Penne with Ham and Parmesan Recipe

Stir 1/2 teaspoon salt into a pot of water; bring to a boil. Stir penne pasta into the boiling water and cook stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite about 11 minutes; drain.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir ham and mushrooms in hot butter until the mushrooms are softened 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir flour remaining salt and bay leaf into the ham mixture; cook and stir until flour begins to bind butter into a paste about 2 minutes. Stream milk into the skillet while stirring. Melt Parmesan cheese into the milk mixture; add basil and continue cooking and stirring until the milk thickens into a sauce 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and immediately stir spinach into the sauce; add to drained pasta and stir to coat the pasta.