Dished up: Pea and Ham Pasta

I spend time planning a menu for each week so that I don't have a panic at half four every day about what I'm going to cook for dinner. Sometimes plans change though and so does the menu and tonight was one of those nights. So as I stood in front of the fridge looking for inspiration I spotted some left over roasted gammon. Roasting a chunk of gammon is another trick of mine for a cheap sandwich filler, it is much cheaper than buying sliced ham. If you don't fancy gammon for your roast dinner just slice some for lunches and add some to a few store cupboard ingredients and you have this easy, speedy, cheap and tasty dinner

My father in law is from Sicily where Pasta and Peas is commonly eaten so I figured if I took that concept and combined it with the idea of pea and ham soup I should be on to a winner. Try it yourself and let me know what you think.

Cooking Time: you can easily make this dish in under half an hour.

What you need: 
200g left over roasted gammon, shredded
Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200g frozen peas
400g pasta of your choice, I used fusilli
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan

What you do:
1. Splash a good glug of oil into a pan and pop in on a low heat. Fry the onion until it is softened and just beginning to colour, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook the pasta in a pan of lots of boiling salted water according to pack instructions.
3. When the onions are beginning to colour add the garlic and cook for a minute longer.
4. Add the peas to the cooked onions and continue to cook for a few more minutes until the peas are hot. Add the ham and warm though. Season well with pepper.
5. Drain the pasta well and stir into the ham and peas.
6. Serve with a good grating of the grated Parmesan.

I'm always looking for new pasta dishes as my husband would happily eat pasta most nights so I was really pleased to come up with this combo. It went down a treat with my tribe.

Cassie xx