Pasta with Asparagus, Ham and Tomato Sauce

I wasn't sure what to make for dinner tonight, so I took stock of what I had available: ham, canned tomatoes, asparagus, white wine, and fresh garlic. Sounds like the makings of a great pasta dish to me! I ALWAYS have pasta on hand.


1 lb corkscrew pasta (or your favorite pasta)

1 bunch (about 1 lb) thin, tender asparagus, trimmed of ends

1 cup good smoked ham, diced

olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup white wine (or use chicken broth)

Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated and divided


Heat olive oil in large pan, saute ham til just starting to brown. Add garlic. Saute one minute more. Add tomatoes and wine. Simmer til reduced.

Meanwhile, trim 1 inch off the ends of the asparagus stalks. Cut the stalks into 1-inch lengths.

Start water boiling for pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring, and cook about 4 minutes. Add the asparagus, bring the water back to a boil, and boil about 5 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the stalks. Cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender when tested and the pasta is cooked al dente. Drain in a colander, reserving a little pasta water to add to the tomato sauce. Return the pasta and asparagus to the pot and keep warm, covered.

Pour about a cup of the sauce over the capellini and asparagus and toss well to combine. Mix in about 1/4 cup parmesan and toss again.

Serve pasta, scooping rest of sauce over each serving.

Top with fresh parmesan.


Variations: Just toss in whatever you have on hand, black olives, onion, sausage, red wine, etc.

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