We tend to go through 'food phases' in my house. Maybe it's the same for you? For a period of time, we'll buy a lot of one thing, make lots of stuff out of it, then move on to something else.
Well, we went through a very long ham phase. Our local Co op grocery store kept putting them on sale and they were such a good deal, we just couldn't resist. So, I had to find LOTS of recipes for leftover ham. And this Healthy Leftover Creamy Ham Pasta with peas is one of my favorites! But I have to admit that my least favorite food phase was our bologna phase...
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I hated the bologna phase even more than the cheap frozen fish phase. Although, I did come up with this awesome Easy & Healthy Fish Taco Recipe. We were trying really hard to save money on our grocery bill and making stuff out of bologna seemed like a good idea at the time. It's just protein after all, right? And I convinced myself that I could really challenge myself as a cook and recipe developer. Well.... maybe not so much.
Although I have had to come up with lots of leftover ham recipes for dinner over the years and this was not easy, it's waaaay easier than bologna! I did make a fancy bologna sandwich for a cooking contest once and it was actually really awesome, but I pretty much wanted to throw in the towel after the bologna spaghetti experience. It's not that it tasted that bad, it's just that I couldn't get past the fact that my spaghetti sauce had bologna in it. And that was it for me. I discovered that there is really only so much you can do with bologna.
I think I've had to mentally block out the other stuff we made with bologna.
📖 Variations & Substitutions
Creamy Cheese: This easy recipe also uses up leftover mascarpone cheese. Although you can use cream cheese instead (as the original recipe did). I just find mascarpone cheese a little smoother and less tangy than cream cheese; it's my favorite creamy cheese!
Pasta: You can also use any pasta you like.
Ham: you can use any leftover ham for this recipe, including slow cooker ham or spiral ham.
🥘Ingredients
If you're looking for healthy leftover ham recipes, this one not only uses up that extra ham, it uses pantry ingredients you're likely to have on hand, as well as frozen peas. And it's quick, easy, delicious and done in 30 minutes! For this recipe, you'll need:
- leftover ham
- pasta
- onion
- chicken bouillon
- canned diced tomatoes
- minced garlic
- mascarpone cheese
- frozen green peas
- oregano
- basil
- canned mushrooms
You may also want to try my other healthy leftover ham recipes.
💭 Top Tip
Whenever I make one of my recipes with mascarpone cheese, like my No Bake Black Forest Tiramisu or my Raspberry Tiramisu Cutie Pies, I always have leftovers. This recipe gets two birds with one stone because it uses up both my leftover mascarpone cheese and leftover ham! I recently made My carrot cake doughnut muffins for a potluck and only used a very small amount of mascarpone, so this was the perfect recipe to use up the rest. Mascarpone cheese freezes really well, so I just left it in the freezer until I was ready to make this!
👪 Serving Size
This Leftover Ham recipe makes 6 servings. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🍽Equipment
You don't need any special equipment for this leftover ham pasta- just a cutting board, a good knife, a frying pan and a large pot.
🌡️Storage
Store this leftover ham recipe in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
🦺Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
I'm really a turkey girl when it comes to holiday dinners, but once in a while I like to change it up and have Ham at Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. This recipe is perfect for those holiday ham leftovers as well.
So I guess the moral of the story is that you can only do so much with bologna, so stick to bologna sandwiches. But if you are looking for healthy ham recipes that you can make into a delicious meal, you can go waaay beyond ham soups and ham sandwiches, starting with this delicious ham and pea pasta!
⭐ Reviews
Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!
Follow my Pinterest Board "Leftovers Reinvented" for more leftover recipe ideas!
📋 Healthy Leftover Creamy Ham Pasta with Peas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 375 g - box of pasta (spiral, rigatoni, fusilli etc)
- 2 cups leftover ham, chopped into ½ inch cubes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon base (powder)
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 28 oz - can diced tomatoes and juices 798 mls
- 1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese * can substitute cream cheese
- 1 500 g -bag of frozen green peas about 2 cups
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon basil
- 1 284 ml can of mushrooms
Garnish:
- parmesan cheese
- basil sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta in large pot until done.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, fry ham with onions until onions are soft. Add chicken bouillon powder mixed with boiling water, then add tomatoes and garlic.
