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Whether you have leftover ham you need to use or you just don’t want a whole ham for Easter this Spring Ham and Asparagus Lemon Cream Pasta is perfection.
It’s the same thing for me every year, make a whole ham that takes my tiny family forever to finish, and I’m talking leftovers for weeks, or find an easier dish that still screams spring and Easter? I can’t even imagine what it will be like when I have kids that aren’t little bird eaters and not only eat more dinner but care about dinner!
When does that happen? When do kids actually care about meals?! Please tell me it happens soon!
Every spring our World’s Best Brown Sugar Ham and How to Cook Ham in a Slow Cooker go nuts, but I really think this pasta should be pinned just as much.
It has everything you want in a spring dish! You have ham, of course! But you also have asparagus which finally is in season and not a million dollars per pound, and the bright lemon cream sauce! Lemon for me means spring.
Lemon Cream Sauce
When life gives me lemons, I find a reason to make this lemon cream sauce! We use a similar lemon cream sauce in our Panko Crusted Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce and in our Grilled Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce. So it obviously goes great with chicken, but I love it with the ham in this dish!
The lemon cream sauce starts with a basic roux, melted butter whisked with flour and garlic powder. When the cream and milk are added, it should start to thicken immediately. Parmesan cheese and lemon juice and zest are added to make this sauce just dreamy delicious!
Orecchiette
You can use any kind of pasta you like, but we really like to use orecchiette in this dish. The little ear-shaped pasta acts like little pockets that trap the sauce and little delicious bits inside. I like to get my pasta going first thing when I start making this meal. Be sure to heavily salt the water that you boil the pasta in. It will give the the pasta so much flavor. Cook the pasta al dente because it will cook a little more once it gets mixed with the warm sauce.
Everything Asparagus
I adore asparagus! When it finally goes on sale in the spring, I have to physically restrain myself from happy dancing around the produce section. Then we eat it several times a week all spring long! Not only is it delicious, but it’s also super good for you. It is low in calories and a source of many nutrients like fiber, folate and vitamins A, C and K. Eating asparagus also helps with digestion, lowering blood pressure and weight loss. Asparagus for the win!
Bring on the Ham
The asparagus is sauteed in a skillet until it is cooked and then removed to a plate. Then we bring on the ham! I love sauteing ham until it gets crispy edges and starts to caramelize. It is so dang good! It is one of my favorite ways to make ham, and it gives this dish the best sweet and smoky flavor.
Let’s Put it All Together
We have one more ingredient to add to the skillet before we bring everything together…it’s the peas!! Is there any vegetable that is easier to cook than peas? I guess it might be tied with corn, but I just love how simple they are. I also love the texture and sweetness they add to this dish. Now you are ready to combine everything back into the skillet:
- Ham
- Peas
- Asparagus
- Cooked pasta
- Lemon cream sauce
Up on Top
We like to top this spring ham and asparagus with lemon cream pasta with chopped fresh parsley and more parmesan cheese.
So my kids love this dish even though they don’t appreciate how truly amazing it is. I’ve accepted that I can’t cook to please them every night because it is nearly impossible to please them all with every meal. I cook dishes that I know I will love and that Cade will love. We take the kids along for the ride and hope and pray that they will adore good food as much as we do someday! Fingers crossed!
Looking for more delicious PASTA RECIPES?
- Ham Lemon Orzo with Parmesan and Peas
- Lemon Orzo with Parmesan and Peas
- Zupas Copycat Tomato Basil Orzo Soup
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Orzo
- Cuban Pasta Salad
- Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad
- Bacon Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad
- 10 Minute Ranch Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
- Turkey Tetrazzini with Crunchy Honey Dijon Topping
- 15 Minute Pesto Pasta
- All our Pasta Recipes here!
More HAM RECIPES You Will Love:
- World’s Best Brown Sugar Ham
- Honey Baked Ham
- Ham Dipping Sauces
- Secret to the Best Ham Fried Rice
- Cheesy Ham and Potato Bacon Casserole
- Ham Lemon Orzo with Parmesan and Peas
- Garlic Honey Mustard Ham
- Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Hawaiian Ham and Pineapple Casserole
- Ham and Cheese Breakfast Stromboli
- Hash Browns Ham Frittata
- Ham Hock Soup
- Easy Ham and Cheese Scones
- Ham and Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese
- How to Make Ham in a Slow Cooker
- How to Carve a Spiral Ham
- All our BEST PORK RECIPES here!
