Creamy Tomato Pasta with Ham

This Creamy Tomato Pasta with Ham is a flavorful, family-friendly dinner that’s perfect for a weeknight meal! I adapted and lightened up this recipe from NYT Cooking originally called Penne al Baffo, which has rave reviews. With a rich, creamy tomato sauce, salty ham, hearty mushrooms, and nutty Parmesan cheese, this lightened up version still tastes decadent and delicious! Plus, you’ll love that this recipe is easy to make without a lot of prep work or ingredients. Each filling 1 & ¼ cup serving of this Creamy Tomato Pasta with Ham is just 328 calories or 9 WW Points on Weight Watchers! To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app, click here!

Recipe Notes

• Pasta: Any medium-sized pasta types work well in this recipe, such as penne, fusilli, orecchiette, farfalle, cavatappi, or shells. Use what you like or have on hand!
• Ham: I used pre-cubed ham in this because it’s super convenient and already comes chopped and ready to go! I generally find it in 8 ounce packages by the packaged deli meat or bacon in my local stores. I’ve bought Hormel and Smithfield brands and both work great! The original recipe I adapted this from used sliced deli ham, chopped, up, so you can definitely use that instead if you have some on hand or prefer thinly sliced ham pieces.
• Tomato Passata/Puree: The most common brand I see for this is Mutti, though Wegmans (my local grocery chain) also has a store brand version. It typically comes in glass bottles rather than cans in my experience. Passata is just smoothly pureed uncooked tomatoes and is a bit thicker, whereas canned tomato sauce is often pre-cooked and seasoned with salt and spices. I really like the passata/puree in this recipe, but if you have trouble finding it or already have canned tomato sauce on hand, feel free to use the canned!
• Mushrooms: I used pre-sliced Baby Bella mushrooms in this recipe which was super easy and delicious, though sliced white mushrooms would also work just fine.
• Alternative Vegetables: Not a mushroom fan? No problem! You can omit them if you like, but I enjoy having a veggie included. I think zucchini, summer squash, or spinach would all work well as a replacement. If you decide to use spinach you can just wait and stir it in at the end of the sauce simmer, before adding the cheese and half-and-half.
• Serving Suggestion: I think this Creamy Tomato Pasta with Ham pairs really well with a side salad with either Italian dressing or Balsamic vinaigrette!

More Tasty Lightened Up Pasta Recipes

If you love lightened-up pasta recipes like this Creamy Tomato Pasta with Ham and want more options, I’ve got you covered! Check out my One-Pot Beefy Creamy Tomato Pasta, Cajun Chicken Orzo Skillet, One-Pot Taco Pasta, One-Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta, Easy Skillet Lasagna, One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta, Loaded Spaghetti Bake, One-Pot Cheesy Chili Mac, One-Pot Turkey and Veggie Spaghetti, Chicken Pot Pasta, One-Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Spinach, Lemon Chicken Orzo, and so many more in the Pasta section of my recipe index!

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Ham

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Yield: 8 (1 & ¼ cups) servings

This Creamy Tomato Pasta with Ham is a flavorful, family-friendly meal that’s perfect for weeknights!

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ⅓ cup chopped onion
• 4 oz sliced mushrooms, (I used Baby Bellas)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ – 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, (depending on how much spice you like)
• 8 oz cubed ham, (found by bacon or deli meat, I used Hormel Cure 81 Cubed Ham)
• 24.5 oz jar of tomato passata/puree, (such as Mutti)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 lb medium-sized shaped pasta, (such as penne, orecchiette, fusilli, farfalle, cavatappi, shells)
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese, finely shredded
• ¾ cup fat free half and half creamer

• Fill a large pot with around 4-6 quarts of salted water and place over high heat to bring to a boil.

• While the water is heating, drizzle the olive oil into a large sauté pan and bring over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and sliced mushrooms and stir to coat with the oil. Spread the vegetables out and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir together. Cook for another 30-60 seconds until the garlic is fragrant and then add the cubed ham. Stir the contents of the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.

• Add the tomato puree from the jar to the ham mixture. Scoop ¼ cup of the boiling salted water from the pot and pour it into the puree jar. Put the lid back on and shake it to loosen any remaining puree. Remove the lid and pour the tomato water into the pan with the rest of the sauce. Add the ½ teaspoon of salt and stir. Increase the heat to medium-high until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• When the sauce begins simmering, add the pasta to the boiling water in the pot and cook following the package directions. Drain in a colander.

• Remove the pan with the sauce from heat and stir in the shredded parmesan cheese until melted into the sauce. Slowly stir in the half and half until fully combined and then add the drained pasta and stir together until coated.

To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app, click here!
WW Points per (1 & ¼ cups) serving: 9 (SP calculated using the recipe builder in the WW app)
Nutrition Information per (1 & ¼ cups) serving:
328 calories, 51 g carbs, 4 g sugars, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 17 g protein, 2 g fiber, 523 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com)
Weight Watchers Points Plus:
8 per (1 & ¼ cups) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info)
Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking

Author: Emily Bites

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian