Last updated on June 6th, 2018 at 04:55 pm
Leftover Ham and Cheese Penne – incredibly creamy and cheesy penne loaded with ham and peas, perfect use of that leftover ham from your holiday dinner.
At the risk of sounding boring by talking about the weather, I’m going to mention it, simply because it’s been GORGEOUS!! I seriously love it, but I’m still afraid that a scary winter storm will still hit us before our summer month, July. And if I weren’t so greedy, I would think about my poor dog who would die for one more snow storm so she can run around and play in the snow. But I am greedy and I want this spring weather to last until July. There that’s all I’m going to say about weather. I love it, and I want it to stay like this.
Moving on. Ham and cheese! It’s a combination that’s been around for… well who knows how long, but a very very long time. So we know it’s been tried and tested and you can’t go wrong. Now I’ll be honest with you, we didn’t celebrate Easter this past weekend because we’re Orthodox and our Easter is in May, so I had no leftover ham. But we always have ham in the house, and if I were like you with lots of leftover ham in the fridge and wondering what you’re going to make with it all, then I’m here to help with this ham and cheese penne.
Penne loaded with ham and peas and an obscene amount of cheese. This is a very simple dish and if you wanted a pasta bake you could even put this in a casserole dish, top it with some Parmesan cheese, and some breadcrumbs and bake it for about 30 minutes at 350 and you’ve got yourself a nice casserole. I, however, wanted it more saucy, because if you were to bake it the pasta would absorb more of that sauce and would dry up a bit. Totally delish either way.
Made a video for you too! So with that I’m keeping this post short, to which you’d probably be happy about. No hard feelings, I know you love me.
Try these other delicious uses for your leftover ham!
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
Leftover Ham and Cheese Penne
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne uncooked
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cups ham cooked, chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the penne al-dente according to package instructions.
- In a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for about 5 minutes until the onion softens.
- Add the ham to the pot and cook for about 8 minutes until the ham starts to brown slightly.
- Stir in the chicken broth and heavy cream, then season with salt and pepper. Add the cheeses and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the cheese melts.
- Add the pasta, peas, stir and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
My husband loves pasta dishes. I had some left over ham and decided to try this one. The ingredients are basic. It was easy and quick to make. The taste was fantastic. So delish! This dish was a hit! I will be making it often.
So happy you guys enjoyed it!
So delicious! It was very quick and easy, and tastes like fancy mac and cheese or like a pasta you’d order from a restaurant!! Thank you 🙂
I found this recipe while searching for leftover ham recipes after Easter. YUM!! Simple ingredients that come together to make a delicious dish. We had some leftovers, but they didn’t last long!! My 13 year old son even asked to take it in his lunch to school. I will definitely make this again.
Best compliment! Thanks, Lisa!
This was delicious – big hit with the whole family! A great way to use that leftover ham, and so simple to make. Thank you, Jo!
My pleasure!
Delicious will make it again 😊
That’s quiet easy. Make it for dinner! thanks:)