Transform your leftover ham into a mouthwatering dish with this easy leftover gammon pasta recipe!
Perfect for busy weeknights or after the festive season when you have leftover gammon, this creamy pasta combines tender peas with savoury flavours for a quick and hearty meal.
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I often make a honey roast gammon at Christmas for our Boxing Day buffet, and any leftover gammon (ham) goes into this easy cheesy pasta recipe.
👩🍳 Love leftovers? Try my easy leftover beef stroganoff made with leftover roast beef!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy recipe for leftover gammon.
- Quick and easy to make pasta dish.
- Easily customisable.
- Creamy and cheesy.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Leftover Gammon Ham - from a smoked or unsmoked gammon joint. Chop into small cubes.
Pasta - a short pasta like penne or rigatoni is best for this creamy pasta dish.
Peas - frozen peas or petit pois.
Oil - for frying the onion and garlic.
Onion - a small brown onion finely chopped, or swap for a red onion.
Garlic - 2 cloves finely chopped, but if you love garlic, add in an extra clove!
Italian Herb Seasoning - or use a mixture of dried thyme and oregano.
Creme Fraiche - full fat is best as it won't split on heating.
Dijon Mustard - added for flavour. Swap for wholegrain mustard if you prefer.
Parmesan - finely grated, or substitute for another hard cheese.
Parsley - freshly chopped for colour and freshness.
Salt & Pepper - for seasoning.
What is the difference between gammon and ham?
Both of these cuts are taken from the pig's hind legs. The difference is that gammon is meat that has been cured (by being salted, brined, or smoked) and sold raw, whereas ham has been dry-cured or cooked, and is sold ready to eat. Once you've cooked gammon, it becomes ham.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions, adding the frozen peas for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and peas into a colander.
Two: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan or shallow casserole, and gently cook the chopped onion, garlic, and mixed herbs for 5 minutes until the onion becomes soft
Three: Mix in the creme fraiche, grated Parmesan, and some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Heat for a few minutes and allow the creamy sauce to become glossy.
Four: Stir in the leftover gammon, cooked pasta & peas, and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and add more reserved pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if needed. Serve with more grated Parmesan.
Top Tips
- Don't forget to reserve a cup of starchy pasta cooking water before draining the pasta! It helps the creamy pasta sauce to emulsify, making it glossy and smooth.
- Chop the onion quite finely to ensure it becomes nice and soft. If you prefer, you can leave the onion out or use a chopped leek instead.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the leftover ham and pea pasta with a crisp green side salad and homemade focaccia bread!
📖 Variations
- Add leftover cooked vegetables from Christmas to the pasta. Roasted Brussels sprouts, air fryer butternut squash, or roasted tender stem broccoli all work well!
- How about adding leftover pigs in blankets and even chopped-up pieces of apricot and sausage meat stuffing?
- Use different cheeses. Swap the Parmesan for Gruyere or crumbled blue cheese from your Christmas cheese board. Anything that melts will work in this!
- Use wholewheat pasta for added nutrition.
- Swap the frozen peas for frozen sweetcorn.
- The recipe would work with leftover roast chicken or roast turkey too, or a mixture of different leftover meats.
- Substitute creme fraiche with double cream for extra indulgence!
- Turn it into a leftover ham and pea pasta bake by topping it with breadcrumbs and mozzarella and baking it in the oven for 20 minutes.
🥡 Storage
Store - Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat - Microwave until piping hot, adding a little water to ensure the pasta doesn't dry out.
Freeze - Allow the pasta to cool then freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating in the microwave.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Serve cold gammon with spicy potato salad, green salad, and pickles. Serve hot gammon with air fryer roast potatoes or air fryer chips, and red cabbage. Leftover gammon can also be stirred into pasta dishes and risotto, as well as leftover gammon pie. Why not use it in an air fryer toastie with cheese!
Stored correctly in the fridge, cooked gammon ham will last up to 3 days.
😋 More easy pasta recipes
- Creamy Sausage Pasta
- Boursin Pasta
- Paprika Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Tuna Pasta Bake
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Recipe
Easy Leftover Gammon Pasta
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Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Large Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 350 g Pasta penne or rigatoni
- 250 g Frozen Peas
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion small, finely chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian Herb Seasoning
- 300 ml Creme Fraiche full fat
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 75 g Parmesan grated
- 300 g Leftover Gammon Ham cubed
- 1 tablespoon Parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions, adding the frozen peas for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and peas into a colander.350 g Pasta, 250 g Frozen Peas
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan or shallow casserole, and gently cook the chopped onion, garlic, and mixed herbs for 5 minutes until the onion becomes soft1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 Onion, 2 Garlic Cloves, 1 teaspoon Italian Herb Seasoning
- Mix in the creme fraiche, Dijon mustard, grated Parmesan, and some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Heat for a few minutes and allow the creamy sauce to become glossy.300 ml Creme Fraiche, 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard, 75 g Parmesan
- Stir in the leftover gammon, cooked pasta & peas, and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and add more reserved pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if needed. Serve with more grated Parmesan.300 g Leftover Gammon Ham, 1 tablespoon Parsley, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Notes
- Don't forget to reserve a cup of starchy pasta cooking water before draining the pasta! It helps the creamy pasta sauce to emulsify, making it glossy and smooth.
- Chop the onion quite finely to ensure it becomes nice and soft. If you prefer, you can leave the onion out or use a chopped leek instead.
- Add leftover cooked vegetables from Christmas to the pasta. Roasted Brussels sprouts, air fryer butternut squash, or roasted tender stem broccoli all work well!
- How about adding leftover pigs in blankets and even chopped-up pieces of apricot and sausage meat stuffing?
- Use different cheeses. Swap the Parmesan for Gruyere or crumbled blue cheese from your Christmas cheese board. Anything that melts will work in this!
- Use wholewheat pasta for added nutrition.
Sue
I always cook a large gammon at Christmas and this is the perfect recipe for the leftovers! Easy and delicious!
M H
I found this while looking for recipes for left over gammon but before I could try it we ate the leftovers! I used cut up smoked sausage instead and it was very good. Useful recipe for many leftovers I think.
G K
Excellent recipe. All the side notes, variations and other info very helpful. I nearly didn't read this as I thought it was going to be one of those dreadful USA ramblings, but it is very concise.