Ham Pasta

This Ham Pasta is a simple meal that is delicious homemade comfort food. It’s a great way to use up leftover ham, and this one-pan dinner makes incredible leftovers.

This easy ham pasta is cheesy, creamy, and oh-so delicious. It’s ready in a flash (seriously), and is a great way to use up holiday ham leftovers.

And what you’ll really love about it is how easy it is to customize to your tastes, and what’s in your fridge.

Just a note about the amount of delicious food this ham and noodles recipe makes…and that is it makes A LOT! If you’re feeding 6-8 people, and/or love leftovers, this recipe is for you. If you need to reduce the number of servings, click on “servings” in the recipe card and adjust it to fit your needs.

You’re going to adore this recipe (I promise), but also check out our Ham Fried Rice, Ham and Cheese Pinwheels, Ham and Potato Casserole, Ham and Potato Soup, and Ham and Beans, for leftover ham dishes that are as simple and delicious as this one!

Ham Pasta Variations

If you don’t have frozen peas, fresh ones will work! Add them to the pasta water in the 2 minutes of cooking (step 2 in the printable recipe card below).

No peas? Asparagus, zucchini, shelled edamame, diced mushrooms, or broccoli are all great options. Any vegetable that is not already cooked should be sauteed, roasted, or steamed before adding it to the pasta.

You can easily make this gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta (cooking time will vary) and using gluten-free flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot powder instead of all-purpose flour.

Whole wheat noodles will work lovely in this leftover ham pasta recipe. The cooking time in step 2 below will likely need to be increased by 1-3 minutes.

In lieu of whole milk, heavy cream or half-and-half will work. You will need to increase the chicken stock by 1/4 cup to account for the thickness of the cream.

How to Make Ham Pasta

*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc.

Start by bringing a saucepan of salted water to a boil and cooking your pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, you’re going to start making the sauce, because you’re efficient and awesome and don’t have time to sit around twiddling your thumbs while dinner cooks.

Like all delicious things, this simple pasta dish starts with butter, olive oil, shallots, and garlic. We’re going to cook that down until the garlic and shallots smell awesome and are starting to soften (1-2 minutes).

Once the garlic mixture looks and smells incredible, sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the top. Whisk that for 1-2 minutes, or until the flour is starting to darken just a bit.

Next up, we’re adding in the wine, stock, warmed whole milk, lemon, salt, and pepper. Cook it down for a few minutes until it has thickened and looked amazing. Life is getting even more awesome.

Now, you’ll add the cooked noodles (with the 1/4 cup of pasta water), ham, Parmesan, frozen peas, and cubed cream cheese to the pan. Stir to combine for a few minutes or until all the cream cheese has been incorporated into the sauce.

WHAT to SErve With Ham & Pea Pasta?

A side dish of veggies like Chopped Cabbage Salad, Roasted Frozen Broccoli, Air Fryer Asparagus, or Green Pea Salad are all great.

And for more carbs (yes please!), Cheesy Garlic Bread, Air Fryer Texas Toast, Stuffing Biscuits, or No Knead Dutch Oven Bread are delicious options.

Storage and Reheating

Allow any leftover pasta to fully cool before storing it in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Even better, this dish reheats amazingly well. Microwave it (covered) for 45-60 seconds.

You can freeze it, but when reheated, the cream sauce will look a bit curdled when it thaws. But, you know, it will still taste delicious!

I like to freeze it in 2-cup Souper Cubes. Once frozen, remove from the trays and store in freezer-proof bags for up to 3 months.