Penne, Portabella and Prosciutto

I thought up this dish the other day.  Later this week I will be trying a new recipe that calls for Prosciutto; I knew I would have extra so I was trying to think of another way to use it up.  This recipe was inspired by The Pioneer Woman's Portobello-Prosciutto Burgers, but I wanted to make pasta dish.....so here goes....

The Suspects: Penne, Prosciutto, Portabella's, fresh basil, red onion, garlic & diced tomatoes.

I also used salt & pepper, red chili pepper and olive oil (to be shown later).

First, mince the garlic, slice the onions & chop the portabellas...

Then, heat up your pan (I used a 13 inch skillet with a lid), once hot, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

I added the portabella's first...

....then the onions & garlic....

...add some salt & pepper and red chile pepper....

...I cooked this on medium heat for a bit, then added the whole can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)...

...put a lid on it and let it simmer at a low heat while you do other stuff.

Like, start your water boiling...

(Note - I probably should have done this earlier, like before I sauteed the vegetables, but I was busy taking pictures and playing with all my new kitchen stuff from the wedding!)



Oops!  Can't forget about the prosciutto!  I cut it in strips (horizontally) and added it to the sauce.

Now put the lid on and let it simmer at low heat while you do some more other stuff.

Like, slice up some fresh basil (love that smell!)

Once your water is boiling, add the pasta...

(I used the whole bag, I'm Italian, I don't know how to cook "small")

Once your pasta is just about done, add the fresh basil to the sauce...

(when I type "sauce" I hear it in my head as "swuaas", can't help it)

YUM!

Once your pasta is done, drain it. 

Now, I usually rinse my pasta in HOT water to remove the starch and keep the pasta from sticking.  Mr. O (The Cyclist) swears that putting olive oil in the boiling water solves this, but I disagree.  I hate it when the pasta sticks in clumps so I'm a firm believer in my rinsing method.  However, I did not rinse the penne, it wasn't sticking and we were hungry.  It took a little longer than anticipated to make this because I waited too long to start boiling the water.

So, plate the pasta in your pasta bowl first, then add some swuaas to the top and a little grated Parmesan if you have it....

...and Viola!

Reviews:  Mr. O & I thought this was good.  At first Mr. O suggested I add a little spice, but as we ate this the spiciness kicked in.  The portabella's tasted great!  The Prosciutto gave a little added meatiness without making it a heavy, meaty sauce which is no good in the middle of a hot summer.  I think this is a swuaas that the longer it simmers the more flavor it will have, so maybe it was good that I accidentally delayed on boiling the water.  We eat a lot of pasta so I am always looking for ways to make it a little different, this is probably something I'll make again.

I have posted the full recipe at Tasty Kitchen Penne, Portabella, Prosciutto