Pasta with ham & minty pea pesto

• pasta↗400g g

  shapes

• frozen pea↗400g g

  defrosted

• ½ bunch mint

  leaves picked

• grated parmesan50g g

  or pecorino, plus extra to serve (optional)

• half-fat crème fraîche↗100g g
• thinly sliced smoked ham175g g

  shredded

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pasta following pack instructions, adding 200g of the peas for the final 1 min of cooking. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, blitz the rest of the peas, mint, half the Parmesan and the crème fraîche until smooth, then season. When the pasta is cooked, tip back into the pan on the heat and spoon in the pea cream, ham and the remaining Parmesan. Stir to coat the pasta evenly, adding the reserved water if it is too thick. Serve immediately, with extra Parmesan, if you like.