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Home » Recipes » Pasta Recipes

Creamy Bow Tie Pasta

Published: Oct 6, 2023 · Modified: Aug 19, 2024 by Brooke Fajcz · As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Creamy bow tie pasta is a fast and easy weeknight dinner staple that is perfect for using up leftover ham from the holidays.  It's a family favorite in our house, and will be in yours, too!

Looking for other recipes to use up your holiday ham leftovers? Check out our best leftover ham recipes and our ham and bean soup.

person holding a forkful of ham and peas pasta
Jump to:
  • Why This Recipe Works
  • Ingredients
  • Variations
  • How to Make Creamy Bow Tie Pasta
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • Other Delicious Pasta Dishes
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Why This Recipe Works

  • The bow tie pasta is cooked al dente, so it's done just right.
  • Thicken the sauce with a roux made with butter and flour.
  • The sauce is very creamy due to the heavy cream and mascarpone.
  • The sauce is bright and lemony from the lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for ham and peas bow tie pasta

The ingredients for this creamy bow tie pasta recipe are all basic pantry staples which are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let's talk about the key ingredients.

  • Spices: We used freshly ground nutmeg, salt and black pepper.
  • Dairy: We used butter, heavy whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, and freshly grated Parmesan.
  • Meat: We used ham that we cut into ¼ inch strips.
  • Aromatics: We used spring onion and garlic cloves.
  • Vegetables: We used frozen peas, but you can also use fresh.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

  • Substituting Mascarpone Cheese: Use Neufchâtel or cream cheese.
  • Vegetarian: Use caramelized onions, mushrooms, and spinach.
  • Different Veggies: Try artichoke hearts, red bell peppers or mushrooms.
  • Different Meat: Try chicken, shrimp or pancetta.
  • Different Pasta: Use fusilli or conchiglie.

How to Make Creamy Bow Tie Pasta

person sauteeing armomatics and adding flour for roux
  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat, then cook the spring onion for 3 minutes until it's softened. Add the minced garlic and saute until it's fragrant. (image 1)
  2. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. (image 2)
person whisking the sauce and adding mascarpone
  1. Reduce the heat to medium, then gradually pour in the heavy cream while whisking constantly to make the creamy bow tie sauce smooth. (image 3)
  2. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese. (image 4)
person adding green peas and spices to white sauce
  1. Whisk in the ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, Parmesan cheese, and the dry mustard.  Add the ham and peas.  Stir and heat through, roughly 3 to 5 minutes. (image 5)
  2. Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Stir in the lemon juice, zest, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Continue stirring the creamy bow tie sauce until it's well mixed. Note: the sauce makes 4 ½ cups. (image 6)
person stirring sauce into pasta
  1. Pour the creamy sauce over the cooked bow ties and stir to coat.  Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. (image 7)
  2. Garnish our creamy bow tie pasta recipe with reserved parsley and Parmesan cheese. (image 8)

Recipe FAQs

What are the bow tie pastas called?

Farfalle is an Italian pasta that is shaped in a bow tie.  It means butterfly in Italian and was first made in the 16th century in Northern Italy.  It is commonly used with cream and tomato based sauces and as a base for salads.  Larger variations are called farfalloni and smaller variations are called farfalline.

How do you know when bow tie pasta is done?

The only way you'll know is to taste it. Pasta should be cooked al dente which means firm to the bite. Remove some with a fork, and let it cool by blowing on it. Bite into it with your front teeth. The center should have a thin white ring in the middle, and it should have a springy bounce.

Why do you add pasta water to sauce?

Pasta water acts as a binder and thickener and makes the sauce extra creamy.

How do you store creamy bow tie pasta?

Our creamy bow tie pasta recipe tastes best when made fresh. If all the ingredients are prepped ahead of time, this dish comes together in only 20 minutes. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Reheat leftovers on the stovetop over medium low heat while whisking until heated through. Don't bring to a boil, or the creamy sauce will separate. Don't reheat in the microwave, or the sauce will separate.

Can I freeze ham and peas bow tie pasta?

Unfortunately, our creamy bow tie pasta doesn't freeze well because of the dairy used in the sauce. When dairy freezes, the cream breaks apart and looks curdled.

Serve

To round our your meal, we suggest serving a good crusty bread like our rosemary bread. If you feel more like having a crunchy salad, try our bell pepper salad. If you are looking for a colorful side dish, try our roasted grape tomatoes.

If you're looking for other pasta recipes, you'll want to try our recipes for our pear, gouda, and chicken sausage rigatoni, Panera mac and cheese, Panera broccoli mac and cheese, Chick-fil-A mac and cheese, American goulash, Caprese pesto pasta salad, and alfredo basil sauce.

holding a forkful of ham and peas bow tie pasta.

