Ham Spaghetti Pasta with Spinach, Burrata Cheese, and Lemon Butter Sauce is a light, refreshing 30-minute Spring pasta that might become a new family favorite! It makes a great everyday weeknight meal or a restaurant-worthy dinner for a special occasion. You can also serve this as an alternative holiday main course instead of preparing holiday ham (for Easter, Christmas, or New Year's Eve!). Or, simply use this recipe for ham leftovers!
30-Minute Ham Pasta
This recipe features delicious ingredients, such as cooked ham, spaghetti, Burrata cheese, spinach, chopped pistachios, and light lemon butter sauce. If you can't find Burrata, use fresh Mozzarella cheese. This recipe can be made with any kind of ham: pre-sliced cooked ham sold in plastic pouches (that's what I used) or you can use a diced ham steak. This ham spaghetti pasta is perfect for using up any leftover ham you might have after the holidays (Easter, Christmas, or New Year's Eve). For more cooking inspiration, check out my Creamy Ham and Asparagus Pasta and this Italian-inspired Ham Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, Olives, and Mozzarella Cheese.
Main ingredients
- Ham. I used pre-sliced cooked ham that is usually sold in plastic pouches as sandwich meat. You can use diced ham steak or any leftover cooked ham.
- Pasta. I used spaghetti. This long-strand pasta works well in this recipe, presentation-wise. But any pasta shape will work.
- Spinach is a leafy green vegetable high in fiber. I used fresh spinach, you can also use frozen spinach - thawed and drained of any liquid. Kale, arugula, or Swiss chard are good substitutes.
- Burrata cheese is a cow's milk cheese combining Mozzarella cheese and cream. The outer shell of the burrata is Mozzarella cheese (solid soft cheese), while the inside is filled with creamy, soft center (basically, fresh cream). It has a rich, buttery flavor. Burrata cheese is usually ball-shaped, similar to fresh, ball-shaped Mozzarella cheese.
- Pistachios. Use shelled ones, and chop them up in a food processor!
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is better than the bottled one!
- Butter. I used only 2 tablespoons of it!
- Extra virgin olive oil coats the spaghetti.
- Salt and pepper. Use those to taste. I recommend using freshly ground or coarse black pepper.
How to make ham pasta
This easy weeknight meal is made in just a few simple steps. Below is the overview with step-by-step photos. These photos are helpful so I encourage you to look through them, but for a complete recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below.
1) Cook spinach with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large, high-sided skillet until it wilts.
2) Add sliced cooked ham.
3) Add lemon juice + olive oil. Mix well with spinach and ham.
4) Add drained cooked spaghetti to the same skillet.
5) Add burrata cheese and top with chopped pistachios (pulse them in a food processor). Garnish with lemon slices.
What cheese can you use?
Because Burrata cheese is pretty much Mozzarella cheese + cream, you can safely use fresh Mozzarella cheese as a substitute. Use small Mozzarella cheese "pearls" or soft, larger balls of Mozzarella cheese. Buffalo mozzarella is a nice choice, too.
Substitutions and variations
- Use your favorite leafy greens: spinach, arugula, or Swiss chard.
- Add your favorite veggies. I recommend asparagus or frozen peas. You can also add broccoli, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, or bell peppers.
- Nuts. I love dressing up pasta with nuts. This ham pasta is meant to be served with nuts. I recommend pistachios or toasted pine nuts.
- Use any pasta shape. This includes spaghetti, angel hair pasta, fettuccine, and linguine. Or use short-cut pasta, such as rigatoni, penne, farfalle (bow-tie), fusilli (spiral pasta), orecchiette, and orzo.
Recipe Notes
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
- Toppings. Top the ham pasta with pistachios (crushed in a food processor) toasted pine nuts, red pepper flakes, freshly ground black pepper, or fresh herbs, when serving.
Storage and reheating tips
- Fridge. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave oven. Reheat the refrigerated ham pasta in a microwave oven for about 1 minute. Taste and reheat for 30 seconds more, if needed.
- Reheat on the stovetop. Reheat it in a large, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium heat.
What to serve with it
- Bread. Serve this easy recipe with a crusty slice of Italian bread, baguette, or breadsticks.
- Simple side salad. Or, see my recommendations below:
- Pear Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Pecans, and Honey-Lemon Dressing
- Apple Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, and Goat Cheese
- Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Other ham recipes you might like
- Italian-inspired Ham Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, Olives, and Mozzarella Cheese
- Chicken Bake with Ham and Swiss Cheese (30 minutes, ONE-PAN)
- Chicken Cordon Bleu (30 minutes, ONE-PAN)
- Creamy Ham and Asparagus Pasta
- Ham and Cheese Baked Asparagus
Ham Spaghetti Pasta with Spinach, Burrata Cheese, and Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 oz spinach
- 8 oz uncured ham
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup pistachios shelled, pulsed in a food processor
- 8 oz Burrata cheese
- lemon slices for garnish
- chopped fresh parsley or basil for garnish
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions. Drain. While the pasta cooks, proceed with the recipe.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large, high-sided skillet. Add spinach and cook just until it wilts.
- Slice ham into thin strips and add them to the skillet with wilted spinach. Add 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Add drained cooked spaghetti to the same skillet and stir on medium heat to reheat everything.
- Chop shelled pistachios by pulsing them in a food processor. Add burrata cheese on top of the pasta in the skillet. Top with chopped pistachios. Or, depending on how you serve this, wait to top the pasta with pistachios until you've added individual portions to the pasta bowls and then top with the pistachios.
- Garnish with lemon slices and chopped fresh parsley or basil. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi!Thank you, Julia, for your recipe. My brother and I liked it. I had never eaten Burrata cheese; yummy! As for the ham, I used a ham steak, and cut it up. The blend of lemon, olive oil, butter and Burrata cheese was very flavorful. I replaced the spinach with frozen peas.
And, Italians in Italy *do* eat ham. Not sure what the previous commenter was referring to.
Hello again! 🙂 So glad you gave this recipe a try (this dish kind of off the beaten path). When I made it for me and my husband, he raved about it and said - you've got to put it on your blog! 🙂 I think I like your version even better (with frozen peas and a ham steak). Might have to redo it with these tweaks!
Thank you, Julia, for your reply. The fact that you liked and are contemplating my adaptation of frozen peas and ham steak is a real compliment. 🙂
Funny, just saw your comment right after I came back from a grocery store with a bag of English peas (for a different, new recipe!), LOL.
I have to say, as an Italian from Italy, this is disgusting. Italian food is simple, using only fresh ingredients that are only available by the season. Ham in pasta is something you will not see is Italy. This is definitely an American version of Italian food. Remember...simplicity is always best when it comes to Italian food. There is way too much "stuff" in here.