Pasta "Straw and Hay"

This is my take on a classic pasta dish from Tuscany. It gets its name from the two colors of fettuccine traditionally used - yellow (egg) for straw and green (spinach) for hay. It is combined with cream, peas, and prosciutto. You often see this on a restaurant menu, sometimes made with tortellini in place of the fettuccine. 

But I changed it up a little. I did use multi color pasta, but used what I had - these cute curly little guys. And I used leftover ham instead of prosciutto -- and tried to amp up the nutritional factor and take down the fat content by using a combo of plain yogurt and half and half instead of heavy cream.

It turned out wonderfully! If you have leftover Easter ham, I hope you'll try this. It's really simple, and really delicious. Win win!

Start by cooking your pasta. While that boils, make the sauce. 

Traditional straw and hay pasta doesn't have onions or mushrooms, but hey, this is my version so this is what we have. Saute the mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a little butter, 

then add in the cooked ham and heat it through. Combine the yogurt, half and half, garlic powder and salt and pepper, then add that to the pan. Add in the frozen peas (I use a whole bag cause I love peas and I also don't want that "little bit" languishing in my freezer...) and stir it all up to combine.

Then drain the pasta, reserving some of the water. I do this by straining the pasta over a glass measuring cup til I have about a cup of liquid. Add in the pasta, and enough pasta water to thin the sauce so that it coats all the pasta, but is not too runny. I used about 1/4 cup. Finally add in plenty of Parmesan!

This was perfect with a green salad and a crisp glass of white wine! I will never complain about leftover ham when I can use it in recipes like this. Delicious! 

Pasta "Straw and Hay"

8-10 ounces pasta of choice, either medium curly cue-like shapes or fettuccine

2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chopped cooked ham

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 cup half and half

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 - 12 oz. package frozen peas

3-4 ounces shredded Parmesan

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add in cooked ham and stir until heated through. 

Combine yogurt and half and half in a large measuring cup and add in garlic powder and salt and pepper. Add to the pot and stir well to coat the veggies and meat. Stir in the frozen peas.

Drain the pasta, reserving some pasta water. Add the pasta to the skillet and enough water (about 1/4 cup) to thin the sauce slightly so that it coats all the pasta. Add the cheese, and stir until it is melted and the sauce is thickened. 

Season with salt and pepper and possibly more garlic powder, to taste.  Serves 4-6.