Ham and Pea Pasta Alfredo is made with cooked ham, sweet peas, chicken broth, cream, and Parmesan cheese. This creamy ham pasta is a family favorite, 30-minute dinner recipe made for Instant Pot or stove.
This leftover ham and pea pasta will make you get excited about leftover holiday ham. It's savory, sweet, and downright dreamy. This hands-free, one-pot pasta Alfredo can be made in the Instant Pot or stove in 30 minutes. The pasta cooks in the broth and heavy cream making it super creamy, just like my Chicken Alfredo Pasta recipe!
Key ingredients
- uncooked pasta shells - I used orecchiette shells (any will work)
- chicken broth - or preferred cooking liquid
- heavy cream
- fresh garlic - or garlic powder
- grated Parmesan cheese - or shredded Parmesan will work too
- peas - frozen, canned, or fresh
- cooked ham - any style of ham will work
- fresh parsley - optional, but recommended for color
How to make alfredo pasta in the Instant Pot
- Add pasta, chicken broth, heavy cream, garlic, and pepper to the cooker.
- Close lid, seal valve, and pressure cook 2 minutes for thinner past or 3 minutes for thicker pasta (see recipe footnotes).
- Allow 10 minute NPR (don't skip this step).
- Release any remaining steam.
- Stir in Parmesan cheese until creamy. Then stir in ham and peas.
- Close lid with vent open to warm the ham and peas in "keep warm" mode.
- Open lid, give a stir, and serve warm garnished with parsley.
How to make ham and peas pasta on the stove
- Add chicken broth, heavy cream, and pasta to a 3.5 quart soup pot or skillet.
- Boil until the pasta is al dente (about 10 minutes).
- Fold in ham and peas.
- Simmer until pasta is cooked to your liking.
- Stir in Parmesan cheese and black pepper.
Can I freeze leftover ham?
Yes! To do so, cool leftover ham completely and seal in airtight freezer bags or containers. Be sure to include a package date and consume the frozen leftover ham within 6 weeks of that date to avoid freezer burn. In fact, I love to freeze it, thaw it, dice it, and use for this recipe. So easy!
More recipes using leftover meat
- Leftover Turkey Shepherd's Pie
- Black-Eyed Peas and Ham
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- One-Pot Chicken Broccoli and Rice
- Rotisserie Chicken Fried Rice
- 40 Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
More one pot pasta recipes
- Taco Pasta [Instant Pot or Stove]
- Mushroom Stroganoff [Instant Pot or Stove]
- Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
- Skillet Tuna Casserole
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- One Pot Chili Mac [Instant Pot or Stove]
Ham and Peas Alfredo Pasta Recipe
Ham and Pea Pasta Alfredo is made with cooked ham, sweet peas, chicken broth, cream, and Parmesan cheese. This creamy Alfredo pasta is a family favorite, 30-minute dinner recipe made for Instant Pot or stove.
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Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 1-cup servings
Ingredients
- 8 oz Orecchiette Pasta Shells, or any shells
- 1.5 cups Chicken Broth, or any cooking liquid
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream, also called heavy whipping cream
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 cup Cooked Ham, (diced) same as 1/3 lb.
- 1 cup Peas
- 2 Tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped
RECIPE VIDEO
Equipment
- 11” skillet or 4 quart soup pot (if not using Insant Pot)
- stirring utensil
Instructions
Leftover Ham Alfredo Pasta (Instant Pot Instructions)
- Add PASTA, CHICKEN BROTH, HEAVY CREAM, GARLIC, and BLACK PEPPER to the Instant Pot. Press pasta shells under the liquid to submerge.
- Secure the lid and turn the pressure release valve to the "Sealing" position.
- Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" on HIGH pressure (2 minute for thin pasta or 3 minutes for thicker pasta). * see footnotes for pasta list
- When cook cycle completes, let the cooker sit undisturbed for a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR). DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP ... the pasta is still cooking.
