5-ingredient creamy orecchiette with peas and crispy Parma ham
"This 20-minute, 5-ingredient dinner still feels a little fancy. This weekday friendly pasta combines orecchiette in a creamy sauce with sweet, springy peas (I personally find the way the peas get caught in the little pasta ears to be frankly adorable) and Parma ham (make sure to buy one that is edged with fat) that’s been crisped up in a pan. I wouldn’t usually add scallions to pasta—but here they add a real “spring” to your proverbial step! You can take this basic recipe further by adding your favorite spring herbs, lemon zest, and deglazing the pan with a little white wine before adding the crème fraîche!"
Difficulty
Easy 👌Preparation
Baking
Resting
Ingredients
Utensils
large pot, cutting board, knife, fine grater, colander, frying pan, spatula, plate, paper towels
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How-To Videos
How to grate cheese
How to prepare garlic
How to cook pasta
Nutrition per serving
Step 1/3
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 scallions (for serving)
- Parmesan cheese (for serving)
- large pot
- cutting board
- knife
- fine grater
Set a large pot over high heat for the pasta. Thinly slice garlic and scallions. Finely grate Parmesan cheese.
Step 2/3
- 200 g orecchiette
- 150 g peas
- 3 slices Prosciutto di Parma
- olive oil
- salt
- colander
- frying pan
- spatula
- plate
- paper towels
Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Approx 2 min. before the end of cooking time, add the peas. Once the peas are warmed through, reserve a large mug of pasta water then drain the pasta and peas in a colander. While the pasta is cooking, add slices of Parma ham to a cold pan. Heat over medium heat until crisp on one side, then flip and repeat. If your Parma ham is quite lean, add a little olive oil to help crisp it up. Remove ham once crispy and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 3/3
- olive oil
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- pepper
Add a little olive oil to the same pan used for the ham and fry the garlic until almost golden, over medium heat, approx. 2 min. Add pasta and peas into the pan, followed by crème fraîche. Toss well until you have a silky sauce, adding some pasta water to help coat the pasta. Season generously with pepper. Once off the heat, add a generous amount of grated Parmesan on top and stir though. Serve in bowls and break pieces of crispy Parma ham over the top, garnishing with scallions and extra Parmesan, if desired. Enjoy!
Enjoy your meal!
