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This prosciutto pasta recipe has a silky cream sauce with fresh tomato, peas, and cooked prosciutto. It’s fast, elegant, and simple to make!
Need another fancy yet totally easy recipe? Try this White Wine Cream Sauce for Ravioli next.
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
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this garlic press to mince the garlic without having to peel each clove first.
- This is the enameled cast iron skillet I use, and kitchen tongs make the pasta easy to toss.
- I keep a parm wedge in my fridge, and I always use my Microplane zester/grater to grate it.
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.
What to serve with prosciutto pasta
- It’s perfect on its own with a glass of white wine for date night!
- To make it a little heartier, pair with a few slices of fresh baguette to round it out or a slice of Garlic Bread.
- You could also complement it with a side salad. Try this homemade Creamy Balsamic Dressing or Easy Italian Dressing. I also highly recommend this Creamy Pesto Dressing for a delightful change.
Leftovers and storage
- This pasta will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container, but keep in mind that the prosciutto will become less crispy over time.
- Since there’s cream in the sauce, we don’t recommend freezing it. It won’t be the same when thawed.
- Reheat in a small saucepan until warmed through.
More tasty pasta recipes
If you made this creamy prosciutto pasta recipe, please let me know in the comments below! You can also tag me on Instagram with all your Salt & Lavender creations.
Prosciutto Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta I used pappardelle
- 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 medium tomato chopped small
- 1/3 cup peas I used frozen
- 1 dash Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil thinly sliced/chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the prosciutto in two batches if it doesn't all fit in the pan at once without overlapping too much. Cook it for about 3-4 minutes total (flip it halfway) or until the prosciutto starts so crisp up a bit but is still a bit pliable/bendy. Transfer the prosciutto to a paper towel lined plate and leave the fat in the skillet.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the cream, tomato, peas, and Italian seasoning. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens up a bit.
- Crumble the prosciutto up with your hands. Stir some of it into the sauce and reserve some for topping the bowls. I also like to add in the basil at this point.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet and toss it all together. Prior to draining the pasta, you may want to add a splash of the hot pasta water to the sauce, especially if it's thickened up too much for your liking.
- Serve with the remaining prosciutto and freshly grated parmesan on top of each bowl. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed.
Notes
- This recipe can serve 2-4. For 2, each person gets quite a lot of sauce (use 4 ounces of pasta). If you’re feeding 4 hungry people, I suggest serving it with a side like garlic bread or a salad (or start with an appetizer).
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Wondering if you could use pancetta since it’s in the bacon fam and already diced? (lazy cook here!)
Sure, but you don’t need to cut up the prosciutto either… it comes in super thin slices. I would say it’s pretty much as easy as easy as using pancetta (it takes like 1 min to crumble it up with your hands once it’s cooked). You may have to adjust cooking time a little bit with pancetta, but I think it would be delicious if you still want to go that route!
Natasha,
Not only did I get your recipe but you also brought me back to my younger days and a recipe that I always loved and forgot about… My aunt Nannie Esposito from Coney Island made this so many times and my family always loved it but through the years most of my older generations of family have passed but the memories have faded.. When I saw and bought Prosciuitto from the store.. I remembered my aunts pasta but couldn’t remember her recipe.. Yours was it.. So I made it for my son he is now 57 and he loved it I told him of my aunt and your photos so now you can add my wonderful memories to your list of thank you.. You are my go to for recipes from now on.. Thank you again Dorothy Rosato Brooklyn now New Jersey..
Oh wow that’s so nice to hear!! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your story with me, Dorothy!
This was so delicious!! We were fighting over the last serving. The papparadelle noodles gave it wonderful texture.
That’s awesome!! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Do you add the basil on top? I couldn’t see any in your picture. This is going to be tomorrows dinner. Thanks for the recipe.
Step 5. I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Delicious, definitely a keeper recipe🤩so much yum!
So happy you liked it, Angi!!
I made this last night for supper and my whole family loved it! I doubled the recipe (not the prosciutto) and it was fantastic! My girls kept going back for seconds. This is a keeper for sure!! Thanks so much!
Wonderful!! I’m so pleased to hear it was a hit!! 😀
So yummy! Should have doubled it! Quick to make but tastes like you spent much longer.
I’m thrilled to hear that! Thanks, Jody!
Ugh!! I could eat this every day!!
I’ve been staring at this recipe for months, I just happen to have everything in the house so I made it this evening. It was fantastic!! I added mushrooms because I had them and needed to cook them. Another pasta dish that’s going in my rotation, my trainer loves the extra work.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, Craig! “My trainer loves the extra work” made me giggle. 😀
Fantastic! The salty prosciutto pairs perfectly with the acid of the tomatoes and the sweetness of the peas. Served to company. They loved it!
That’s fantastic, Karen!! Thanks for taking the time to write me a review. 🙂
This was incredible! My entire family of picky eaters gobbled it up and said multiple times that this tastes better than something you get in a restaurant. I will definitely be adding this to the regular rotation.
I’m so pleased to hear that!! 😀 Thanks for letting me know!