Ham and Vegetable Skillet Pasta

This ham and vegetable skillet pasta is the perfect, easy spring family dinner recipe, or could certainly be used as a potluck dish. Loaded with fresh vegetables and ham, this skillet is equally nutritious and delicious. I love that this dish makes for a perfect one plate dinner! Because this simple & yummy dish contains protein, carbs and loads of fresh vegetables, it requires no sides!

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Why You’ll Love this Skillet Meal

• The best kinds of meals to make for a quick, delicious and nutritious weeknight dinner are without a doubt those that make the least amount of dishes. This one skillet meal is easy. A cutting board, a sharp knife, a cheese grater, a pot, a strainer, and finally, a skillet are all you need to put this dish together.
• This meal surely provides the perfect way to get some use out of your cast iron pan and reap the benefits of cooking with cast iron.
• This ham and vegetable skillet makes a big meal with 8 servings. Therefore, it can feed a large family, leave some leftovers, allow for guests to share in a meal, or can be perfectly suited for a potluck contribution.
• A one dish meal is certainly perfect for a busy family – no need to add sides to this skillet dish.

Choosing the Best Ham for the Skillet Pasta

One of the best things about this skillet meal is the flexibility! Generally, I aim for a more from-scratch taste and feel for our family meals, and therefore, I enjoy to use the leftover ham from a smoked or roasted ham that we’ve had for dinner as a family earlier in the week. However, if you are looking for convenience on a particular night, use thick sliced deli ham and cut it into small squares and the skillet will be equally delicious. Bacon is another option! You can change up the taste of this skillet by utilizing these different options and adding this skillet dish into your regular rotation.

Tips for Picking and Preparing Asparagus

This ham and vegetable skillet pasta boasts a lot of asparagus. Asparagus is full of vitamin K, folic acid and antioxidants, so this is a great way to load up on some of these important nutrients. I personally love to make this meal most when asparagus is in season in the early summer months. I’ve found the following tips helpful for picking and preparing asparagus for optimal taste:

1. Choose asparagus with thinner stalks. Thick stalks can have a stringy consistency and woody texture. They don’t cook down as well and can cause an unpleasent crunch in this skillet dish.
2. Cut the bottom inch off of each asparagus stalk before washing.
3. Soak trimmed asparagus in cool water and whatever natural vegetable cleaner you use, for 30 minutes in order to wash your asparagus and help it firm up before cooking.
4. Rinse asparagus and then cut into 1 inch segments for this recipes.

Using a Cast Iron Skillet for your Ham and Vegetable Pasta Skillet

I love that this skillet recipe is a perfect way to use my trusty cast iron skillet. Cast iron cookware has so many incredible benefits. It utilizes healthy fats for a natural and safe non-stick cooking experience, it is easy to clean, and health-wise, it fortifies your food with iron.

For this dish, I like to use my Lodge dual handled 12 inch cast iron skillet. It accommodates all of the ingredients, and doubles as an aesthetically pleasing serving dish.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of macaroni, spiral, corkscrew, or bowtie pasta noodles, measured uncooked
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 bunch of asparagus (approx. 350 grams)
• 1 large finely julienned yellow or orange pepper
• 6 roma tomatoes, diced small
• 250 grams of cooked ham (thick ham can be cubed, shaved ham can be chopped into squares)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh or dried parsley

Instructions

1. Cook pasta, drain, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive and set aside.
2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until hot, reduce to medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Saute asparagus and pepper until just tender.
3. Add cooked ham and cook until heated through.
4. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, basil, and italian seasoning. Cook until tomatoes are hot and tender, starting to create a juice around the vegetables and ham, and herbs are fragrant.
5. Add pasta to mixture and stir until coated in tomatoe and incorportated with other veegtables.
6. Remove from heat; evenly sprinkle skillet with parmesan and garnish with parsley.
7. Serve hot.

How to Serve Ham and Vegetable Pasta Skillet

The best way to serve this ham and vegetable skillet pasta is hot, with fresh parmesan sprinkled on top and a garnish of finely chopped, or dried parsley.

Storing Ham and Vegetable Pasta Skillet Leftovers

This ham and vegetable skillet pasta can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days. It is delicious as leftovers re-heated in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop, or in the microwave. Serve with a fresh sprinkle of parmesan cheese and garnish of parsley for optimal flavour.

My Favourite Kitchen Tools for this Recipe

Lodge Dual Handle 12 inch cast iron skillet

Delicious Desserts to Follow this Skillet Recipe

Best Ever Classic Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Icing

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Enjoy this Ham and Vegetable Pasta Skillet!

Please let me know if you try this recipe and enjoy it! Share it on IG and tag me @theprairiewife, or leave a comment below! Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on any of the images in the post above. Be sure to check back often for more from scratch recipes, recipes for perfect family weeknight meals, and delicious desserts to follow your family meal!