Expert Tips

  • Sauce too thick or too thin?  Thin with pasta water or thicken with Parmesan cheese.
  • Use the pasta water to help bind the creamy sauce to the bow ties and to thin the sauce.
  • Reheat any leftovers of the creamy bow tie sauce on the stovetop over medium low heat while whisking.  Watch carefully so the sauce doesn't separate.

Other Delicious Pasta Dishes

  • person eating a forkful of Chick-fil-A mac and cheese
    Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese Recipe
  • glass bowl of Panera mac and cheese with two spoons
    Panera Mac and Cheese Recipe
  • large skillet filled with Panera broccoli mac and cheese
    Panera Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese
  • person holding a bowl of pear, sausage, and gouda rigatoni
    Pear, Gouda, and Chicken Sausage Rigatoni

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Recipe

person holding a bowl of ham and peas bow tie pasta

Creamy Bow Tie Pasta

Creamy bow tie pasta is an easy recipe to serve your family for dinner tonight.  Learn how to make this simple main dish that uses up leftover holiday ham.  Your kids will lick their plate clean.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin FavoriteSaved! Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 482kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

  • 12 ounces bow tie pasta, 5 cups dried
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ⅓ cup spring onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup mascarpone cheese
  • ½ teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1 cup ham, cut into ¼ inch strips
  • 1 cup peas, frozen or fresh
  • 4 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Equipment

  • whisk
  • colander
  • box grater
Keep your screen on while you work!

Instructions

  • Cook the bow ties in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until al dente.  Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain.  Place the pasta back in the large pot and toss with 2 tablespoons reserved water.
  • Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat, then saute the spring onion for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute one minute, until fragrant.
  • Sprinkle the flour on the veggies, whisking constantly, and cook for one minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.  Gradually add the heavy cream while whisking until smooth.  Continue to whisk in the mascarpone, Parmesan, and the dry mustard to get a smooth sauce.  Add ¼ cup of the reserved water.
  • Add the ham and peas, and heat through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.  Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
  • Pour sauce over the pasta and mix well to coat.  Adjust the seasonings to taste.
  • Garnish with reserved parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve warm.

Video

Notes

  • Make the sauce with pasta water to help bind the sauce to the bow ties and to thin the sauce.
  • Thin the sauce with pasta water or thicken with Parmesan cheese to get the texture right.
  • When reheating leftovers, watch carefully so sauce doesn't separate.  Stir the sauce in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium low heat.
  • The sauce makes 4 ½ cups.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 482kcal (24%)Carbohydrates: 49.6g (17%)Protein: 13.6g (27%)Fat: 26.2g (40%)Saturated Fat: 0gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0gMonounsaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 75.8mg (25%)Sodium: 338.4mg (15%)Potassium: 0mgFiber: 2.9g (12%)Sugar: 3.7g (4%)Vitamin A: 773IU (15%)Vitamin C: 7.8mg (9%)Calcium: 135.4mg (14%)Iron: 2.6mg (14%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Just Me

    August 18, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    5 stars
    We really enjoyed this version of ham & bowtie pasta. The lemon zest and juice gave it a fresh taste unlike similar recipes which tend to be heavy. I had no marscarpone cheese, so substituted with cream cheese. Because we wanted more protein in this dish, we doubled the amount of ham. No other changes were made and we liked it well enough to have it again someday.

    Reply
    • Emma

      August 19, 2022 at 6:19 am

      That's wonderful to hear! We're so happy that you enjoyed this recipe.

      Reply
  2. Alex

    December 26, 2019 at 11:09 am

    5 stars
    The sauce is creamy, and I love the soft ham with it. The bow tie pasta is chewy and the peas add lots of flavor. It also smells delicious!

    Reply
    • Emma

      December 26, 2019 at 11:09 am

      I'm so glad that you liked this recipe, Alex!

      Reply
  3. Beth

    October 10, 2019 at 5:04 pm

    5 stars
    The creamy sauce, cheese, and pasta are tasty, and when the ham and peas are added, this becomes dangerously good. I love ham and I love peas, so this is really amazing. This dish smells so yummy! It tastes creamy with the ham and peas and the amazing lemony sauce.

    Reply
    • Emma

      October 10, 2019 at 9:52 pm

      Thank you, Beth! Ham and peas taste so great together.

      Reply

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We're Brooke & Emma Fajcz, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts. Our recipes have been featured in Oprah Magazine, The Guardian, Parade, Insider, Delish, and BuzzFeed.

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