December is here, and for my family this signifies that every single weekend between now and the holidays is about to be booked. Solid. I’m very much looking forward to the festive gatherings that lay ahead, but also know that this means temporarily waving goodbye to the day of the weekend I usually reserve for grocery shopping and preparing meals. Don’t get me wrong – I will gladly trade in this prep time to spread holiday cheer, but this does leave me with one small predicament: how to come up with meal ideas that are short on prep time but are still tasty, nutritious, and super easy (I love easy..!).
With this thought in mind I have completely revamped one of my favorite recipes for creamy ham and pea pasta, and come up with an easy one-dish meal that is perfect for any weeknight or impromptu gathering. Upgrading this satisfying dish from a pasta to a frittata makes it extra hearty, and best of all is a great way to use up leftovers. It is also really easy to prepare for this meal ahead of time. Just throw in an extra handful of spaghetti on pasta night and you are already half way there!
I love using leftover frozen ham for this dish, and prefer to use shaved parmesan or parmesan petals over crumbled. If you can swing it, fresh chives are lovely to garnish this recipe, but can be omitted if they are not something that you have on hand. I serve this frittata with a simple mixed green salad drizzled with olive oil and vinegar. And did I mention the best part of this recipe? You can eat this frittata straight out of the oven, or refrigerate and grab a slice on your way out the door!
I hope that this meal can save you on time, and that you enjoy it as much as my family and I do!
Yield: Serve 6
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 oz (170 g) cooked diced ham
- 8 oz (225 g) pasta, cooked al dente
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
- 1 tsp (5 mL) minced garlic
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) onion, diced
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) frozen green peas
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) cream
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) sea salt
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) lemon zest
- optional garnish: chopped fresh chives
Cooking Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
- In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, cream, parmesan, sea salt, pepper and lemon zest.
- Melt butter in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook stirring constantly until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add peas and ham and cook two minutes more.
- Add pasta to skillet and toss with onions, peas and ham until combined. Arrange mixture evenly in skillet and pour egg mixture over top and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
- Move skillet into preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until egg is firm in the center.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with chives.
- Cut into sections and serve immediately.