If you want a change from the ham buns do try this recipe from the Northern Italian Aosta Valley; nestled just below Mont Blanc near France and Switzerland.
Cheese from “Valle d’Aosta” is also known as Fontina. Fontina DOP cheese is made only with milk from the Aosta Valley herds and its taste can be sweeter or savoury, depending on the seasoning used.
Pasta alla Valdostana
Fontina is popular and several other countries now produce it, but use a good Italian Valle d’Aosta cheese in this recipe.
Brie trimmed of any rind is a milder yet creamy replacement for the Fontina if you have trouble finding it.
If you love alfredo this is a sure thing. Cubes of Fontina are melted with cream, and then tossed with ham and pasta! This comes together in a flash so have the pasta water started and the salad made.
*Carb counting meals like this is a little different. If you need precision, weigh the entire dish after pulling the recipe together. How long pasta cooks and the type of pasta will determine the exact total weight. Consider the total number of Carbs in the dry pasta and that’s the total for the recipe. 250 Grams of dry Gluten pasta is usually 162 – 170 CHO Total. Gluten free is a little more at 175 Total CHO.
Ingredients
- 7 oz. (200 gr) ham, diced 0 CHO
- 8 oz (227 gr) fontina cheese, diced 0 CHO
- 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream 0 CHO
- 2 TBSP Butter 0 CHO
- Salt for pasta 0 CHO
- Parsley to garnish 0 CHO
TOTAL CHO IN SAUCE = 0 CHO
*250 gr. Dry short pasta 170 CHO
- TOTAL GRAMS 885 GRAMS
- 170 DIVIDED BY 885 GRAMS = .192 CHO/GRAM
- 1 CUP = 147 GRAMS (.192 CHO x 147 GR) 28.2 CHO/CUP
- TOTAL VOLUME 6 CUPS
Instructions
- Start to prepare to cook pasta in salted boiling water. The pasta will take nearly as long to cook as the cheese sauce.
- Melt butter in pan and add diced ham. Brown slightly, turn off heat and set aside.
- In another skillet, add cubed cheese and cream. Gently heat until cheese has melted, and cream has thickened.
- Just before serving add the ham and any remaining butter to cream and cheese mixture.
- Drain pasta and add to skillet with cheese and ham.
- Toss and let cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat and let rest a couple minutes.
- Garnish with parsley. (We let everyone add their own black pepper.)
