Recipe of the Week: Ham & Swiss Pasta

Hi there, friends! Today was one of those days when I had to take the good with the bad. It started out a little sour. Our counter top guy came a little early (i.e. I was still in my PJs) and I had to clear the counter off for him so he could measure. This meant I didn’t get coffee until about 11 am. Sad. I also broke a wine glass, and the shards went into the cold air return; our youngest was on the whiny side all day; and I realized we were out of milk. Hate that. These are not big problems, I know. On the bright side, however, I got to spend some QT with aforementioned whiny preschooler while we made a kick-$#% craft, and I was able to cross a few pesky loose ends of my to-do list by the end of the day. Plus, we ate as a family by candlelight (kids’ idea) and we are eensy-weensy steps closer to having a real kitchen. All in all, a good day.

So for dinner tonight, I made this yummy, rich pasta and it was delightful. Incidentally, we were all hankerin’ for some cheesy carbs because last night…my poor husband dropped an entire crock of homemade macaroni and cheese on the floor as he was taking it out of the oven. I almost wept as I was pushing it down the garbage disposal, and the poor guy was still sad about it this morning. Anyway, here’s the recipe:

Ham & Swiss Pasta
1/2 lb. spiral pasta
1/2 lb. thick-cut smoked ham, diced
3/4 c. shredded swiss
1 c. heavy cream
1 T. butter
1 T. flour
1 c. frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, saute the ham then remove it to a bowl.
Deglaze the pan over low-medium heat with the butter. Add the flour and stir to make a paste.
Add the cream and stir, turning the heat to medium. Stir until slightly thickened.
Add the cheese and stir until a cheese sauce comes together.
Drain the pasta and add it to directly to the cheese sauce, along with the cooked ham.
Turn the heat to low.
Microwave the peas for 2 minutes with a few tablespoons of water. Drain. Add to the pasta.
Salt and pepper to taste and toss everything to combine.

Maybe it was the candlelight…maybe it was the fact that we were all dying for some cheesy pasta of ANY sort due to the mishap the night before…but we all really liked this. Hope you do, too!