Ham and Cheese Tortellini

Looking for ways to use leftover ham and get the boys to eat more veggies, I stumbled across this recipe for Ham and Cheese Tortellini, and it was a hit! I'll put my notes at the bottom. To see the original recipe, go here:  https://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/tempting-tortellini-ham/

Ham and Cheese Tortellini

Ingredients:

• 19 oz cheese tortellini frozen
• 1 c. peas
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 c. fat-free milk
• 1/4 c. half and half cream
• 1 1/2 c. cubed fully cooked lean ham
• 4 ounces fat free cream cheese cubed
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 c. grated Romano cheese

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, cook tortellini according to package directions.
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.
3. Add the ham, peas, basil, garlic powder, and pepper; cook and stir until cream cheese is melted. Mix in grated cheese. Drain tortellini; add to pan and heat through.

Marsha's Notes:

I used my big pan to cook the tortellini in. Then, I used a package of pre-diced ham and frozen peas. I added them to the tortellini just a minute or two before I was ready to drain it, just to heat them both through. Then I dumped the noodles, ham and peas into the strainer, drained everything, and put it all back into the original pan. I then poured the sauce I was making in a second pan over the noodles, peas and ham and stirred the whole thing together.

A pint of half and half is two cups, so I used an entire pint carton instead of the fat-free milk suggested in the recipe. In the end, if the sauce felt too thick, I added some extra milk to thin to the desired consistency. 

The main seasoning in this recipe is the basil, but I might have liked it a little better with less basil and maybe some other Italian spice instead, like oregano. Next time, I might do 1/2 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp oregano. I also finished the dish off with a sprinkling of garlic salt to taste.