Name: Creamy Ham and Parmesan Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 lb rigatoni pasta or other large pasta
• 2 cups leftover ham, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/2 Spanish onion, sliced thin
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 fresh sage leaves (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste.

Instructions:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.
• Add olive oil.
• Add onions and cook for 1 minute.
• Now add garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the leftover ham and warm through, about one minute tossing the ham around in the pan.
• Add heavy cream, parmesan, salt and pepper. (and sage if using it).
• Mix well and reduce heat to low.
• Drain the pasta and make sure to reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.
• Add pasta to the pan with the ham and cream and mix well.
• Add about 1/4 cup of pasta water to the pan and mix well.
• If the sauce looks creamy and not too thick, no more pasta water is needed. If the sauce is too thin, cook for an additional minute until it thickens.

Comments: 4/3/2026 - I used Fusilli pasta and had about 2 1/2 cups of ham. I substituted 1/2 teaspoon of ground sage for the fresh leaves. I misread the recipe and used a red onion instead of a Spanish onion. I did not add any of the pasta water back into the dish. Gail, CJ, and I enjoyed it.

Source: https://www.keepingitsimpleblog.com/food/creamy-ham-and-parmesan-pasta/

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