orcchiette with prosciutto and parmesan.

5 ingredients.

There are 5 ingredients in this recipe.  Can you even handle it?

Sometimes the recipes that are the most flavorful are those that are the simplest.  This is one of those recipes. We’re talking pasta with butter, prosciutto, salt and cheese.  Holy moly.  I served this the first night we visited my parents in their new house and after we all took the first bite we looked around at each other like maybe we had won the lottery or something.

Anyway, I dunno, I like these kinds of straight-forward recipes.  They’re easy, they’re good, and they’re inexpensive!  3 things I’m totally down with, as you probably know if you’ve read more than one post on this little blog.

So let’s recap:

• 5 ingredients
• on the table in about 20 minutes
• kid-friendly
• estimated cost of $1.02 per serving
• mind-blowingly good

Ready, set, go!

Orcchiette with Prosciutto and Parmesan

(adapted from Orangette- serves 6)

What You’ll Need:

4-6 ounces prosciutto

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

sea salt

1 pound orcchiette pasta*

freshly grated parmesan, asiago or pecorino cheese

*to make gluten-free or whole wheat, substitute brown rice or whole wheat penne

Instructions:

Bring a large bowl of water to boil over medium heat.

Cut prosciutto into narrow strips – about 1/2 inch wide by 1 inch long.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium until melted.  Add the prosciutto and a pinch of salt.  Cook until the prosciutto has lost its color, but not long enough for it to brown, about 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

When the water boils, cook pasta to al dente, stirring regularly so that the orcchiette don’t stick together.  Drain, leaving a little pasta water in with the pasta so that the final dish is coated with a little moisture.  Combine the pasta in with the prosciutto and butter and toss well for avoid sticky orcchiette.  Grate a little cheese on top, then toss.  Serve, topped with a little more grated cheese.

TOTAL:  $6.10 or $1.02 per serving

Nutrition:

321 calories per serving

10 grams of fat

42 carbs

15 grams protein

Did you give it a try?  Leave me a comment below or head over to Facebook and let me know what you think!