A quick and easy pasta salad covered with a savoury anchovy, parsley and ricotta dressing with pops of green peas and crispy prosciutto, we know you are going to love it. Great pasta with prosciutto recipe, perfect for lunches on the go and sunny outdoor picnics.
Fill water in a large saucepan and add a good pinch of salt to season. Bring water to boil and then add pasta. Cook pasta until 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain pasta in a colander and give it a good rinse under water to remove excess starch.
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a sheet pan with baking paper. Place strips of prosciutto onto tray. Do not overlap them. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until crispy. Remove from oven and cool on paper towels. Once cooled down, break crispy prosciutto into smaller pieces.
In a small saucepan, add peas and water. Bring water to boil and reduce heat to simmer peas for another 2-3 minutes or until tender. Drain peas in a colander and set aside for assembly.
Dressing
With a hand blender, blitz the anchovies, flat leaf parsley and garlic until well blended.
Add lemon juice and olive oil and blend until combined.
Stir in ricotta cheese until you have a creamy consistency.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. You may want to check the flavour before seasoning as the anchovies may have enough salty flavours that you don’t need extra salt for this parsley salad dressing.
Assembly
In a large mixing bowl, add pasta and peas.
Add parsley salad dressing and coat salad well.
Add ½ crispy prosciutto to salad and mix.
Transfer salad into a large serving bowl.
Scatter remaining crispy prosciutto on top to serve.
Notes
Dried short pastas like penne, fusilli, rotini and farfalle are more suited for pasta salads and try to avoid using fresh pasta as they did not hold up as well with dressing.
Don’t mix crispy prosciutto into salad if packing for picnic. Keep in a small container and add when you need to serve.
Extra crispy prosciutto can keep up to 1 week in sealed container.