Creamed Ham With Peas

Creamed Ham With Peas on Pasta
Diana Rattray
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 8 mins
Total: 18 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Leftover ham is like money in the bank, because there are so many ways you can use it in meal. Plus, it's flavorful enough to stretch and use for several dishes. Leftover ham or the ham bones make delicious soups and stocks as well. Some of the possibilities include quiches, breakfast casseroles, creamy casseroles, sandwiches, salad toppings, and potato dishes. If you have a lot of extra ham, dice it and freeze it in 1-cup or 2-cup portions to use in recipes.

This creamed ham is an easy dish to prepare, and it is delicious on grits or rice or serve it over pasta, rice, toast points, hot split biscuits, or baked puff pastry shells.

The ham and sauce is a simple combination, and it's quite versatile. Feel free to use peas and carrots in place of the peas, or add some chopped pimiento for extra flavor and color. Asparagus or mushrooms would be excellent in the sauce as well. For a richer sauce, add about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese along with the cream.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup chopped green onion

  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced ham

  • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed, cooked, and drained

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • Parmesan cheese, grated, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Slice the green onions, keeping the white and light green parts separate from the dark green.

  2. Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the green onion (white and light green) and minced parsley and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour until smooth and bubbly. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

  3. Gradually add the milk and heavy cream. Cook, stirring, until thickened.

  4. Stir in diced ham and cooked peas, along with salt and pepper to taste.

  5. Garnish with the remaining sliced green onions (dark green) and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

  6. Serve the creamed ham over rice, grits, toast points, or biscuits.

Variations

  • Add about 1/4 cup of good quality grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce along with the diced ham and peas.
  • Replace all or part of the ham with diced cooked turkey or chicken.
  • Replace the milk and heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups of half-and-half.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
243 Calories
16g Fat
11g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 243
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 21%
Saturated Fat 9g 46%
Cholesterol 70mg 23%
Sodium 624mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 6mg 28%
Calcium 79mg 6%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 293mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)