Ham and Pea Pasta Carbonara combines spaghetti and parmesan with an incredibly rich and creamy egg based sauce to create a savory meal.
To achieve the perfect carbonara sauce, you just need to follow a few easy steps. This recipe elevates ham and peas into a decadent pasta dinner!
Why this recipe works:
If you love delicious pasta recipes for dinner, this one is not only unique but it's super delicious!
- Who wouldn't love the combination of flavorful smokey ham, vibrant green peas, tender pasta, and a rich and creamy parmesan sauce?
- This is a fantastic recipe to use up leftover holiday ham.
- You control how thick and creamy the sauce is. There's a trick to getting the perfect consistency!
Ingredients needed:
- spaghetti
- butter and olive oil
- yellow onion
- cooked ham
- steamed peas
- garlic
- whole eggs
- parmesan cheese
- heavy cream
Here's how to make it:
Before you start cooking, make sure you have all of your ingredients chopped, measured, and prepped. The goal is to have the pasta finish cooking around the same time that the ham and pea mixture has finished cooking.
- In a large saute pan, you will saute the onion in butter and then add the ham, peas, and garlic.
- Meanwhile, you'll prepare your sauce by mixing together the eggs, paremsan, and heavy cream.
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water. Prior to draining it, be sure to grab a measuring cup of the pasta water. This is used to thin the sauce later on.
- Once the pasta is cooked and drained, the hot ham and pea mixture is added.
- The sauce is poured over the piping hot ingredients and stirred to combine.
- Once everything is combined, add small amounts of the reserved pasta water until you reach the desired thickness. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper, if desired.
Cooking tips:
- Freshly grated parmesan always melts better than pre-shredded. Either will work for this recipe, but finely grated cheese from a block is best.
- For the best carbonara, the trick is to transfer the hot pasta directly out of the pot of salted boiling water and into the sauce, away from additional direct heat to avoid curdling the egg. This can be done either in the pasta pot or in a dish.
- Although any kind of pasta can be used, spaghetti is really your best choice because it has a sufficiently large ratio of surface area to volume. This means that the cylindrical shape of each spaghetti noodle will maximize it's contact with the sauce, thus ensuring the sauce gets properly cooked.
- To avoid having the egg scramble, never add the egg in carbonara sauce over direct heat. You use the heat from the freshly cooked pasta to heat and cook the sauce. You can also avoid curdling by setting your eggs out at room temperature a few hours before using them. That will decrease the temperature delta between your eggs and the hot pasta.
- Leftover pasta carbonara can be reheated, but you must do it gently. My recommendation for reheating would be to either heat on the stove, covered, over very low heat. The alternative would be to heat in the microwave at a low power, say 30-50%, and to stir it often to ensure it gets heated evenly.
Related recipes:
If you are craving pasta with a decadent cream sauce, you might also enjoy these favorites.
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
- Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Broccoli Carbonara
Ham and Pea Pasta Carbonara
If you're looking for a rich and satisfying pasta dinner, this Ham and Pea Pasta Carbonara will quickly become a family favorite!
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RECIPE VIDEO WILL AUTOPLAY
Hover to scale: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 8 ounces ham (thinly sliced)
- 10 ounces peas (steamed)
- 1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup parmesan (grated)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper (as desired)
Instructions
- Ensure all ingredients are chopped/measured/prepared before you start cooking. The goal is to time the recipe so that the pasta has finished cooking at the same time the ham, pea, and onion mixture is done.
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water.
- Heat butter and oil in large saute pan and cook onion over medium high heat until golden brown, about five minutes. Add ham, peas, and garlic and cook long enough to heat through.
- Meanwhile in a separate bowl, combine eggs, parmesan and heavy cream. Whisk to combine.
- Prior to drain pasta, add about ½ cup of the cooking water to a measuring cup in case it is needed to thin the sauce later on.
- Drain hot pasta and return to pot. Add hot ham and pea mixture. With the heat off, add the egg mixture to the hot ingredients and stir very well to combine. The hot ingredients will cook the egg enough to turn it into a wonderful sauce without scrambling the egg. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
Notes
- Freshly grated parmesan always melts better than pre-shredded. Either will work for this recipe, but finely grated cheese from a block is best.
- For the best carbonara, the trick is to transfer the hot pasta directly out of the pot of salted boiling water and into the sauce, away from additional direct heat to avoid curdling the egg. This can be done either in the pasta pot or in a dish.
- Although any kind of pasta can be used, spaghetti is really your best choice because it has a sufficiently large ratio of surface area to volume. This means that the cylindrical shape of each spaghetti noodle will maximize it's contact with the sauce, thus ensuring the sauce gets properly cooked.
- To avoid having the egg scramble, never add the egg in carbonara sauce over direct heat. You use the heat from the freshly cooked pasta to heat and cook the sauce. You can also avoid curdling by setting your eggs out at room temperature a few hours before using them. That will decrease the temperature delta between your eggs and the hot pasta.
- Leftover pasta carbonara can be reheated, but you must do it gently. My recommendation for reheating would be to either heat on the stove, covered, over very low heat. The alternative would be to heat in the microwave at a low power, say 30-50%, and to stir it often to ensure it gets heated evenly.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 655kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 782mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1105IU | Vitamin C: 20.6mg | Calcium: 264mg | Iron: 2.6mg
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This recipe was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated with helpful information and recipe tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!
Shania
This looks delicious I will be trying it tonight 🙂
Aiden
Then do us all a favor and don't comment until you have made it.
maria fahey
????
Stacey
II made this exactly as directed and it was a huge hit! My family loves traditional pasta carbonara so I used leftover ham from Easter. Served with tossed salad and warm crusty French bread. Delicious!
Leah
I made it exactly as stated, it turned out amazing. I've shared with many many people already! Thank you!
Krissy
Thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed it. -Krissy
Gretchen
This recipe looks absolutely delicious and I can't wait to try! One dumb question from a novice cook though... if I were to use a different kind of pasta, like penne or farfalle, would I need to adjust the recipe at all? Thanks for any advice!
Krissy
nope
Emma Bolls
I just love Spaghetti Carbonara. Lots of garlic is a must!
Its so easy to make and if you don’t hesitate on using real ingredients, there no better dish!
I usually eat it at least once every two weeks.
If its a weekend i usually treat myself with som good red wine to it. Thank you for sharing!
Carolyn
My husband doesn't like the taste of Parmesan cheese, is there another cheese I could use?
Krissy
Do you like asiago? I think you could definitely substitute with a different cheese that you like, it just might impact how creamy it is (even in a better way). If you try something, will you let me know?
Darrell
Can I use half and half in place of heavy
Cream?
Krissy
Yes... the sauce just might be thinner, but it'll work.
Debby
Uthis reminds me of a recipe I have from long ago called Straw and Hay or something like that. It was my kids favorite!
Heidi
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit with the family. The instructions were great and this came together quickly. My 13 year old daughter enjoyed helping me get all the ingredients ready.
Steven_reuro
Drain the pasta and transfer to the saucepan with the onion mixture and toss well. Immediately stir in the egg and cheese mixture until well combined. Serve immediately.
And Happy New Year!
David
What happens to the raw eggs in the sauce? are they "scrambled" in the pasta mix, or are they eaten just as is? Just wondering because in your video it just looked like the sauce was just poured right in. Just Wondering!
Krissy
Hi David, When you combine the sauce with the eggs with the hot pasta, it slightly cooks it without any scrambling. I don't quite know how to explain it. It's not as uncooked as a raw egg, but it's not so cooked that it's like a hard boiled egg. It's just creamy and delicious.
Nan
Wonderful and flavorful-and fast by prepping ingredients ahead of cooking. We used what was on hand in the fridge by substituting whole milk for cream, leek for onion, tender asparagus tips for peas. Not saucy but creamy. *This recipe can easily be reduced to 1/3 for a single, very large serving!
Krissy
I have a ton of leeks in the garden. I'll have to try this!
Megan
I recommend using smoked chicken. You can buy a ready smoked chicken breast or indeed a whole chicken from the supermarket. I've been making it for years, goes down a treat with kids and is a quick and easy meal!!
Dee Dee
I made this except instead of pasta I made zucchini spirals from fresh zucchini and it was fantastic. My family went crazy for it. I sautéed the homemade zucchini spirals for about 5 mins in longer in a frying pan with some olive oil. Delish. Thanks for the great summer recipe.