20-Minute Prosciutto Pasta (With Broccoli & Ricotta)
A light and fresh tasting simple prosciutto pasta recipe with broccoli, ricotta, and fresh basil. Made with a very simple lemon ricotta sauce, this is a crowd pleaser, it's perfect for spring or summer (or any time of year), and it's on the table in just 20 minutes. It makes a great midweek family meal, but it's equally as good for easy entertaining!
Servings: 2 (double ingredients for 4)
Ingredients
- 4½ ounces pasta I like bow tie (farfalle) pasta but any is fine
- 7 ounces broccoli washed and chopped into pieces, including the stems (or use any greens: asparagus, snow peas/mange tout, frozen peas...)
- 1½ ounces prosciutto torn into pieces (this is cured Italian ham; or use good quality ordinary ham)
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 lemon (zest of all of it, juice of half of it)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook your pasta according to the cooking ingredients.4½ ounces pasta
- Meanwhile, pan fry broccoli in a wok or large frying pan for 3 or 4 minutes until lightly browned and slightly tender. Turn off the heat.7 ounces broccoli
- Drain the pasta and reserve some of the water. Add the pasta to the broccoli in the pan along with the prosciutto, ricotta, the lemon zest and juice, and most of the parmesan and basil. Stir well.1 lemon, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup ricotta cheese, 1 bunch fresh basil
- Add a little of the cooking water you reserved to loosen up the sauce and grind in some black pepper to taste. Then heat and stir for about 30 seconds or until the pasta has warmed through again.freshly ground black pepper
- Serve immediately. Top with the rest of the parmesan and basil.
Video
Notes
What if I don't like broccoli? No worries. Use another quick-cooking green vegetable such as asparagus (this works particularly well if asparagus happens to be in season), frozen peas, chopped courgette/zucchini, green beans, spinach or snow peas/mange tout.
You can also add more vegetables if you like such as peppers, mushrooms or cherry tomatoes.
Serving more than 2? If you need dinner for 3, 4 or 5 just double the recipe. Any leftovers can be enjoyed the next day (see below).
Leftovers: Any leftovers will keep well in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Heat gently with a little extra water or milk. The leftovers happen to be quite nice cold, too, so you could transform them into a school or work lunch very easily.
Nutrition
Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 631mg | Potassium: 660mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1298IU | Vitamin C: 118mg | Calcium: 504mg | Iron: 2mg
