Creamy Mushroom and Ham Pasta
Creamy mushroom and ham pasta is a simple Italian pasta dish filled with tender mushrooms, savory ham, and a smooth, creamy sauce that coats every bite. Ready in 20 minutes and perfect for a cozy weeknight family dinner!
Over the years, I’ve made many Italian-style lunches for my family, and pasta with simple ingredients is always a favorite. I was first introduced to this mushroom and ham pasta by my sister-in-law quite a few years ago. It’s fast, delicious, and perfect when you have leftover cooked ham in the fridge.
If you enjoy this flavor combination, you might also like my mushroom and ham cannelloni. You can try creamy tomato pasta for another easy meal, creamy mushroom pasta for extra mushroom flavor, and pasta boscaiola when you’re craving something a little richer.
Why I Love This Recipe
- It’s comforting and creamy, with a ham and mushroom sauce that’s rich without being heavy.
- Quick to make and perfect when you don’t want something complicated for dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: Used to sauté the mushrooms and herbs and add extra flavour to the sauce.
- Mushrooms: I like to use button mushrooms as they are widely available and as they cook down and release their juices, giving the sauce a deep, earthy flavor.
- Parsley (fresh or dried): Adds colour and a bit of freshness to the sauce.
- Dried oregano: Gives an earthy Italian flavour that pairs well with mushrooms.
- Salt: Enhances the flavours as everything cooks together.
- Water: Softens the mushrooms and helps create the base of the sauce before adding cream.
- Ham: Adds savory flavour and makes the pasta more filling. A great way to use leftover cooked ham.
- Heavy cream: Gives the sauce a rich, silky texture and thickens naturally as it cooks.
- Flour: Thickens the sauce lightly so it clings to the pasta.
- Short pasta: Any short pasta works, but I love how rigatoni holds the ham and mushroom sauce, giving you a creamy bite in every forkful.
How to Make Mushroom and Ham Pasta
Start by heating the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms, parsley, oregano, salt and a splash of water. Let them cook on medium heat, almost covered, until the mushrooms are soft and the water has mostly evaporated. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
While the mushrooms are cooking, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain then set it aside.
Once the mushrooms are ready, add the chopped ham and stir to combine. Pour in the heavy cream and sprinkle in the flour. Cook everything on medium-high heat, stirring often, until the ham and mushroom cream pasta sauce thickens into a smooth, creamy consistency.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss gently until it’s well coated. Serve this quick and delicious pasta dish immediately, Buon Appetito!
Recipe tips
- Cook the mushrooms until the water has almost evaporated. This concentrates their flavour and helps keep the sauce from turning watery.
- Reserve a little pasta water before draining. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a spoonful at a time until it loosens.
- Toss the pasta gently so the sauce coats evenly without breaking the mushrooms.
- Garnish with freshly grated parmesan and a little chopped fresh parsley before serving for extra flavour and colour.
- Serve right away, while the sauce is silky and the ham and mushroom pasta is warm.
Variations
- Add freshly cracked black pepper before serving for a little extra flavour.
- Stir in a clove of fresh garlic during the last couple of minutes of cooking the mushrooms.
- Add a handful of peas for colour and sweetness, especially in the spring.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine after cooking the mushrooms to deepen the flavour of the sauce.
Creamy, flavorful, and ready in minutes, this mushroom and ham pasta is comfort food at its best. If you try it, let me know how it turned out — I’d love to hear from you! Buon Appetito!
Creamy Mushroom and Ham Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1¼ cups chopped or sliced mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 3 or 4 sprigs fresh
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 dashes black pepper
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup cubed ham
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3 cups cooked short pasta (1½ – 2 cups dry)
EXTRAS
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano
Instructions
- In a large frying pan add the olive oil, mushrooms, parsley, oregano, salt and water, cook almost covered on medium heat, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are cooked and water has almost evaporated.(about 10-15 minutes).
- While mushrooms are cooking boil and cook pasta al dente. Once the mushrooms are cooked add the ham gently mix together.
