Nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of pasta to warm you up on a cold evening, and making something delicious is very simple as long as you have the right recipe.

Mary Berry’s creamy pasta sauce takes only 15 minutes to make from scratch and is great for a simple but speedy dinner.

In her cookbook, ‘Mary Berry Cooks’, she wrote: “This is my standby pasta supper – great for everyday family meals or for casual supper parties too. If you don’t have Parma ham, then Black Forest ham or Serrano ham work just as well.”

This is a flavourful meal made with parma ham, mushrooms and parmesan cheese tossed in a flavourful sauce to make it the ultimate comfort meal.

It is a no-fuss recipe that is perfect to make during the cold autumn weather as it is cheesy, comforting and utterly delicious, plus the sauce is made in just one pan to save you some time washing up later.

Method 

To begin, add the pasta to a pot of boiling salted water and cook following the packet instructions.

Add the vegetable oil to a frying pan. Chop the penne ham into small pieces, add the ham to the pan and fry until crispy, then remove half of the ham and set it aside for now.

Slice the mushrooms in half and add them to the pan, then cook the mushrooms for two minutes.

Pour the creme fraiche into the pan and bring it to a boil. Grate the parmesan cheese and add it to the pan as well.

Add the rest of the parma ham, parsley and pasta into the pan and toss together so everything is coated in the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper, top with any remaining parma ham and serve with green salad and crusty bread, if you wish.