15 Minute Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas

5 from 1 vote

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This 15 Minute Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas features a parsley and lemon zest garnish that adds flavor, freshness and texture to an easy-to-make comfort food meal that is perfect for any night of the week.

It’s one of our favorite meals that take less than 30 minutes!

A plate of food, with Peas and Ham

What is this?

This light and flavorful meal is a celebration of taste, texture, and perhaps just as important, convenience. Just what makes this creamy pasta with ham and peas so darn special? Namely,  just a few ordinary ingredients:

  • Bow tie pasta
  • Scallions
  • Ham
  • Peas
  • Cream
  • Parsley
  • Fresh Lemon Zest

A plate of food on a table, with Cream and Pea

I found this Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas recipe on epicurious, one of our many sources of great food ideas. Even though I was tempted to lighted this creamy pasta up by substituting the heavy cream for milk, I’m glad that I didn’t choose that alternative. You can easily get four servings out of this dish and the reduction in fat and calories per serving from just a cup of milk vs. a cup of cream seems negligible in terms of the character and flavor that the cream imparts upon this recipe.

A wooden spoon stirring a skillet of noodles

Fresh peas are preferred for this dish but if you can’t find those, frozen peas work just fine. If you are not a fan of peas, consider substituting asparagus or broccoli. Similarly, diced prosciutto would make a great substitute for the slices of ham we use.

We have recently started to make our own food videos and this Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas is just our third such production.

You can check out similar videos that we have made, featuring a couple of our most popular recipes, namely our Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and our 3 Ingredient Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies. The process for putting a video and still photo shoot together has some unique challenges but we are super excited to dive into this new arena of social sharing and look forward to bringing you many more food videos.

Meanwhile, this Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas recipe is a great way to welcome summer, with the light comfort of ham and cream all accented by the crisp and clean freshness of  parsley and lemon zest. I hope you try this fast and easy recipe and as always, thank you for reading Platter Talk. It means the world to us.

Pasta with peas on plate with fork

Other delicious pasta recipes

15 Minute Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas

5 from 1 vote
This creamy pasta with ham and peas recipe is a light and flavorful meal that is perfect for busy families with big appetites.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb pasta, bow tie or other short pasta
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup shallots, thinly sliced
  • 4 oz ham, thick cut with thin slices
  • 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup heavy cream, may substitute with milk
  • lemon zest, from one lemon
  • 2 tbsp parsley, flat leaf, Italian, chopped
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish

Instructions 

  • Cook pasta to al dente, about 10 or 11 minutes. Drain and reserve 2 tbsp of pasta water.
  • While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and stir for a few minutes until soft and tender. Add ham, peas and cream and bring to slow simmer while stirring for about 5 minutes, until sauce is slightly thickened.
  • Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, parsley and salt and pepper. Add pasta to sauce and toss until well covered. Serve and garnish with Parmesan cheese and additional parsley and lemon zest (if desired).

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 552kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 279mg, Potassium: 318mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 890IU, Vitamin C: 11.6mg, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 1.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!

Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas in red skillet next ingredients on towel


Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is my kind of comfort food, I love everything in it! I’m bookmarking this one to make for my grandkids.