Pasta Primavera with Ham

A hundred years ago, I made a recipe I found online that used farfalle, ham, asparagus, and chive & onion cream cheese. It was... blah. I mean, it wasn't bad, it just had no pizzazz. No excitement. Nothing special. I filed it away, intending to make it again someday with changes.

Fast forward something like eight years. The first asparagus of the season is in the store (not from here, but from this country). Ham slices, pasta, and cream cheese were all on sale. And somehow from the depths of my brain I dredged up the recipe. The trouble was, that was at least four computers ago and I have no earthly idea what it was or where I'd found it.

I bought the four ingredients I remembered, and then winged it. I had part of a yellow bell pepper and half a yellow summer squash left from another recipe and no plans for them. I also remembered it needed more flavour, so I decided to use some Rustic Tuscan and No Salt Seasonings from Olde Thompson. If I'd had more fresh vegetables I'd have added them as well, but I didn't. You can, of course.

First I chopped everything so I wouldn't get caught needing something unprepped and overcook something. The summer squash was already halved, so I halved it again and sliced it. The asparagus ended up in something like 1-inch lengths, although they varied. And I diced the bell pepper. Done!

Why yes, that is the top part of my double boiler. As it turns out, I had used most of my pans the day before and not washed dishes. Had I realized, I'd have used my Dutch oven to boil the pasta, but I didn't and it was already boiling away in my largest remaining saucepan. So I combined the vegetables with a bit of water, covered the pan, and simmered them until they were tender.

There is no picture of the pasta cooking. It looks like rotini in boiling water, if you can picture that. If not... 

That one is from my Cheesy Beefy Noodle Bake, but picture it being a pan instead of a casserole dish, and rotini instead of egg noodles. Yes, I am aware I'm weird, thanks for asking. :D

After the noodles and vegetables were done, I drained them together in a giant colander and let them sit to drain for a bit. If you pour the pasta in first and then the vegetables, it'll help keep it from sticking together.

Now that I had my large saucepan again, I used it to make the sauce while the pasta and vegetables hung out in the colander. It's not hard, just dump the cream cheese and seasonings along with some milk (there it is... I know you were waiting for the ingredient I neglected to put in the picture!) and heat it until it melts into creamy goodness. It does take a few minutes, but you don't want to turn the heat up too high or you'll scorch it.

Once the sauce is done, dump the pasta and vegetables into the pot along with the ham and stir to mix well. Continue heating over medium-low heat, stirring fairly frequently, until everything is hot and well coated with sauce. There won't be a lot of extra sauce, but you don't really need it as long as you stir well. Then just dump it on plates or in bowls or whatever makes you happy.

I did plates, and served it with a side of broiled balsamic-glazed mango. It was heaven.

Pasta Primavera with Ham

Serves 6

2 cups dry rotini
1/2 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/3 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths
8 ounces chive and onion cream cheese
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Tuscan seasoning (I used Rustic Tuscan from Olde Thompson Inc.)
1/2 teaspoon salt-free seasoning (again, I used Olde Thompson Inc.)
8 ounces cooked ham, diced

Bring two quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan; add pasta and cook 7-8 minutes, until al dente.

Meanwhile, Combine squash, bell pepper, and asparagus in a separate pan, add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook over medium-high heat 5-6 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Drain vegetables and pasta together in a colander (do not rinse) and toss to combine.

In the large pan, combine cream cheese, milk, and seasonings over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it becomes a smooth sauce. Should take just a couple of minutes.

Add pasta and vegetable mixture to pan along with ham and stir to completely coat. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until ham is heated through and sauce has thickened slightly, 5-10 minutes more.

Serving Size: 172g

Calories: 256

Calories from Fat: 110

Total Fat: 12.2g

Saturated Fat: 6.5g

Trans Fat: 0.0g

Cholesterol: 46mg

Sodium: 679mg

Total Carbohydrates: 23.7g

Dietary Fiber: 2.4g

Sugars: 3.7g

Protein: 13.1g