Pasta with Greens and Prosciutto

For my first recipe from "The New Cook" I choose this easy pasta with greens. And it was super easy because in less than 30 minutes I had dinner. It was perfect for a busy weeknight and combined my veggies with my pasta into one dish. I added the prosciutto because we have a ton left over from the holidays and I'm practically adding it to everything. Earlier this week I made biscuits for lunch just so I could try them with prosciutto. In case your wondering fresh biscuits and prosciutto are really good together.


The garlic and olive oil proved to be a nice "dressing" for the greens, and I love using these pappardelle noodles. Come to think of it I like anything with a large flat noodle, the Thai noodle dish Pad See Ew is another favorite of mine. The original recipe calls for beetroot tops along with the arugula and spinach but sadly I didn't have any so the other two greens had to suffice. I can think of endless ways to alter this dish by adding additional vegetables or other kinds of meat.




Pasta with Greens
adapted from The New Cook

8 oz pappardelle or wide fettuccine
1 T olive oil
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup prosciutto (optional*)
5 cups of mixed arugula and spinach, rinsed and dried
cracked black pepper
salted capers, rinsed and dried
goat cheese (optional)

Place the pasta in a saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Drain, rinse (be sure to rinse the noodles after draining them - I didn't and mine were a little sticky), and keep warm.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and prosciutto (if using) and cook until the garlic is golden. Remove from the heat. Place the greens in a medium sized bowl and toss thoroughly with the hot oil. Place the pasta in serving bowls and top with the greens, pepper, capers, and goat cheese if using.

Serves 2 (with a little for leftovers)

Alison's Notes:
*The prosciutto wasn't in the original recipe but I thought it was a nice addition to this dish. Also, if you eliminated the prosciutto and the cheese it would be a nice vegan dish.