- Whisk in mascarpone cheese and mix until incorporated. Cook for 10 more minutes, then add frozen peas and canned mushrooms
- Drain pasta and add to pan. Then add basil and oregano.
Garnish:
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and basil.
Carol Anderson
Hi, I just found your site n signed up cuz not only do your left-over-waste-not-want-not recipes impress me, but also your bologna story made me laugh! During C-19 lock down I had lots (10 pkg for $10 couldn't pass it up!) of hot dogs to invent recipes with. My last, before throwing in my towel effort, was hot dog TACOS! UGH! Tasted ok, but even after browning, they were still PINK! Could not get past that! Used some Instant coffee granuals to knock down the hot dog pink a bit, but it was STILL THERE! You have my sympathy.... isn't bologna just rolled out hot dogs?? 😂
Carol
Terri Gilson
Hi Carol,
Yes, I would say that bologna is about the same as rolled-out hotdogs! haha...Oh and do I ever feel for you having to eat hot dog tacos- OMG!
Well, I hope you enjoy the recipes!
Terri
Crystal Cruz
Edit my initial review. My teens enjoyed this dish the day after and said it was even better. My youngest even said it was better than the pasta he devoured at Olive Garden. Wow! Thanks for making me seem like a great cook. Sprinkling basil and parmesan cheese upon serving was a good tip. Will def make again.
Terri Gilson
I'm glad your kids ended up enjoying it! It's definitely a favorite in our house!
Carol Whisnant
Hi Terri:
I made this recipe for dinner tonight using left over ham I had and it was delicious. My husband loved it too! To make the recipe even lower sodium I used 2 14.5 oz cans no salt added diced tomatoes and 1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms instead of canned. I was just assigned to a low sodium diet so I am happy I can find tasty recipes like this one.
Terri Gilson
Hi Carol- I’m so glad you loved it! Great idea to make it even lower sodium! Thanks
Terri
Denise from Urb'n'Spice
I really like what I see in your Leftover Ham Pasta dish, Terri - it looks very good!. I must admit that I like to have leftover ham to use in dishes too (I use some in my mac and cheese). The use of mascarpone is so brilliant lending a creamy, rich flavour, I am sure. I think that your Pasta dish would be a fantastic potluck dish, too, wouldn't it? Thanks so much for sharing.
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Denise! Yes, I agree - I would definitely take i tot a potluck 🙂
Kristen
I’m a sucker for great leftover recipes because I hate wasting food. Thanks for sharing.
Terri Gilson
Hi Kristen- thanks 🙂 Yeah me too - hate food waste!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
This is a great way to use up leftover ham Terri! We also go through food phases in our house, and it's usually when something is on sale. Ham was one of the items recently. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Sabrina
This is so good!!! Both my kids like it (minus mushrooms for one) and it’s so great on busy school nights. Thank you so much!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Sabrina! Glad they like it - my kids love it too!
Jo Vanderwolf
Oh my gosh! This sounds amazing. I have leftover ham from Thanksgiving to use up - I know how now! lol Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Terri Gilson
Hope you enjoy it, Jo! Yes, it's such a handy way to use up ham 🙂
Yvonne Langen
I love having creative ways to use leftovers that are so much more interesting than just reheating in the microwave. Thank you for this inspiration!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Yvonne! I know, I too, have grown so tired of boring old reheated ham over the years. Enjoy!
Jessica from Cooking in my Genes
What a great idea for leftover ham! Also your tip about freezing mascarpone cheese - so smart! Never would have thought of doing that.
Terri Gilson
Hi Jessica: Thanks and yes, freezing the mascarpone cheese was a revolutionary discovery for me - I always have some leftover!
Colleen
Yum! I love ham, peas, pasta & cheese all together. Pinning to make soon!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Colleen - I hope you enjoy it!