Lemon, Prosciutto, and Pea Fettuccine
This Lemon, Prosciutto, and Pea Fettuccine recipe brings together everything you’d ever want in a pasta recipe! It’s quick to make and requires a minimal amount of ingredients – making it perfect for a busy weeknight supper. The base of this recipe starts with savory, salty prosciutto that is fried up alongside uber-flavorful chopped shallots. Fresh heavy cream is poured over top of the fried prosciutto and shallots, and cooked down a bit to create a sauce that is velvety and has that perfect nappe consistency. Frozen peas are thrown in to provide a separate textural component, that also brings a delicate sweetness to the fettuccine recipe. And of course we cannot forget the star of the dish: the lemon! The flavor of lemon is imparted two ways in this pasta recipe: through the lemon juice and the extra-aromatic zest, making it pleasing to both the tongue and the nose. Throw this savory fragrant sauce over top of some thick ribbons of fettuccine, and of course of good sprinkling of parmesan, to create a simple but satisfying dish!
Adapted from Martha Stewart
I adapted this Lemon fettuccine recipe from one I found on Martha Stewart’s website a few years ago. Her originally recipe, however, called for only frying the shallots. After frying the shallots, you would add the cream, peas, and ‘raw’ prosciutto (it’s not technically raw, but the texture mimics that of uncooked bacon). I thought this way of making this Lemon, Prosciutto, and Pea Fettuccine recipe to be really inferior.
First, I do not enjoy the texture of prosciutto before it is cooked. I find that it is slimy and can sometimes even be stringy – just not my cup of tea. As well, although the prosciutto is cured and is quite salty and savory uncooked, cooking it really boosts the flavor further. When the prosciutto fries, it undergoes what is called the Maillard Reaction. The Maillard Reaction is basically a chemical reaction that occurs in food when it cooks and browns. This reaction essentially takes the flavor from meh to WOW! Think of a steak – it’s the browning that gives it all its flavor, without it the steak is rather flavorless. So by changing that one simple step, this pasta recipe was really taken from 0 to 100.
Furthermore, in this lemon and prosciutto fettuccine recipe, I also changed the amount of peas added, as the original recipe was swimming in peas. Seriously, I love peas but it was too much!
15 Minute Meal
We all love a quick recipe, right?! Nothing is better on a busy weeknight evening to have a recipe that requires minimal prep work, and is done within 15 minutes! This Lemon and Prosciutto Fettuccine recipe is just that! The cook time is between 10-15 minutes! It can’t get much better than that!
What is Prosciutto and How to Slice it
Prosciutto is a dry-cured Italian ham. It is a fatty cut of meat, that is also salty and quite savory. It is typically sliced extremely thinly in long slices similar to bacon. Prosciutto can typically be found in almost any grocery store at the deli, and some even carry pre-sliced packages!
To properly prepare the prosciutto for the recipe, the best way to cut it is to actually freeze it before hand for about 20 minutes. Simply stack the slices up and place them into the freezer for 20 minutes. Remove them from the freezer and cut the pieces crosswise, thereby creating little 2” by ½” strips. Try to separate the pieces as best as you can when putting them into the pan – however it does not need to be perfect and it will be inevitable that some pieces just want to stick together.
Making the Lemon, Prosciutto, and Pea Fettuccine
Making the sauce for this lemon and prosciutto fettuccine is really quite simple. We start by frying the prosciutto and shallots together in butter. Once the shallots are soft and turning golden, and the prosciutto begins to crisp and turn golden (we don’t want it too crispy – it is ready right when it begins to turn golden), we add in the cream and the peas.
Cook the sauce down until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon – this should be about 3 to 4 minutes. Now, we quickly stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest, and then throw on the cooked fettuccine. Throw on the parmesan cheese and give the whole thing a good tossing. Then we slowly add some liquid gold – i.e. the pasta water! The pasta water acts to bind the sauce with the cooked pasta, thereby creating a uniform pasta! We want to add just enough so that the sauce is thick enough to coat the noodles, ensuring that the pasta does not become too watery. And there you have it, delicious ribbons of fettuccine blanketed in a creamy lemon prosciutto sauce!
Try to Have Pasta and Sauce Done at the Same Time
As an aside, it is important to look at your pasta box’s suggested cooking time, and decide from there when to start the pasta. The goal is to have the pasta be done at the exact same time as the sauce. That being said, if they are not done at the same time, it is better for your sauce to be done first. The sauce can sit for a few minutes on low, while if the pasta sits it will continue to cook and will quickly become overcooked and mushy. Pasta cooking time can range from 3 minutes all the way up to 15, so it is important to gauge when to start it in contrast to your sauce. This lemon and prosciutto cream sauce’s cooking time is approximately 10 minutes.
Substitutions and Variations
• If you do not have prosciutto, pancetta or bacon could work as well. As well, deli ham could work in a pinch. For a non-pork substitute, you may be able to find duck prosciutto at some stores.
◦ Any long variety of pasta will work wonderfully in this dish. As well, I even enjoy it with rigatoni or penne too!
• If you need to substitute the peas, you can substitute them out for fava beans, lima beans, or even asparagus, or you could just leave them out if you wish.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Prosciutto and Peas Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340g) Fettuccine
- 1 cup Reserved Pasta Water
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 Large Shallot,, Finely Chopped
- 8 Slices of Prosciutto,, sliced crosswise to create about 2” by ½” strips
- 2/3 cup Heavy Cream
- 2/3 cup Frozen Peas
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon
- 1/2 cup Finely Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Salt & Pepper,, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, then turn to medium-high heat. Add fettuccine into the pot and cook according to box time. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and then drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, in a large frying pan add butter and melt over medium heat. Add prosciutto and shallots, and cook until shallots are soft and turning golden, and prosciutto just begins to turn crispy, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the cream and peas, and bring to a bubble. Simmer the sauce for about 3-4 minutes, or until it has thickened a bit (should coat the back of a spoon). Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest, and quickly stir to combine. (Sauce time = 10 minutes)
- Add cooked fettuccine to the pan, and toss to combine with the sauce. Sprinkle the parmesan over top of the pasta, and toss to combine. Add just enough pasta water, in small additions, until the sauce looks smooth and glossy, and coats the noodles well. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with extra shredded parmesan.
Notes
The goal is to have the pasta and the sauce to finish at the same time.
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart
Related Recipes
Craving more pasta? Try my CREAMY ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND SHELLS, STEWED TOMATOES, PANCETTA, AND PAPPARDELLE PASTA, or ONE-POT HOMEMADE HAMBURGER HELPER
