Name: Pasta with prosciutto, arugula and feta
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 8-ounces feta cheese (packed in brine); 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1 clove crushed garlic; A pinch of fresh thyme leaves (optional); 1 pound spaghetti or linguini; Kosher salt; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus extra for adding to pasta; 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced or put through a garlic press; The zest of 2 limes*; 3 tablespoons small capers, rinsed; 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 6 ounces sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/2-inch dice; 5-7 ounces arugula, leaves stacked and slivered (if using baby arugula, you can chop the leaves or just add them whole); 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice*; Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

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A simple pan sauce is the base of this elegant Pasta with Prosciutto, Arugula and Feta. Spaghetti is tossed in the pan with olive oil, garlic, arugula, lime juice, capers and prosciutto. But what really sets this dish apart the marinated feta! Marinate the feta ahead of time and your pasta can be ready in 15 minutes!

Plate topped with spaghetti twirled with arugula and prosciutto. Cubes of feta on top. Limes in the background and foreground.

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Why I love this recipe
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Why I love this recipe

This Pasta with prosciutto recipe is easy to throw together and it's definitely worthy of a special occasion. Made with top of-of-the-line ingredients and exciting flavors, this dish always brings excitement to the table.

Tangy lime juice, salty savory prosciutto, peppery arugula, rich creamy feta - all twirled with al dente spaghetti and so, so good!

Plate of spaghetti twirled with slivered prosciutto and arugula, and topped with cubes of marinated feta.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks: Donna Hay: Flavors. Hay calls this recipe "spaghetti with lime and rocket." Rocket is the same thing as arugula, just called by a different name.

If you're not familiar with Donna Hay, she's an Australian cookbook author and food stylist. I love her recipes - she uses simple, fresh ingredients and combines in the most wonderful ways.

How to make this

1 - Marinate The Feta

Whisk up a simple marinade of olive oil, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and thyme. Toss cubed feta with the mixture and marinate it for at least an hour or up to 3 days, in the fridge. Once the feta is marinated, this recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes!

Green plastic cutting board topped with cubes of feta, a garlic press, a bulb of garlic, sprigs of thyme and a small bowl of salt and crushed red pepper flakes.

2 - Slice the arugula into ribbons

The easiest way to do this is to arrange the leaves so they're all facing in one direction, and cut across them. Even better, if you have the patience, is to stack the leaves and slice the stack thinly, crosswise. If you're using baby arugula, just give it a rough chop.

3 - Prep the rest of the ingredients

Chop the prosciutto, zest the limes, mince the garlic, chop the jalapeño and rinse the capers.

wooden cutting board topped with a bunch of chopped prosciutto, two garlic cloves, a pile of small capers, a jalapeño, a chopped jalapeño, two zested limes and a small bowl of lime zest.

4 - Boil the pasta & make the pan sauce

While the pasta is boiling, heat up your skillet and sauté the garlic, lime zest, capers, jalapeños and prosciutto for 2-3 minutes.

Drain the pasta it and add it to the skillet and toss over the heat for a minute or two, until everything is combined and heated through. Add the lime juice and shredded arugula and toss well.

Cast iron skillet with sautéed prosciutto capers and garlic

Done!
Divide the pasta among serving plates and top with marinated feta and fresh ground pepper.

Other company-worthy pasta dishes to try:

Here's the pasta with prosciutto recipe. If you try this recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

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