I used to go to a restaurant, that they sadly shut down, called Johnny Carinos. This dish reminds me of what I used to order there called Bowtie Festival. The sauce is very similar and I haven’t had it in years so this really made me jump for joy, but really I started jumping around when I tried the sauce…. I struggle on the amount of times a week I cook pasta for dinner because I don’t want to be that girl that has to get removed from her bedroom with a crane because I gained so much weight. So I have narrowed it down to once a week. Depressing.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound honey ham (rough chopped)

1 bag frozen green peas

Chopped garlic

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon thyme

5 fresh basil leaves (chopped)

1 12 oz package linguini

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat, once melted add garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 2 min. Add flour. Mix until it turns a golden brown. Pour in chicken broth, half and half, whipping cream, thyme and basil. Simmer for about ten min on low heat until it starts thickening. Be sure it doesn’t stick to bottom of skillet by stirring frequently. Add in ham and peas. The peas should be cooked or steamed previous to adding to sauce. Mix thoroughly and add parmesan. Stir until melted. Once linguini is cooked according to package, toss with olive oil and add to sauce. Turn off heat. toss the pasta and sauce together with tongs and top with more grated parmesan.