham and garlic: Melt butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Sauté ham and garlic for a few minutes.
- Roux: Stir in parsley and flour. Then, stir in the broth while stirring continuously; making sure no lumps remain. Bring to a boil once, then reduce to a simmer.
Cook pasta and peas: Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet, making sure to submerge it in liquid (break in half if needed). Simmer over medium heat until pasta is almost done, stirring a few times. Stir in the peas and finish cooking for 3-4 minutes, or until pasta is done and sauce is creamy. Take off the heat. - Finish: Stir in cream cheese and parmesan and serve immediately.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Ham: Use diced ham, or dice your own leftover ham. You can also buy thick ham steaks and dice them. Very thin deli ham might not work well.
- Broth: Chicken broth is my favorite here, but vegetables broth works just as well. I would personally not recommend beef broth.
- Pasta: I like long pasta shapes like linguine, tagliatelle or spaghetti best. You can use short pastas, but please bear in mind that the cooking time and liquid needed may vary.
- Cream cheese: I used the cream cheese from the tub. Feel free to use mascarpone for a richer result!
Tips
- Only cook the flour for a few seconds. Don’t let it get brown, or the sauce will look and taste off.
- Make sure there are no lumps of flour remaining once you have stirred in the broth.
- Make sure the pan doesn’t get too hot when simmering the pasta; otherwise it could start sticking to the bottom.
- The peas go in at the end, but you still need to simmer them for 3-4 minutes to heat them through (don’t just throw them in – make sure they cook).
Chrissy says
This was exactly what I was looking for to use up my leftover Easter ham and sausage. Just had a question though. Most boxes of pasta seem to be either 12 oz or 16 oz, rather than the 8 oz that your recipe specifies. For that much liquid, 8 oz of pasta doesn’t seem like enough. When I look at similar recipes, they’re using 16 oz of pasta for the same amount of liquid. Could you please clarify? Thanks!
Nora says
Chrissy, I specifically used this ratio in order to create a lot of creamy sauce. If you prefer a less saucy pasta, feel free to use 12 ounces instead.