Prosciutto Pasta

Why you’ll love it

If you haven’t tried cooking prosciutto before, you’re in for a treat! You fry it like you would bacon, but since it’s so thin, it crisps up within a few minutes. I fry the prosciutto until it’s just crispy. Some of it is stirred into the pasta, and the rest is used to add a nice salty crunch as a topping.

The cream sauce is garlicky and brightened up by adding a fresh tomato and basil, so it’s gorgeous yet not too heavy. This recipe is a great option if you’re looking to impress guests but don’t want to spend ages in the kitchen since it’s ready in just half an hour!

What you’ll need

• Pasta – I used pappardelle for this recipe. I love how the sauce coats the ribbons, but feel free to use whatever is in your pantry.
• Prosciutto – it’s an incredibly delicious Italian dry cured ham that fries up really well
• Olive oil and butter – for frying
• Garlic – use even more if you’re a garlic lover
• Heavy cream – to make the sauce luscious and dreamy
• Tomato – just choose whichever variety looks freshest at the grocery store, or use one from your garden
• Peas – we’re using frozen peas. They’re easy and convenient.
• Italian seasoning – it’s a blend of dried herbs including rosemary and thyme that comes all in a single jar
• Basil – for a burst of freshness and color
• Parmesan – as always, I recommend grating your own cheese for the best flavor

How to make prosciutto pasta

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

Add the olive oil and butter to a skillet and fry the prosciutto slices until they crisp up. Transfer prosciutto to a paper towel lined plate. In the same skillet, add in the garlic, followed by the cream, tomatoes, peas, and Italian seasoning. Let it cook until the sauce thickens up a bit.

Crumble up the cooked prosciutto and add most of it to the skillet, but reserve some to top the bowls with. Also add in the basil. Add the drained pasta to the sauce, toss, and serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Substitutions and variations

• As with any recipe, sub ingredients at your own discretion. If you swap the cream for something with a lower fat content, you’re likely to yield a thinner sauce that’s not quite as rich or flavorful and could curdle.
• This recipe can feed 2-4. It’s written for 4 reasonably sized portions, but if you want plenty of sauce for each person, do 4 ounces of pasta total instead of the suggested 8 and keep the sauce quantities as written, and it’ll serve 2 people and be very saucy. You could, of course, double all ingredients in the recipe and make even more pasta if you’ve got 4+ hungry people to feed.