- Carefully turn the pressure release valve to the "Venting" position to release any remaining steam.
- Open the lid, stir in PARMESAN CHEESE until creamy. Stir in DICED HAM, and PEAS. I like to microwave both before adding, but you can also just the lid back on the pot (while it's in "keep warm" mode) with the pressure valve in "venting" position, allowing everything to warm through.Note: If you want the Alfredo sauce to be saucier or creamier, turn the cooker to "saute" mode and add a few splashes of heavy cream or broth and some Parmesan cheese, stirring as needed and repeating until you're happy with the consistency.
Leftover Ham Alfredo Pasta (Stove Instructions)
- Add PASTA, CHICKEN BROTH, HEAVY CREAM, GARLIC, and BLACK PEPPER to a soup pot or skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until shells are almost completely cooked, stirring as needed (7-10 minutes depending on type of pasta).
- Stir in PEAS and HAM, reduce heat to low and simmer until pasta is cooked to your liking, stirring as needed (3-5 minutes).
- Stir in PARMESAN CHEESE until creamy.
Serving, Storage, and Reheat Tips
- Serve Alfredo pasta warm, garnished with fresh parsley.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- To reheat, add a splash of cream or chicken broth to revive the creaminess. Then heat using the stove or microwave on medium heat, stirring as needed.
Tried this recipe? I'd love your review!Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.
Traci's Notes
PASTA TYPE & COOK TIME
Thicker pasta (orecchiette, bowtie, macaroni, penne, rigatoni, rotini) should get 3 minutes pressure cook time with a 10 minute NPR.
Thinner pasta (like medium shells or spaghetti noodles) will need only 2 minute pressure cook time with a 10 minute NPR.
Thinner pasta (like medium shells or spaghetti noodles) will need only 2 minute pressure cook time with a 10 minute NPR.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 631mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 655IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
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Venessa says
Why are the cooking instructions cut off on all of the 'print' links?
Hi Venessa, hmmmm I'm not seeing this. Can you be more specific?
Lady Di says
This has become one of my mainstay recipes. I originally knew it as Risi e Bisi which is the same dish but with white rice. I used deli honey ham for this recipe because it adds a touch of sweet to the savory.
I wonder how to adapt this recipe for wild rice? Please let me know!
Thank you!
Awesome! So glad you're enjoying it 🙂 As for wild rice, that would be a completely different recipe ... one that I've never tried. Let me know if you decide to experiment!
Al says
This is our go-to leftover ham recipe, especially during the holidays. It always turns out perfect and I love how it's not heart-attack rich like you get from restaurant Alfredo, but still has great flavor. Winner every time!
Jeff says
I could eat this for days because it's so good every time I make it! I've used half and half (b/c it's on hand) OR heavy cream and either work great. I already can't wait to eat this again.
Yay! I feel the sammmme way about ham and peas alfredo pasta! It's my favorite way to use up leftover ham after the holidays 🙂
Kelly Martin says
Can you use tortellini?
Sure!...and I'd cook it from frozen too (no thaw) with same cooking time as this recipe.
Jenn says
Great, easy recipe! I was looking for a way to use up a small amount of leftover ham and this was perfect. I did it stovetop as I’m wary about instant pot pasta recipes. I doubled the recipe (4 cups of rotini was just smaller than my 375g box of pasta, so I just used the whole thing), fried up the ham at the beginning along with the onions (it was fatty chunk and I wanted to render some of the fat first), and I left the rotini very undercooked before putting the 18% cream and peas (and tiny chopped up pieces of broccoli and cauliflower) as I wanted the end result to be al dente. The whole family loved it! Thanks and I will be trying out some of your other recipes too 🙂
So glad to hear it, Jenn! Love the idea of rendering the fat first. Also love the cauliflower idea. Great choices! Thanks for the great review 🙂
David says
Yum! I love ham and peas together in a pasta dish. Definitely would like a plate of this right now!
Cheers to that, David! 🙂