Looking for a delicious pasta dish that won’t cost a pretty penne? This recipe for Penne with Ham and Peas in Tomato Cream Sauce is so quick and easy to make. All you need is some ham, tomato sauce, frozen peas, cream and some pasta! You can use any other pasta shape, although I don’t recommend long noodles such as spaghetti or linguini. Pasta shells work well too.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter
125g thickly-sliced ham
375ml (1-½ cups) tomato sauce
125ml (1/2 cup) single cream (half and half or table cream)
150g (1 cup) frozen peas
500g penne pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
35g (1/3 cup) freshly grated Parmesan

Chop 3-4 slices of thickly sliced ham into strips. I prefer smoked ham.

Boil water for the penne in a large pot. Add 500g penne and cook as per package directions. This dish is best with the pasta cooked al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add ham and sauté over medium heat until lightly coloured.

Stir in the tomato sauce, single cream and frozen peas. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Simmer sauce until it is reduced to a medium-thick consistency. Just before the pasta is cooked, add the freshly grated Parmesan to the sauce.

Drain pasta once it is cooked al dente. Add the penne to the sauce in the skillet. Toss pasta, sauce and cheese over medium heat until sauce coats the penne, about 30 seconds.

Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Makes 4 servings. The sauce can be a bit dry if the penne are reheated in the microwave as leftovers, so it’s best to eat this dish when freshly prepared. Enjoy… and let me know what you think!

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