- Add the cream and flour and cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly until thickens, add pasta, toss gently and serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ’s
Use your favourite fresh mushrooms. Cremini, button or baby bella mushrooms all work well in this recipe.
Short pasta shapes like rigatoni, penne or fusilli are great choices because they hold the sauce and mix well with the mushrooms and ham.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so you may want to add a splash of milk or water when reheating to loosen it. This pasta isn’t ideal for freezing as the creamy sauce can separate once thawed.
Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave with a little milk or water to bring the sauce back to a creamy consistency. Stir often so it warms evenly.
Updated from March 10, 2014.
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This recipe is a runaway winner! Incredibly simple, but with amazing flavour. Easy to adapt too, if you’re so inclined, but it truly doesn’t need any adjustment. Tonight, for instance, I simmered some wild leeks in with the mushrooms because they happen to be in-season and added a half-tsp of thyme along with the other seasonings called for in the instructions, but those were nothing more than enhancements to an already brilliant base recipe. I’m going to have to check out more of your offerings! Thanks so much.
Hi Michelle, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Let me know what else you try. Have a great weekend.
Wonderful flavor at the end with the cream and parm cheese battling it out for top dog flavor. Perfect!
Hi Garrett, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
Great recipe! I tried this with some modifications and it turned out IMO, restaurant-worthy. Especially pleasing was the time estimates were pretty close even for a newbie like me, perhaps more like 40 min. A suggestion for the recipe as presented would be to include parmesan in the ingredients list.
I’m sure it’s great as is, but I made some changes based on what I had and what I like, and I include them just as ideas for others:
– would try with butter next time
– crimini mushrooms, more than the recipe I think
– didn’t use parsley or oregano, but had mrs dash garlic and herb so a couple of shakes of that went in
– 1/2 tsp minced garlic
– a stem of green onion
– pancetta, not sure if that’s different from other varieties of ham
– whipping cream instead of heavy cream
– linguine 250g uncooked
– pepper at serving time
– depending on your portion size, it could be closer to 3 than 4
– with my combination of ingredients it turned out a bit salty but still awesome
Cheers
Tasted great, I added zucchini and basil butter great easy meal with really big flavour
Hi Laura, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it.
Absolutely beautiful thanks
Tried this tonight after looking for a quick recipe with ingredients I would have in the kitchen already and it was delicious!! So quick and simple to make but packed with flavour. I let my mushrooms really cook through and simmered the sauce and such a beautiful mushroom flavour came through in the sauce. Will definitely make again! Thank you 🙂
Hi Tanith, thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great week.
Hi Rosemary had this dish for the first time yesterday and it was delicious. I will give your recipe a try, the only thing I noticed going by your delicious looking picture is that the sauce appears very light in colour. The one yesterday was more brown in colour?
Thanks Les. Scotland
Hi Les, could be they used a different type of mushroom, other than that I can’t really say.
Came across your recipe per chance, and the best quick pasta I’ve ever made by far!! Wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks for sharing.
Just had this for lunch. Really tasty! tks.
Hi Peter, thank you, so glad you liked it!
Maybe I missed something, but when do you add the ham?
Hi Faith, sorry about that, you didn’t miss anything I did! Thanks for catching that. Good to go now.
Sorry you don’t like mushrooms, but let me know if you try it for your husband. Thanks for the link up. Rosemary
I don’t care for mushrooms, but that looks so good! My husband would love it! Thanks for linking up with the Tasty Tuesday’s Link-up. I have pinned your post to the Tasty’s Tuesday’s Pinterest Board!
My family would LOVE this! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi, hope you try it and they do like it. Thanks Rosemary
Tried this recipe today…it was quick, easy and delicious. It made a light supper with a tossed salad and a glass of wine. Perfect weekday meal!
Hi Cathy, so glad you like it. Rosemary
Hi Rosemary – love this recipe. Looks like a good idea for tonight’s dinner infact. 😉 Pinned!
Hi Teresa, thanks, hope you liked it, it’s is super easy and quite tasty. Rosemary