Ham and Cream Pasta

A DELICIOUS 5 ingredient pasta dish! Pasta mixed in a thickened Parmigiano-Reggiano-cream sauce with diced ham topped with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Simply divine!

I remember the first time I ate this dish. I couldn’t believe how simple this was just ham, cream, Parmesan, and pasta. That’s all! I ordered it at a restaurant in downtown Bologna, Italy but it was served with tortellini. Bologna, Italy is the origin of many of the “Italian-style” foods that we eat in North America like Lasagna, Bolognese Sauce, Tortellini, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and even Bologna (similar to sliced Mortadella). In the US, we pronounce sliced Bologna “baloney” for some odd reason. It should be pronounced “bo-LO-nya”.

Possibly one of the reasons Ham and Cream Pasta is so simple is to showcase the delicate homemade tortellini. You would not believe how delicious the homemade tortellini are in Bologna! The addition of thickened cream, Parmesan, and ham just take it over the top.

Living in downtown Bologna was a CULINARY DREAM! I so wish I had started my food blog at that time for all of you. Two of my children were born in Bologna and I’m pretty sure growing up there they ate this at least twice a week, if not more.

To this day my kids, now teenagers, request Ham and Cream Pasta at least once a week. I still make it with tortellini but shells or mini farfalle are another favorite. Especially since homemade tortellini made by Bolognese grandmas are hard to come by in Florida.

This has become one of my signature dishes and what’s great is it’s so easy to make. When I’ve made it for guests everyone asks for the recipe right away. One tip I have to share is that this has to be served and eaten immediately after it is prepared. The pasta will absorb the cream sauce when it is refrigerated. The recipe easily doubles or triples depending on how many you’re serving.

Give it a try and let me know in the comments below how it turned out! I would love to hear what you think.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HAM AND CREAM PASTA

• Pasta, any shape
• Heavy cream
• Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Cubed or diced ham
• Salt

HOW TO MAKE HAM AND CREAM PASTA

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil; salt the water generously with 2 Tbsp salt.
• Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions; drain.
• Meanwhile in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream and 1 tsp salt to a simmer.
• Turn the heat to medium-low and stir often; making sure that it doesn’t boil over.
• When the cream thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes, stir in 1 cup Parmesan and the ham. (The cream will turn an off white color as it thickens).

• Remove from heat, add the ham-cream sauce to the drained pasta, and stir well to incorporate.
• Serve immediately.

• Use the remaining ½ cup Parmesan for garnish.

WHAT SHAPE OF PASTA IS BEST FOR HAM AND CREAM PASTA?

• Small, short pasta shapes work best for Ham and Cream Pasta such as mini Farfalle, Farfalle, rotini, elbows, shells, or mini penne.
• Use whatever shape you prefer, I’ve used gnocchi, tortellini, or ravioli as well.

OTHER IDEAS

• Leave out the ham for a Vegetarian Cream-Parmesan Pasta.
• Add veggies like cooked peas, carrots, corn, or fresh diced tomatoes with fresh chopped basil.
• Replace the ham with cubed or diced, chicken, turkey, chicken sausage, or pork sausage.