This cheesy riggies pasta with ham is a comforting dinner that puts a twist on mac and cheese and the classic riggies pasta. It’s a delicious, easy way to use up leftover ham in a meal the whole family will happily gather around the table to enjoy together.

Have you heard of riggis before?

New York state is full of food gems from Big Apple soft pretzels to Buffalo’s wings to these riggies which hail from Utica, New York, where my husband was born.

The traditional version has loads of tender rigatoni pasta tossed with savory tomato cream sauce and a good amount of cheese.

But sometimes I find myself getting bored with the same combination of different pasta, tomato based sauce, and cheese.

So I switch it up and tomatoes in favor of more cheese, a cream sauce, and pieces of leftover ham.

The result lived up to the vision in my head and is the most incredible, cozy dish of comfort.

Ingredients

To make this you’ll need:

Butter– To saute the onion and garlic in
Onion– A small, diced white onion
Garlic– Minced or pressed
Ham– Chopped. Leftover ham is perfect in this. If you don’t have any you could use deli ham or cubed ham steak.
Rigatoni pasta– While technically you could make this dish with any pasta shape, rigatoni is what gives riggies its name.
Broth– Chicken broth. You could also use chicken stock if needed.
Half and half– For maximum creaminess. If you have to substitute, I recommend using a higher fat dairy like heavy cream over a lower fat dairy like milk.
Salt and pepper– To taste
Cheese– Shredded colby jack

How to Make

Cheesy riggies pasta is so easy!

To make it, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.

When the butter has melted, add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften.

Once they are soft, stir in the garlic and let it cook just until it’s fragrant, about thirty seconds.

Then stir in the ham and let it cook just to warm it through.

Pour in the stock and half and half, stirring to combine.

Then add the pasta right to the same pot and season it with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium.

Then, cover the pot and let it cook until the pasta’s tender and has absorbed most of the liquid or about 8-10 minutes.

Stir the pasta occasionally so that it doesn’t stick to the pot or together.

Stir the cheese in and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Storing

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.

Reheat in the microwave, or for best results you can heat it in a skillet on the stove, stirring in more half and half if needed.

Tips and Tricks

Be sure to use a very large skillet so your pasta will fit.
Keep a close eye on the garlic so it doesn’t burn, cooking for only 30 seconds, stirring the whole time. Garlic goes from delicious to burnt and bitter really quickly.
When you are cooking the pasta, make sure to stir it regularly to keep the pasta from sticking together or sticking to the pot.
If you store the pasta in the fridge, the pasta will absorb some of the sauce and thicken up more. If you need to thin it out when you reheat it, stir in a little half and half. It will thin it without making it too thin, the way adding extra stock would.

Other Easy Pasta Dishes

This cheesy riggies pasta with ham is a delicious way to shake up pasta night and use up your extra ham.

Make it and enjoy!

Looking for other easy pasta dishes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried this CHEESY RIGGIES PASTA WITH HAM, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Cheesy Riggies Pasta with Ham

2.12 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Entree, Ham, Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Servings:

Calories: 815kcal

Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 small white onion peeled & diced
3 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2-2 cups chopped ham
1 lb rigatoni pasta
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half & half
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions in and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften- about 2-3 minutes.
2 tbsp butter, 1 small white onion
Stir in the garlic, cooking just until fragrant, about thirty seconds. Add the ham, cooking for another 30 seconds, just until it's nice and hot.
3 tsp minced garlic, 1 1/2-2 cups chopped ham
Pour in the stock and half & half, stirring to combine. Stir in the pasta. Salt & pepper, to taste.
1 lb rigatoni pasta, 4 cups chicken broth, 1 cup half & half, salt & pepper
Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and cook until the pasta's tender and has absorbed most of the liquid- about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to stir the pasta occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the pot or to each other in clumps.
Stir the cheese in, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
1 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese

Notes

Be sure to use a very large skillet so your pasta will fit.
Keep a close eye on the garlic so it doesn't burn, cooking for only 30 seconds, stirring the whole time. Garlic goes from delicious to burnt and bitter really quickly.
When you are cooking the pasta, make sure to stir it regularly to keep the pasta from sticking together or sticking to the pot.
If you store the pasta in the fridge, the pasta will absorb some of the sauce and thicken up more. If you need to thin it out when you reheat it, stir in a little half and half. It will thin it without making it too thin, the way adding extra stock would.