Easy Ham Pasta Skillet Recipe

4.67 / 5 ( 15 Reviews )
15 Comments Jump to Recipe

Easy ham and pasta quick dinner recipe

Quick and Easy – Ham and Pasta Skillet Dinner!

This is a quick and easy ham and pasta skillet dinner recipe perfect for using up leftover ham. Any time I can, I snatch up leftover ham just so I can make this ham pasta recipe!

leftover ham recipes with pasta

The meal is light and flavorful. It doesn’t feel heavy at all – maybe because there isn’t a creamy sauce involved. It is more of an olive oil, broth, and lemon juice sauce. Cooking the pasta right there in the skillet with all those flavors makes it even better!

I think the fresh parsley and fresh lemon juice really add a light and fresh flavor too. This ham and pastas recipe is a wonderful dinner option any time of year, whether you’re using up leftover ham from Christmas or Easter or otherwise.

ham and pasta recipes

My whole family enjoys this simple, tasty ham skillet meal! And I love that it is fast and easy! The light and fresh flavor is a nice way to change it up from the usual ham and potatoes or creamy Cordon Bleu.

More Leftover Ham Recipes:

easy ham pasta skillet recipe

T-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Skillet with Lid

I have been through a few skillets in my day. This T-fal skillet is one of my favorites! I’ve had it for a few years now and it is still holding up well. Love that it is oven safe and comes with a lid too. If you’re looking for a good everyday skillet, I highly recommend this one!

Easy ham pasta skillet recipe for leftover ham

If you like ham and you like pasta, you will love this easy ham and pasta recipe! Give it a try next time you have leftover ham!

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ham and pasta skillet recipe with leftover ham

Easy ham and pasta quick dinner recipe

Easy Ham Pasta Skillet Recipe

This is a quick and easy ham and pasta skillet dinner recipe perfect for using up leftover ham.
4.67 / 5 ( 15 Reviews )
Print Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6
Adjust Servings: 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat until butter is melted. Add pepper, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add ham, basil and oregano and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Stir in broth, lemon juice, and pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for about 8 minutes, then uncover and cook for about another 10 minutes, until pasta is tender and liquid reduced.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Sprinkle parsley and remaining Parmesan cheese over the top of the pasta. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 443kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 1235mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g

Recipe Adapted From: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients: Basil, Bell Pepper, Broth, Butter, Cheese, Chicken Broth, Cooking Oil, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, Onion, Oregano, Parmesan, Parsley, Pasta, Pork
Meal Type: 30-Minute Meals, Main Dish, Egg Free
Categories: Meat and Poultry, Pasta, Stove Top

Comments & Reviews

  • That sounds and looks good. Have you tried making it with less oil at all? I’m interested in making it, but that seems a bit heavy on the oil to me. Is it just for sauteeing the pepper and onion?

    • The oil and butter end up as part of the sauce too, so I would be hesitant to use less. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!

      • My thought was that since this also has chicken broth in it, that is a big part of the sauce, so cutting back on the oil and butter “should” be okay. I make a similar dish that has a garlic gravy that is made with chicken and pasta and it called for 2T oil and 4T butter, I believe. I only use 1T of each and the broth and it’s just fine. I will be sure to come back and let you know. I enjoy eating good food, but want my calories to stretch as far as possible, you know? 🙂

        I think that I would cut the olive oil back to 1T, leave the butter as it is, for flavor, and cut back on the ham as well, probably to 2 cups, if not 1.5 cups. That would help cut calories but keep the flavor.

        • I made this dish tonight and it was very good! I cut the olive oil to 1 tablespoon, used 12 oz of penne, doubled the pepper, onion, and garlic, used 1.5 cups of ham, and only 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, allowing everyone to use however much parmesan they wanted at the table. It greatly reduced the calories for the recipe, but definitely not the flavor. This recipe is a keeper!

  • I made this with asparagus instead of the bell pepper and it was SOOO yummy! I chopped the asparagus at about 1″ long and sauteed it with the onion and garlic. Did everything else as written. SOOO good and my kids wanted seconds! (Note: I used whole wheat pasta and they didn’t even know!)

    • That sounds like a great adaptation! I can imagine the light lemony sauce and Parmesan is excellent with asparagus. Thank you for sharing, Cathy!

  • Also Mel, do you think you can adapt this as a freezer meal?

    • I don’t know if it would freeze as well as other penne dishes, like poor man’s lasagna, because there isn’t as much sauce and cheese to cover the pasta in this one. It would definitely need to be tested out before I could say.

  • This was a good starting point! I only used 1 Tbsp of olive oil with the 1 Tbsp. butter, cut the red bell pepper in half, cut the ham to 2 cups and added 4 ozs. of chopped fresh mushrooms and 1 cup of peas. I did feel that it needed ground black pepper and I probably added a total of about 1/2 tsp. I used medium shells instead of penne so that everything would be the same general size and it took a little longer to cook, so I had to add more broth, but that was just fine. I’m always on the lookout for something different to do with leftover ham, and this will now be in our repertoire. Thank you!

  • We have made this probably half a dozen times since I first found it last year. It is always a huge hit! I like to add more lemon (like triple the amount lol), but that’s just because I love lemony things. Other than that, it is great as it is!

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  • 20 of the Best Quick Meals With Ham - The Happy Home Life

    […] Ham Pasta Skillet is not only quick and easy to make, but it’s also […]

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