Creamy ham and pea pasta
Bow ties in a light parmesan cream sauce with golden bits of ham and sweet peas, a cheap Italian classic ready in 25 minutes.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.18 a serving
- 650 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 12 oz farfalle
- 1½ cups frozen peas
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8 oz diced cooked ham
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan
From your pantry
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Each serving has about 650 calories, 29 g protein, 75 g carbs and 26 g fat, and costs about $2.18 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No frozen peas? Frozen mixed vegetables work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring a large pot of water and add the salt.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cook the pasta as the package says, adding the peas for the last minute.
High heatTimer: 11 min
Scoop out 1 cup of the with a mug, then the pasta and peas.
Reserve pasta water. It means scooping out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta. A splash helps the sauce cling and turn silky, and it’s the step everyone forgets.
How you’ll know: A mug of cloudy water is sitting by the stove before the pasta goes into the colander.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
In the same pot, the butter over medium and cook the ham 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until at the edges and hot. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
Pour in the cream and let it bubble 2 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min
Add the pasta, peas, parmesan, pepper and ½ cup of the pasta water and 1 minute, until the sauce is creamy and clings.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Low heatTimer: 1 min
Dolly’s tip: If it tightens up, splash in more pasta water. The starch in it keeps the sauce silky instead of gluey.Serve right away with extra parmesan and pepper.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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30-minute dinners ›Pantry dinners ›What to make with frozen peas and parmesan ›