Creamy Ham and Tomato Penne al Baffo

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5.0

177 reviews
Excellent

Creamy Ham and Tomato Penne al Baffo

Creamy ham and tomato penne al baffo is a perfect weeknight pasta recipe. It's so fast and easy to make you can have it on the table in the time it takes to boil the water and cook your pasta! A great recipe for leftover holiday ham #albaffo

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Ingredients

Servings
  • 14 oz penne pasta or other pasta tubes
  • 7 oz cooked ham cut into small pieces
  • 9 oz tomato passata (tomato puree)
  • 9 oz heavy cream (Panna da cucina is traditional used)
  • 2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
  • 1-2 shallots or a normal onion peeled and sliced
  • 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
  • salt for pasta and to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Instructions

  1. Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil for the penne pasta. Add a pinch of salt once it starts to boil.
  2. In a large pot, gently sauté the sliced shallots in olive oil until they start to become translucent.
  3. Add the prepared ham pieces to the skillet. Sauté over slightly higher heat until they begin to brown slightly around the edges.
  4. Stir in the tomato passata to the skillet. Let it simmer gently, allowing the sauce to thicken, approximately 10 minutes. Season with salt according to your taste.
  5. Pour in the heavy cream and blend it with the tomato sauce. Continue simmering for an additional 4-5 minutes until the sauce turns into a rich, coral color.
  6. As the sauce simmers, cook the penne pasta in the boiling water. Aim for slightly less than al dente. Before draining, reserve a bit of the pasta cooking water.
  7. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Pour in half a ladleful of the reserved pasta water. Increase the heat, letting the pasta simmer in the sauce for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously until the sauce coats the pasta well.
  8. Finally, stir in the chopped parsley. Serve the pasta hot, topped with freshly ground black pepper and an extra sprinkle of parsley.

Notes

  • Some Italians make penne al baffo with more cream than passata. I like equal amounts of the two, but you can adjust quantities to suit your taste. Check out the text above for variations of this dish.
  • Cook the pasta to just 'al dente' as it will be further simmered in the baffo sauce. You can then finish cooking the pasta in the sauce until you have your perfect pasta texture, mine is 'al dente'.

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Calories 748kcal (37%) Carbohydrates 83g (28%) Protein 25g (50%) Fat 35g (54%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 12g Cholesterol 107mg (36%) Sodium 619mg (26%) Potassium 724mg (21%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 1322IU (26%) Vitamin C 20mg (22%) Calcium 80mg (8%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 748 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories 748kcal 37%
Carbohydrates 83g 28%
Protein 25g 50%
Fat 35g 54%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 107mg 36%
Sodium 619mg 26%
Potassium 724mg 15%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 1322IU 26%
Vitamin C 20mg 22%
Calcium 80mg 8%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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