Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
     3/4         pound  fresh asparagus spears or
  10            ounces  frozen asparagus
  28            ounces  stewed tomatoes cut up -- canned
  1         tablespoon  dried parsley flakes
     1/2      teaspoon  dried basil -- crushed
     1/2      teaspoon  dried oregano -- crushed
     1/8      teaspoon  ground red pepper -- (optional)
  1                cup  evaporated skim milk
  10            ounces  multicolored pasta wagon wheel or -- corkscrew
  6             ounces  lean fully cooked ham -- cut into, bite-size strips
  1              small  red or green sweet pepper -- cut into strips
                        grated parmesan cheese -- (opt)

Preparation:

Snap off and discard the woody bases from the fresh asparagus, if using. Bias-slice the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. (Or thaw and drain the frozen asparagus.) FOR SAUCE, in a medium saucepan combine stewed tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, and ground red pepper, if desired. Bring to boiling. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, about 15 minutes or till reduced to 2-1/2 cups, stirring occasionally. Add the evaporated milk all at once, stirring constantly. Heat mixture through; do not boil. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions EXCEPT add the asparagus, ham and sweet pepper to the boiling water during the last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain pasta and vegetables. To serve, place pasta mixture on a serving plater. Spoon the sauce over the pasta. Serve with Parmesa cheese, if desired. Serve at once. Makes 4 or 5 main-dish servings.

Nutritional Information:

68 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (3% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 2mg Cholesterol; 79mg Sodium