- 6 ounces bow-tie pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 12 thin asparagus spears, stems trimmed, stalks thinly sliced into rounds, tips left whole
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 6 ounces smoked ham, diced
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
- 2 1/2 tablespoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water 7 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 3 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 3 minutes. Add bell pepper. Boil until pasta and asparagus are just tender but still firm to bite and bell pepper strips are slightly softened, about 30 seconds longer. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, stir ham in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add cream. chicken broth and mustard and boil sauce 2 minutes, stirring up and browned bits.
- Add pasta mixture to skillet. Toss until sauce coats pasta mixture, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.