Pasta Bake with Ham and Peas Recipe
Pasta bake with ham and peas is a home-style “pasta from the oven”, perfect for using up leftover pasta and cold cuts. The pasta is baked in a creamy egg-and-cream sauce with cheese, sweet peas and sautéed ham, creating a creamy interior and a browned, stretchy top. The sauce proportions and cooking the pasta al dente mean the bake doesn’t dry out, even when reheated at work.
This bake is a classic of Polish home cooking: a way to use up leftover pasta and cold cuts and turn them into a filling, comforting meal. It’s especially popular with families with children, because it combines familiar flavours – pasta, ham, cheese and sweet peas – in one easy oven dish.
This bake is the essence of Polish comfort food: it uses leftovers from the fridge and turns them into a hearty, comforting meal with a crisp, cheesy crust. The sweetness of the peas balances the salty ham and cheese, and the cream-and-egg sauce coats the pasta so the whole thing resembles a slightly lighter version of baked mac and cheese. It’s the kind of dish that disappears from the dish before it has time to cool, especially if there are children in the house.
Why this version works
- Pasta cooked al dente doesn’t turn mushy and keeps its bite after baking.
- Adding cheese to the cream-and-egg sauce thickens it and gives a creamy rather than dry texture.
- Well-drained peas don’t water down the bake and keep a bright green colour.
- Sautéed ham with onion adds a pronounced smoky flavour even with simple ingredients.
Chef's tips
After mixing the ingredients in the bowl, be sure to check the bottom – if you see a lot of sauce there, move the pasta from the bottom up, otherwise dry pockets will form. This bake is a great way to use up odds and ends of different cheeses – just grate and mix them to get a more interesting flavour. If you want a more deeply browned, crisp top, switch on the grill function for the last 2–3 minutes, watching so the cheese browns but doesn’t burn.
How to serve
Serve with a simple carrot and apple slaw, lettuce with yogurt dressing or a tomato salad to add freshness to the creamy interior. It’s a good meal for a busy day – you can assemble it in advance and bake just before serving. Leftovers are perfect as a reheated work lunch or a quick, filling supper.
Watch out for
- Don’t rinse the pasta with cold water after cooking – the sauce will cling to it less and you’ll end up with dry spots inside.
- If you’re using very salty ham or cheese, reduce the amount of salt in the sauce, as it’s easy to over-salt the dish.
- Don’t bake it for too long; when the cheese is very dark brown and hard, the centre may already be too dry.
Substitutions
- You can replace part of the sour cream with natural yogurt for a lighter sauce, adjusting the seasoning to taste.
- Instead of ham, use leftover roast meat or sausage, cut into small pieces and briefly sautéed.
- Peas can be partially replaced with corn or diced cooked carrots for more colour and sweetness.
- Yellow cheese can be swapped for a mix of cheeses such as cheddar, gouda or mozzarella for a different flavour and melt.
Ingredients
- pasta - 300 g
- ham - 200 g
- green peas - 200 g
- yellow cheese - 150 g
- sour cream 18% - 200 g
- milk - 100 ml
- egg - 2 pieces
- onion - 1 piece
- rapeseed oil - 1 tablespoon
- salt - 1.5 teaspoons
- black pepper - 0.5 teaspoons
- nutmeg - 0.25 teaspoons
- butter - 5 g
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease an ovenproof dish with butter, including the sides, so the pasta doesn’t stick and releases easily when serving portions.
- Cook the pasta in a large amount of salted water (about 1 teaspoon of salt) for 2 minutes less than indicated on the packet. It should be distinctly al dente and springy to the bite, as it will soften further in the sauce during baking.
- Peel the onion and dice finely. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes, until it softens and becomes translucent; if it starts to brown, reduce the heat.
- Cut the ham into strips or small cubes. Add to the onion and fry for 2–3 minutes, just until the edges are lightly browned and you can clearly smell the smoky aroma; don’t let it dry out or develop dark brown edges.
- If using frozen peas, place them in a sieve, pour over hot water from the kettle and drain thoroughly. Drain canned peas well too so they don’t dilute the sauce or pool at the bottom of the dish.
- In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, milk and eggs. Add 0.5 teaspoon of salt, pepper, nutmeg and half of the grated cheese, then whisk thoroughly until the mixture is smooth, with no streaks of egg white.
- Add the drained, still hot pasta, the sautéed ham with onion and the peas to the bowl with the sauce. Gently but thoroughly mix so the sauce coats every piece of pasta and there are no “puddles” of sauce left at the bottom of the bowl.
- Transfer everything to the ovenproof dish and smooth the top with a spoon, pressing down lightly so there are no empty spaces inside. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese, creating an even layer without gaps.
- Place the bake in the preheated oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the cheese has completely melted, lightly browned and the centre is set when you gently shake the dish, without looking liquid.
- After removing from the oven, let the bake stand for 5–10 minutes so the mixture can firm up slightly and be easier to slice. The cheese on top will set a little, forming a stretchy, slightly crisp crust.
Storage
Once cooled, store the bake covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. When reheating, the sauce thickens and the pasta may seem drier, so before heating it’s worth sprinkling the top with a spoonful of milk or cream.
I usually make this bake when there are several opened pieces of cheese and the end of a ham in the fridge – everything goes into one dish. The kids from my building can show up in the kitchen just by following the smell when the cheese on top starts to brown.
