Prosciutto Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

This prosciutto pesto pasta is a great weeknight dinner. Pesto is a fantastic way to add instant flavor to a dish and the sun-dried tomatoes pack a bold punch of flavor into the meal. You only need a few ingredients and less than 15 minutes for an amazing dinner.

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity though. This is such a flavorful dish you will want to add it to your favorites. Just add a tossed green salad and some sourdough bread. Dinner is ready!

This dinner is:

• Quick to make, ready in 20 minutes or less
• Covers all your flavor cravings with sweet, salty, and savory notes
• Great for lunch or dinner

If you want more great family-style pasta dishes, try our tuna pasta casserole (made from scratch), or our cheese stuffed pasta shells and beef pasta skillet (made with leftover roast beef).

What Goes in This Pasta Dish

We ramped up the flavor of this recipe by adding sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto. The sundried tomatoes add a hint of sweetness and the prosciutto has plenty of salty goodness. Here is what you need.

• Pasta. Any type of pasta will work, just follow the package directions when you cook the pasta.
  
• Onion.
  
• Garlic.
  
• Sun dried tomatoes. We used the dried tomatoes that are packed in olive oil for extra flavor. This type of dried tomato will have a softer texture but you will need to drain the oil off the tomatoes. If you use the kind of dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil then you will want to soak them in hot water for a few minutes to get them soft.
  
• Prosciutto. Most of the prosciutto that we see in packages is sliced very thin. I like to go to the deli counter and ask them to slice it for me and I ask for thick slices.
  
• White wine. If you don’t want to cook with wine, you can substitute with chicken broth.
  
• Pesto. Use homemade or store-bought.
  
• Parmigiano-Reggiano. Purchase a block of cheese or freshly grated cheese from the deli. The stuff that is shelf-stable just does not taste as good.

How To Make This Recipe

Here is a quick overview of the process so you can see how easy this prosciutto pesto pasta. If you are short on time grab a jar of pre-made pesto on your way home but if you have time to make your own pesto, I promise it is worth the effort.

For all the details, scroll down to the printable recipe card.

1. Boil the pasta (save some of the pasta water for later).
2. Saute the onions until soft.
3. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and prosciutto. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan (scrape the cooked-on bits off the bottom of the pan).
5. Stir in the pesto then add the pasta. Stir in the reserved pasta water, if desired.
6. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

The sundried tomatoes add so much to this dish. They have a concentrated, sweet flavor that compliments the pesto and salty prosciutto.

Tips for Success

• Use any type of pasta that you have on hand. We chose fusilli pasta because the shape holds more sauce than smooth pasta.
• Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes have a soft texture and you can use the flavored oil to saute the onions.
• You probably won’t need to salt this pasta dish. The prosciutto, pesto, and Parmesan are already salty. Taste it after you finish cooking and add salt if needed.

This is an amazing pasta dish. Pesto, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic combine with pasta for an exceptionally flavorful meal.

It’s hard to eat a good pasta dinner without a slice of crusty bread. We love to make sourdough bread from scratch but if you don’t have a sourdough starter, try making our Dutch oven bread. It is quick and easy. If your grocery store has a deli then get your prosciutto there, not only will it be cheaper but you can have them slice it thicker.

Pesto is super easy to make. Check out our recipe for basil pesto. It goes perfectly with this Pesto Pasta recipe but if you want an even easier dinner, buy pre-made pesto.

Some Other Recipes You Might Like

Salmon, capers, herbs, and spelt pasta combine for a fantastic Salmon Pasta Salad. It’s dressed in a deliciously tart lemon vinaigrette.

With the garlic and anchovies, the pasta with black truffle sauce offers a wonderful balance of flavors. This meal is perfect for a special occasion or a romantic supper.

This chipotle chicken pasta salad is a delicious way to use leftover chicken. It’s great for lunch or supper, and it’s easy to transport to potlucks and picnics.

Prosciutto Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Pesto, prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes and garlic combine with pasta for an exceptionally flavorful dish.

4.78 from 9 votes

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 581kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fusilli pasta or Rotini
• 1 large white onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 8 ounces oil packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes oil drained and chopped
• 6 ounces prosciutto diced
• 1 cup white wine
• 6 ounces 3/4 cup pesto
• 3 to 4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano grated

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Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the liquid that the pasta is cooked in.
• In a large sauté pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat then add the chopped onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and prosciutto and cook for 3-4 more minutes.
• Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the pesto.
• Add the pasta then stir in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
• Grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of the pasta and serve.

Notes

• You can use any shape of pasta you like. We chose fusilli pasta because the curly shape holds more sauce.
• If you purchase prosciutto at the deli counter, have them slice it thick.
• Prosciutto and Parmesan cheese have plenty of salt in them and you should not need any additional salt to season the dish.
• We used sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in olive oil. This type of dried tomato will have a softer texture but you will need to drain the oil off the tomatoes. If you use the kind of dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil then you will want to soak them in hot water for a few minutes to get them soft.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 1537mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g

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