So, Napolitana pasta, also known as Napoli pasta. It is a very simple and easy Italian pasta, so I thought it would be a good idea add a cool element that would take it up a notch. And I am not exaggerating when I say take it up only by a notch. The simplicity of Napolitana is what makes it so great, so it is important not to over-complicate the dish. I thought the crispy prosciutto (or as other people like to call it, parma ham) would end up overpowering the flavour of the pasta by being too salty. But it works really well with the light angel hair pasta.
I love cooking with angel hair pasta or spaghettini because they both cook so quickly due to how thin they are, making it easier to cook up a quick dinner. Angel hair also has a lovely delicate texture. However, any pasta is brilliant with Napolitana sauce.
Many people love to serve pasta by just putting the plain pasta in a bowl, then spoon the sauce over the top. This is fine, but I just think that when you have every last bit of pasta coated and tossed in that sauce before serving, it is much more pleasurable to eat. This is something I have learnt from a number of chefs. Remember I said to coat the pasta in the sauce, not drench it.
Thank you all for reading this post. If you ever want a quick dinner, then this pasta dish is fantastic. Subscribe if you haven’t already and have a wonderful day.
Angel Hair Napolitana
A classic pasta dish that is stepped up a notch.
Ingredients
- 300 g of angel hair pasta
- 400 g of tinned crushed tomatoes
- 100 g of prosciutto
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano leaves picked
- 100 g of pimento olives quartered
- 30 g of Parmesan grated
- Salt for seasoning
- Black cracked pepper for seasoning
- A pinch of sugar for seasoning
Instructions
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Get approximately 5 litres of water in a pot, add about 2 teaspoons of salt then bring the salted water to the boil.
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Add your angel hair pasta to the boiling water and then cook for about 4 minutes until cooked al dente, stirring every 1-2 minutes. Just before you drain that pasta, take a cup, then scoop out some of the pasta water. That pasta water may be useful later. Drain the pasta then set aside.
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Get a large frying pan or a pot on medium heat then add a touch of olive oil. Add your prosciutto and fry on each side for 1-2 minutes until nice and crispy. Transfer the prosciutto on kitchen paper to drain.
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Add the garlic to the same pot/pan and fry for 30 seconds to a minute (make sure the garlic doesn't burn). Then add the tinned tomatoes with a swig (approximately 100ml) of water. Bring the sauce to a boil, once boiling turn the heat down and simmer for about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with a pinch of salt, black cracked pepper and sugar. Turn the heat down nice and low at this point.
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Add your cooked angel hair pasta to the sauce and then stir/toss through. Make sure all of that pasta is coated in the sauce. If the pasta is sticking together, add some of the pasta water you scooped out earlier. Once you are happy with your pasta, turn the heat off.
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Get your prosciutto on a board and then tear it into small shards. Add the prosciutto, your olives, fresh basil and oregano to the pasta and stir through one last time.
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Top the pasta with the grated Parmesan then serve.
Recipe Notes
- Prosciutto can burn and blacken quite easily so keep an eye on it when you pan fry it.
What a lovely simple bowl of pasta.
Thank you!! (:
Hi Nick– This looks simply mouthwatering! Angel Hair is my favorite pasta and you’ve made it look so rich and savory! And your photos are stunning. thanks!
Thank you very much! keep up the good work (:
Good posts, beautiful blog.
Congratulations.
Welcome to see my creations:
paintdigi.com
Thanks really appreciate it, your blog has lot of great, interesting content as well (:
Thanks & welcome, my friend 🙂
I love cooking with angel hair, too, but I haven’t made anything like this. Sounds amazing!
Thank you! Really appreciate it (:
yuuuuuuuum
Thank you very much (:
That looks really yummy! Can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks! Really hope you like it (:
Iust saw your latest pasta post and this one caught my attention the most! It looks very delicious and simple to make. I am gonna try making this soon 🙂
Thanks so much!! Really appreciate the comment and I hope you like the recipe (:
Made this for dinner last night and had smiling faces all around the dinner table! Delicious!
Terrific lighting in your photos. I love a quick pasta dish like this with salty flavors. Yum!
Oh my goodness, I could eat this up right now! This is going on this week’s meal plan right now.
The name of the recipe alone made my mouth water, what a simple elegant summer meal!
Omg I am so happy!! Thank you so much for the feedback!! (:
I am so happy you like it Jill!!
Thank you so much Sue!! You made my day with this comment (: