Even though gardening season is rapidly cycling to a close, it’s still easy to pull together a quick weeknight meal of pan-roasted tomatoes and prosciutto with pasta. Because these tomatoes spend some time warming in the pan, they’ll pick up flavors of olive oil. Toss with prosciutto shreds and garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil. A dollop of fresh ricotta seasoned with oil, salt, and pepper adds a creamy finish.
My pasta choice here is bucatini — similar to spaghetti, this thicker pasta version is hollow, making for a chewy mouthful. But feel free to use a pasta of your choice.
Pan-roasted tomato pasta with prosciutto and ricotta recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound bucatini pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for pasta
- 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, shredded into thin pieces
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 quart mixed yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, about 20 leaves, sliced thinly into chiffonade
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
To cook the recipe
- Prepare pasta according to package directions in a large pot. When pasta is al dente, or firm to the bite, drain water from pot, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Drizzle with olive oil, enough so that it keeps the pasta from sticking while you are preparing the sauce.
- Add olive oil to large skillet and heat on medium-high until oil shimmers and coats the pan when tilted.
- Toss prosciutto into skillet and sauté, stirring to slightly crisp and separate strands of meat. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
- Add tomatoes to prosciutto and cook, stirring gently, until they burst and begin to lose their juices, about 5-8 minutes.
- Scoop tomato mixture into reserved pasta. If the pasta is dry, add reserved cooking liquid as needed. Dot with butter and gently toss to melt butter and coat pasta with sauce.
- Season fresh ricotta with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve pasta with sauce in warmed, shallow bowls. Strew basil over each bowl. Dollop a generous tablespoon of ricotta on each serving.
Serves 3-4.