Quick Fix: Pasta with Prosciutto & Arugula

Pasta makes me happy. Very Happy. When tomatoes come into season I love to make sauceless pasta dishes with them because it has a nice seasonally fresh taste that just wakes up my little taste buds. Now, a brief musical interlude as played by your imagination via internet:

*Pasta, prosciutto and fresh cracked pepper. Arugula, tomato and great olive oil.... these are a few of my favorite thiiiiings!*

And they are all in this incredibly easy dish! Oh, and let me give you a little tip on prosciutto because it can be so expensive, right? Buy it at your local bulk goods deli and you will save big time! A half pound of prosciutto at the local bulk goods store cost me less than $5. Yes, I know, it's amazing!

Another thing we should be discussing is arugula in a warm dish. Many people are familiar with it as a salad staple, which is great, but it makes for a great addition in dishes like this because of the peppery flavor of the green. If you haven't tried it in your pasta before, boy oh boy, you are in for a treat!

Onward and upward: to the recipe!

We have simple ingredients, as you can see! 

Start by cooking your pasta and then start on everything else while it's simmering away. You can also wait until the last four minutes of the pasta cooking to start in your pan because the "sauce" takes barely any time to do! 

Skin your tomato, and cut it into bite-sized pieces. 

In a pan, go two times around with the olive oil (about two tablespoons) and add your minced garlic and tomatoes right to the pan. Cook about 2-3 minutes. 

Throw in the arugula into the pan and give it a stir. Remove the pan from the heat. 

Drain your pasta and then throw it in your pan (which you have removed from the heat). 

Give it a nice toss all together. 

Divide it up among two plates, and then top with some prosciutto. I like to shred the prosciutto with my hands because it tears so easily. 

Top with fresh ground pepper and salt if needed (I don't feel like it really needs salt because of the salty quality of the meat.) You can also add a touch of parmesan cheese if you fancy that! 

Pasta with Prosciutto & Arugula 

Time: 15 minutes | Serves 2 | Difficulty: Easy 

You Will Need: 

1/4 pound pasta 

2 cups arugula (packed)

1 tomato, skin removed and diced

4-5 pieces of prosciutto

1 clove garlic, minced

Extra virgin olive oil 

salt & pepper to taste 

parmesan cheese (optional) 

Method: 

In a pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to manufacturer's direction. When it's done, drain and set aside. 

In a skillet or pan, place roughly two tablespoons of olive oil, which is about twice around the pan. Add the minced garlic and tomato. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes. Add the arugula to the pan, give it a quick stir and remove the pan from the heat. 

Toss in the cooked pasta and give it a good stir. 

Distribute the pasta among two plates. 

Using your hands, shred the prosciutto and top the pasta with it, distributing evenly among both plates. 

Top with fresh ground pepper and parmesan cheese, if desired. 

ENJOY!