Creamy Prosciutto Pasta with Zucchini and Grape Tomatoes is a quick weeknight meal that is not overly heavy and can bring a variety to your usual meal routine. This pasta with vegetables dish is perfect one to make during the busy work week. You simply can’t go wrong with this flavorful penne recipe full of veggies and cheese!
Healthy Ingredients for Creamy Prosciutto Pasta
I love quick, simple and healthy pasta recipes like this. To make this pasta with prosciutto and zucchini, you will be needing sliced zucchini, halved grape tomatoes, fresh thyme and a little bit of sage.
How to not overcook prosciutto
A little cured ham by the name of Prosciutto and some garlic are sautéed together in the pan.
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.
What kind of pasta to use for Creamy Prosciutto Pasta
Now let’s add some pasta and the magic formula is complete. In this pasta with prosciutto and zucchini recipe, I’m using penne pasta, but I can also see how good spaghetti will work here. Nowadays there are so many varieties of pasta that choices are almost endless.
To make Creamy Prosciutto Pasta gluten free
Use either quinoa penne or brown rice penne.
How to make sauce for Prosciutto Pasta with Zucchini and Grape Tomatoes
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 1/4 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.
Hungry for more tasty pasta dishes? If so, I have a variety of delicious pasta recipes on this site:
Cheesecake Factory’s Louisiana Chicken Pasta
Pasta Bolognese Ala Vodka
Spicy Pasta in Creamy Parmesan Wine Sauce
Creamy Prosciutto Pasta with Zucchini and Grape Tomatoes
Ingredients
Pasta and Vegetables Preparation:
- 2 tbsp 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 tsp fresh thyme
- 4 leaves of fresh sage
- ½ tsp salt
Creamy Sauce:
- 1/2 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. 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.
Can you tell me at which point you add the tomato? Thanks 🙂
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. ?
I updated the instructions to reflect tomatoes being added in step 4.
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.