Spring Ham and Asparagus Lemon Cream Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Pasta, orcchiette
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Cup Cream, heavy, or milk
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, fresh, grated, plus more for serving
- 1 Lemon, juiced and zested
- Salt to taste
- Olive Oil
- 8 Asparagus Spears, chopped on a diagonal *see note
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Seasoning, we use Johnny’s Garlic Spread]
- 1 Package Ham, pre-cubed, about 2 Cups
- 1 Cup Peas, frozen
- Parsley, freshly chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a pot of water over medium high heat and add a little salt.
- Cook the pasta until al dente and set aside.8 ounces Pasta
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and once melted, quickly whisk in the garlic powder and flour, continuing to whisk for 30 seconds.1 1/2 Tablespoons Butter, 1 Tablespoon Flour, 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Add the cream or milk and continue to whisk until it begins to thicken.1 Cup Cream
- Add the parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice and then season to taste. Set aside.1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, 1 Lemon
- In a skillet over medium high heat, add a drizzle or two of olive oil and once hot add the asparagus along with the seasoning. Stir occasionally until it it cooked but not soggy, remove to a plate.Olive Oil, 8 Asparagus Spears, 1 teaspoon Garlic Seasoning
- Add another drizzle of oil and add the cubed ham. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the ham begins to brown and caramelize.Olive Oil, 1 Package Ham
- Add the peas and toss to cook.1 Cup Peas
- Dump the asparagus back in the skillet along with the drained pasta and sauce. Toss to coat and serve with additional parmesan and parsley.Parsley
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Very light, easy and refreshing! I used Whole Milk, and the sauce was the perfect consistency. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Yay!! Thank you so much Ashley!!
I see so many of your recipes that I want to try, but I seem to have lost my “cooking mojo” a couple of years ago. However, I was determined to try this one! I got it made today and it is really yummy! I couldn’t find orcchiette pasta at my store so I used medium shells instead. I will definitely make this again, as it has so many of my favorite things in it: ham, asparagus and lemon.
Yay!! Thank you so much! This is a post-Easter tradition at our house!
My family LOVED this recipe!! And with me being diabetic,noodles can be tricky,but with the balance of fiber from the peas and asparagus my blood sugar did NOT spike!! This recipe is now in the weekly rotation. Thank you for sharing this!
Yippee!! I love this! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment.
This was such a good recipe. I am going to double the asparagus next time I make it.
Yay! Thank you Anita! I always say yes to more asparagus!!
Delicious recipe! Made it twice now, and making it for guests tonight. Going to try to double the recipe so fingers crossed it works as well!
I used pancetta and a bit more asparagus, but the lemon cream sauce is lovely. Such a perfect spring pasta. Light and fresh!
Yay! Love to hear this Emily! It is one of my favorite pasta dishes!
Made this for dinner last night. It was lovely. Super light and springy. I split the recipe in half since it was just my husband and I, so it was the perfect amount.
I subbed the ham for pancetta since I love it and it turned out great. Going to make it for my mom this Mother’s Day.
Hi Emily! I love to hear this!! Thank you so much for the feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Mother’s Day!
Yum! Thanks for the recipe. I made this for dinner last night and we LOVED it. I used a lot more asparagus and a lot less ham. My children are not big asparagus fans, but they agreed that this recipe is very, very delicious. The lemon just makes this dish sing! For dessert we had fresh strawberries with balsamic vinegar and pepper making this the perfect spring meal. This dinner helped shake off our covid 19- confinement blues. There are so many good ways to use up leftover Easter ham, but this dish is my new favorite.
Yay! Love to hear this! That sounds like the perfect spring meal and when the whole family loves it, that is a WIN!
This looks amazing! I’ve searched six grocery chains in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and can only find Johnny’s Seasoning Salt , not the Garlic Spread. What would an appropriate substitute be?
Darnit!! We get ours at Costco, but I don’t know if they would be at every Costco across the country. You can get it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Johnnys-Garlic-Spread-Seasoning-Ounce/dp/B00349SEUC/ref=asc_df_B00349SEUC/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584276296713143&psc=1
I also found a recipe online for making your own: https://fabulesslyfrugal.com/recipes/make-your-own-garlic-spread-seasoning/print/
Thank you! I made the online hack. Crossing my fingers that it’s as good. Will search Costco next time. Thank you so much for your speedy reply!
Let us know how it goes!! My fingers are crossed too!
What a delicious combination of flavours – this looks so stunning!
The combo is so killer! Just the right mix of fresh, salty, and creamy!
Looks delicious. Going to make it.
Yay! You’ll love it! Let us know what you think!
I’m going to give this a try. You might want to spell-check your directions. “It will naturally bread in the best place.”
Thank you so much! I got that fixed. Enjoy this recipe!