Pasta with Ham and Peas with a Lemon Cream Sauce - Pappardelle al Limone

Pappardelle pasta with ham and peas in a lemon cream sauce.

Pasta with Ham and Peas with a Lemon Cream Sauce - Pappardelle al Limone

Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce, ( Pappardelle al Limone ) is made even more delicious by adding slices of ham and peas. A beautiful pasta dish that's so special in flavor that you'll want to make it over and over. Perfect for entertaining, pappardelle noodles are drenched in a lemon cream sauce for pasta that will have you savoring every single creamy bite.

Course Pasta Recipes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 797kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter unsalted
3 cloves garlic minced, about 1 tablespoon
½ teaspoon red chile flakes
2 cups Cream or half and half
6 ounces cooked ham cut into matchsticks or cubed
1 ½ cup frozen peas
1 pound pappardelle pasta
1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
2 large lemons zested
Lemon wedges optional, for squeezing or garnish

Instructions

Place the peas in a bowl so they can start to thaw.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant , about 30 seconds. Add the crushed chili pepper flakes and stir.
Add cream or half and half, and lemon zest. Gently bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered over very low heat for about 10 minutes.
Cook pappardelle pasta according to package instructions. Drain, and reserve ½ cup cooking liquid.
In the meantime, cut the ham into matchsticks or cubes.
Stir in the cooked pasta and toss well. Add Parmesan cheese and peas and stir until nice and creamy.
Serve immediately with a slice of lemon to squeeze on top.

Notes

Tips For Success

You'll be happier with the creamy end result if you use heavy cream rather than half and half. But since we're using only lemon zest, and not lemon juice, the half and half should not curdle or break if you keep the heat on very low.

The last time I made this recipe the store didn't have heavy cream, so I used half and half and added two spoonfuls of ricotta cheese that I had on hand. Probably about ½ cup. I liked that combo.

Scoop out about ½ cup of the pasta water before draining cooked pasta. It works like a charm when reheating leftovers. Drizzling a little bit over the pasta before reheating will bring back a little bit of that creaminess.

The peas don't have to be completely thawed. Just set them out before you start the recipe. They're so delicate that the heat of the pasta and lemon cream sauce will heat them.

Use this lemon cream sauce for pasta on just a simple bowl of spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta. With just a little cracked pepper, it's a lovely simple dinner.

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