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Pasta With Peas, Prosciutto and Lettuce

5.0(396)

Since I began eating more plants and less meat, I’ve experimented with using small amounts of meat in ways that exploit its flavor without making it central to the dish. In this recipe — pasta with spring vegetables — the meat is literally a garnish, but one with huge impact. That meat is prosciutto, and it’s briefly cooked in a bit of oil, which accomplishes two things: It intensifies the ham’s salty, meaty flavor, and it makes the prosciutto crisp, turning it into a nice textural foil for the tender pasta, peas and lettuce. You do need three pans to make this dish — a small skillet, a large skillet and a large pot for the pasta — but it’s so fast that a little extra cleanup seems worth the trouble.

by Mark Bittman

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ItalianDinner, Easy, Quick, Weeknight, Pastas, Appetizer, Main Course

Servings

4 servings

Total time

20 min

Calories / serving

830 kcal

Ingredients (11)

serves

Saltsalt
3 tablespoons olive oilolive-oil
2 to 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide stripsprosciutto
1 pound pasta
2 tablespoons butterbutter
1 shallot, mincedshallot
Black pepper to tastepepper
2 cups peas, fresh or frozenpeas
1 head Bibb or Boston lettuce (about 6 ounces), cored, leaves cut into 3/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock or dry white wine, more as neededchicken
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheeseparmesan

Instructions (3 steps)

01Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Meanwhile, put one tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add prosciutto and cook, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes; set aside.
02When water boils, add pasta and cook until just tender; drain pasta, reserving some cooking liquid. Meanwhile, melt butter with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook until shallot begins to soften, about 5 minutes.