Creamy Prosciutto Pasta with Zucchini is the kind of weeknight dinner that tastes like a restaurant dish but comes together in under 30 minutes, with silky sauce, salty prosciutto, grape tomatoes and tender sautéed zucchini in every twirl.
Love Easy Pasta Dinners? Try Chicken Lazone Pasta and Creamy Chicken Pasta next.
Why you'll love this recipe
- It's a fast, weeknight‑friendly pasta that comes together in about 30 minutes but still tastes restaurant‑worthy.
- The creamy sauce clings to every bite of pasta, balancing rich dairy with the salty snap of prosciutto so it feels indulgent without being heavy.
- Sautéed zucchini adds sweetness and texture, turning a simple creamy prosciutto pasta into a great way to use up extra summer squash.
- You can dress it up with herbs and extra Parmesan for date night, or keep it simple for a one‑pan, no‑stress dinner everyone will actually eat.
If you love zucchini as much as I do, browse Sweet and Savory Zucchini Recipes as well as try Zucchini Carpaccio and Easy Zucchini Soup.
Key Ingredients and why you'll need them
- Olive oil - Brings rich flavor and slight spiciness to Prosciutto Pasta. Just make sure it's extra virgin olive oil.
- Zucchini - Slice or dice the zucchini and sauté it in olive oil with garlic until it's tender and slightly browned.
- Prosciutto - Simply fry prosciutto slices in a pan until crispy, similar to cooking bacon. Some pieces can be mixed into the pasta, while others serve as a crunchy, salty topping.
- Grape tomatoes - I love using grape tomatoes in pasta dishes. They are sweeter, not as watery, and have a more intense tomato flavor than larger, standard-sized tomatoes.
- Penne Pasta - You can also use rotini, fusilli or bow tie.
- Parmesan cheese - Helps thicken sauce and create a smooth texture for Prosciutto Pasta.
- Heavy cream - A touch of heavy cream can transform regular pasta sauce to rich and luxurious one.
Creamy Prosciutto Pasta with Zucchini
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Ingredients
Pasta and Vegetables Preparation:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 10 oz penne pasta
- 2 oz prosciutto thinly sliced
- 2 large zucchini halved and thinly sliced in half circles
- 1 pint grape tomatoes red and orange, halved
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 4 leaves of fresh sage
- ½ teaspoon salt
Creamy Sauce:
- ½ cup chicken stock sodium free
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the package instructions and drain.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add prosciutto and garlic.
- Cook for 3 minutes until prosciutto is crisp and garlic is slightly browned. Remove both from the skillet onto a plate.
- Add zucchini, fresh thyme and ½ teaspoon of salt and cook for 5 minutes total or until tender and slightly browned on both sides.
- Add chicken stock and heavy cream to the skillet with zucchini and bring it to a boil. Next add tomatoes.
- Once warmed up, stir in cheese and sage and mix well: the sauce will become creamy. Stir in cooked pasta, season with pepper and salt to taste.
- Add cooked prosciutto and garlic back to the skillet and top with Parmesan, if desired.
Tips for making this recipe
- A word of caution about Prosciutto. If overcooked, it tends to become rubbery instead of crisp. To avoid this, once the prosciutto is cooked, set it aside and then reintroduce it back into the dish at the very end (step 4 in my directions) - after mixing veggies, sauce and pasta together.
- Use a little oil. Since prosciutto is much less fatty than bacon, I find that using a little oil helps crisp up the prosciutto nicely.
- Can I make it gluten free? Use either quinoa penne or brown rice penne to make Creamy Prosciutto Pasta 100% gluten free.
- Halve grape tomatoes. Halve the tomatoes to release their juices and flavor.
How to make Creamy Prosciutto Pasta
The creamy sauce is simple and takes less time to prepare than the pasta itself: just add heavy cream, sodium free chicken stock and cheese.
And I like to use Parmesan for its ability to thicken the sauce mixture so well. If the sauce is too thick, you can add ¼ cup more of chicken stock. Taste to see if more seasoning is needed with more liquid (if using sodium free chicken stock).
How to serve Creamy Prosciutto Pasta
Drape prosciutto slices and garlic atop pasta once it's already divided among plates. Not only will this preserve the crispiness of the prosciutto, it will make the rest of the flavors blend a lot better. You can add a couple of slices of zucchini on top of pasta for presentation.
Storage and leftovers
Creamy Prosciutto Pasta is best enjoyed immediately because cream-based sauces can separate when frozen and reheated and zucchini will become too mushy with time.
- To store prosciutto pasta, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
- Reheat refrigerated pasta in the microwave or stovetop:
- Microwave: Heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until warmed through.
- Stovetop: Add a bit of water to prevent it from drying out.
- Freeze for up to 2 months. Use a freezer-safe container or freezer bags. When reheating, defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator before reheating.
Hungry for more tasty pasta dishes?
If so, I have a variety of delicious pasta recipes right here:
Cheesecake Factory's Louisiana Chicken Pasta
Pasta Bolognese Ala Vodka
Spicy Pasta in Creamy Parmesan Wine Sauce
Nancy Lou says
Made this tonight and was very disappointed. Not creamy, , cheese separated, lack of flavor.😢
Terri says
So yummy!
Would you mind sharing how the sage is prepared? Is it like a bay leaf and left whole or sliced?
Thanks?
Olya says
I chopped it!
Wanda says
My family and myself loved this recipe.
Angie says
Can you tell me at which point you add the tomato? Thanks 🙂
Lyndsay says
I wondered the same thing. I added them just at the end to warm them through and it was delicious! If you want them cooked more, maybe add them toward the end of the zucchini step. ?
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
I updated the instructions to reflect tomatoes being added in step 4.
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Tomatoes are added right after adding milk and heavy cream to the skillet with zucchini (and once it's brought up to the boiling point). That way they will stay in tact and won't be too mushy.