Having an arsenal of quick dishes on hand with a new little one in the house is essential. This quick pasta & ham skillet is an essential dish in our house. Most of the cooking takes place on it’s own so I can focus on tending to the baby or helping my older boys with their homework for the day. Yes I know it’s summer, but my boys still have homework and book reports to do daily.
One nice thing about this quick pasta & ham skillet dish is that it’s easy to adjust for your family tastes or what you have on hand. Secondly it doesn’t heat up the kitchen as the heat dial goes up. I don’t always have ham on hand but I often have leftover chicken breast. Talk about an easy substitution or flavor change.
Quick Pasta & Ham Skillet
- 1/2 to 1 box pasta-16 oz I used cavatappi this time but any kind works
- 3 cups ham cooked and cubed
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 onion medium size, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic I always add more
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 can 14 ounces chicken broth
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese or Cheddar Cheese for topping
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In a large bowl on the stove, boil water and cook pasta according to the package directions. I made the entire box, but ended up using only half of the pasta since cavatappi is such a large pasta. If you were using something smaller like penne, I'd use the entire box.
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In a 10" skillet, add ham, red pepper, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, oil and butter. Stir and saute until vegetables are tender and onion is translucent. About 3-5 minutes. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to half.
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Drain pasta when cooked. Add to ham mixture.
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Sprinkle with cheese before serving if desired.
Pasta is a favorite meal in our house like so many houses. Most pasta dishes can go together quickly and don’t need a ton of extra prep in the side dishes either. This quick pasta & ham skillet will add some variety away from the fall back of spaghetti!
Do you have a go to quick pasta dish that you use? What substitutions would your family enjoy?
Looking for more quick dinners to enjoy?
Slow Cooker Sausage, Potatoes & Green Beans
20 Minute Homemade Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce
Oh yeah…lunch or dinner…I want THAT! Adore cavatappi, too. It just makes me smile.
Yum, I love a good quick meal, especially one that is easy on the heat and kid friendly!!
My kids are very picky but this looks like a dish they’d enjoy! Thanks!
Who doesn’t love a quick and easy meal?! Looks delicious!
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us at the Brag About It Link Party!
~Laurie
This would be great with chicken breast too!
My family loves bacon (instead of the ham) with eggs and I add half and half and make my own version of Carbonara. Who doesn’t love pasta? I wouldn’t trust them 🙂
Your version sounds amazing as well. I’m adding it to my list to try.
Awesome, we all need quick dishes with only 5 minutes prep time – with a 3 and 5 year old I know I sure do!
Skillet meals are the best, great on a cold busy weeknight. Yum!
You had me at “no-fuss”!
I could just dig right in. YUM!
I love this! I would honestly try this with andouille sausage. It’s so simple that substitutions are so easy!
Andouille sausage would be a wonderful trade in this dish Maththew.
Sounds yum! I needed some new ideas for ham (just bought a lot whilst it was on sale) 🙂
You can never have enough easy meals! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday!