Hawaiian Pizza Pasta

Remind me not to buy such a big ham next year.  When there are only two of you it takes a while to use it all up.  We had roasted gammon on the day, then I did the omelette thing, then the next day we had it just re-heated in a pan with the vegetable leftovers and now today I have done a pasta dish with it. (Not Todd’s favourite but he declared it quite edible.  I thought it was rather tasty myself, but then again, I do love pasta!)  And there is still ham to use up . . . I may just have to freeze it to have another time, when we are not all “hammed” out as it were!

I adapted this recipe today from one I found on the blog Taste and Tell.  I changed it up a bit . . . as you do.  I added some garlic and chopped sweet peppers and onions.  I also added oregano and I used cubes of Pancetta instead of bacon.

I also used a flat pasta instead of a tubular one.  It’s what I had in the cupboard and what worked for me.  These are called Malfalda and they are a ruffle edged short flat pasta noodle type of thing.  I quite like them.

They did a good job of holding the sauce as well.  I really liked the added colour, crunch and flavour of the peppers.  The pineapple added just a touch of sweetness.  And actually, with the herbs it did taste awfully like a Hawaiian Pizza, which is Todd’s favourite kind of pizza if he is forced to actually eat a pizza.  (He’s not fond of them either, lol)

It was delicious.  It was different.  It used up some of my leftovers in an unusual way.  It went together lickety split.   It was simple and easy to make.  And  . . .  there was minimal mess and clean up.  You can’t argue with any of that!

Place the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the pancetta cubes.  Cook until they are crisp, scooping out the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  Keep 1 TBS of the pan drippings and discard the remainder.  Add the chopped vegetables and ham.  Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the ham is lightly browned.  Add the tomato sauce and hot chicken broth, along with all of the herbs and seasonings.  Bring to the boil then stir in the pasta.  Bring to the boil again, then reduce to a very low simmer and cook, tightly covered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender.  This might take 15 minutes or more and you may need to add more broth if you find it is being absorbed too quickly.  Stir in the pineapple tidbits and pancetta cubes.  Taste and adjust seasoning as required.  Scatter the mozzarella cheese over top. Cover and allow the cheese to melt.  Serve hot.

 Note:  I like to pass Parmesan Cheese at the table.  A Pizza would not be a pizza for me without this extra touch. Delicious!

Bon Appetit!

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