Creamy Ham & Mustard…Pasta?

After Easter I had some left-over ham, so I dug out and modified a recipe I’ve used before and enjoyed. This is a variation on a meal from the Quick Cook Family Meals cookbook.

12 oz. dried fusilli pasta (or spiralized zucchini)
Olive oil, can be used to toss with pasta or to sauté zucchini
2 tbsp butter (or 1 ½ tbsp olive oil)
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups milk (1% or skim)
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¾ cup sour cream (or 0% plain Greek yoghurt)
8 oz (or more) ham, cut into thin strips
4 tbsp chopped parsley
1 cup or more frozen peas, microwaved to desired tenderness
Black pepper, to taste

• Cook pasta according to package directions. For zucchini spirals, can sauté in olive oil for 3-5 minutes.
• Melt the butter or heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for a few seconds. Remove from the heat and add the milk, a little at a time, blending well between each addition. Return to the heat, then bring to a boil, stirring constantly, cooking until thickened.
• Stir in the mustards, sour cream (or Greek yoghurt), ham, parsley, and cooked peas and heat for 1 minute until the sauce is piping hot but not boiling. Season with pepper. Stir in the pasta or serve over zucchini spirals.

I bought the zucchini already spiralized at Whole Foods. I wanted to try cooking with it before buying a spiralizer. However, I made the mistake of boiling it like you would pasta, and it turned out mushy. It tasted great, but al dente would have been preferred! So, based on what the internet tells me, sautéing it seems to be the best method. (Have you used zucchini as pasta? How do you prefer to cook it?)

The Greek yoghurt worked exactly the same in the recipe as when I’ve used sour cream. It tasted good and you are getting more protein than with the alternative.

All in all, this is a tasty and healthy way to use leftover ham, or you can buy deli ham instead.

And by the way, I’ve now lost 18 pounds! Still wearing the same size clothes, though. How does that work?

Yes, young Richard, your dinner is coming…

Source: Richard Armitage Central