A quick and easy carbonara sauce with a little pesto goes a long way! Add a little prosciutto on top and you've got a delicious meal. This pesto carbonara with crispy prosciutto is exceptionally good and comes together in under 30 minutes!
Loving pasta right now? Try this Kale Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Shells recipe and this Pumpkin Carbonara Lasagna with Pancetta!
I love this recipe because it's not only flavorful, but it's quick. With being a new mom, I need meals that are quick and easy and don't require too many steps. This pesto carbonara with crispy prosciutto is just that. Good, easy, and comes together in under 30 minutes.
It merges a carbonara sauce with pesto which makes a delicious a pairing. Add a little crispy prosciutto and whoa, you've got this super impressive meal at the blink of an eye. And honestly, after the holidays and all of the cooking I did - I could use an easy recipe for the rotation this week.
what is carbonara?
Carbonara is an Italian dish that consists of egg, salt and pepper, parmigiano reggiano cheese and or pecorino cheese, and guanciale. It tastes very smooth, a bit salty, and subtly cheesy.
This recipe for pesto carbonara with crispy prosciutto is not the traditional carbonara, however, it has several components of a traditional sauce with a bit of a twist. For the carbonara sauce used in this recipe, I used parmesan and asiago. Also, because I couldn't find guanciale, I used prosciutto. All of the ingredients come together exceptionally well and I'm so excited for you to try this recipe!
how do you make pesto carbonara with crispy prosciutto?
First crisp up the prosciutto in the oven by adding it to a baking sheet and putting in the oven for 6-7 minutes.
Whisk together egg yolks, cheese, pesto, thyme, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. and Boil the pasta (I used bucatini, but you can use spaghetti), reserve about a ½ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Add pasta to the pesto carbonara sauce and ensure the noodles are coated in the sauce. (the heat from the pasta will cook the sauce)
Break apart the prosciutto into pieces and sprinkle on top of the pasta.
what type of pesto do i need?
For this pesto carbonara with crispy prosciutto recipe, I used Barilla's Pesto. If you'd like to make your own, you of course can. However, for the sake of time, I used an already prepared pesto.
what type of pasta should i use for pesto carbonara with crispy prosciutto?
I would recommend using long pasta such as spaghetti, angel hair, bucatini etc. The carbonara sauce hugs this pasta shape extremely well making for deliciousness in every bite.
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Let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! Also, if you decide to make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below! Tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can see your creations! I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do!
Pesto Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 7-8 slices Prosciutto
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 ½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan, additional for topping
- ½ cup Asiago, grated , additional for topping
- 4 tbsps Pesto
- 1 tbsp Thyme, fresh, additional for topping
- Salt and Pepper, as desired
- 1 lb Bucatini
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add prosciutto to a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 6-7 minutes. Set aside.
- Make the pesto carbonara - In a large bowl, combine egg, egg yolks, Parmesan, pesto, thyme, and Asiago cheese. Whisk together vigorously until bubbly and all ingredients are mixed together, about 30-45 seconds. Generously season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook Bucatini according to package instructions. Save ½ cup of pasta water and drain pasta (do not rinse the pasta). Add Pasta to the pesto carbonara and toss together. If you'd like to thin out the sauce, add pasta water, one tablespoon at a time. This is optional, you do not have to add any pasta water if you like the consistency.
- Break the prosciutto into pieces with your hands and add on top of the pasta. Top with additional thyme, parmesan, and Asaigo cheese.
had this for dinner yesterday. you can't beat it. Easy, delicious, and the crispy prosciutto on top seals the deal
So glad to hear that! Thank you!