- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups 1-inch strips cooked ham
- 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 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.