Prosciutto Pasta Toss

Yum! There is something about this dish that is mildly addictive--we can never seem to eat enough of it! Usually with pasta I can never eat more than one serving, but I have to be careful with this one or I'll keep going back for more and more... Dangerous! I adapted this recipe to our family's needs and likes--I changed the pasta from linguine to penne and halved the amount of the pepper. We also just put Parmesan cheese on our individual servings since Autumn can't eat it and Jackson doesn't really like it. Autumn had something like three servings of this (although she mostly just ate the pasta) and Jackson ate some of his, which is good for him.

This one is definitely a keeper for us--it's easy and fast and good.

Prosciutto Pasta Toss
(adapted from the Simple & Delicious April 2007 magazine)

1 pkg. (16 oz.) penne pasta (we actually mix half normal with half whole wheat pasta)
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 T. minced garlic
1 T. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto or deli ham, chopped (we've never tried it with prosciutto, just thin deli ham, which works great)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Cook penne according to pasta directions, adding peas during the last 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper in oil for 2-3 minutes or until garlic is tender. (If you burn the garlic you gotta start over, so watch the heat and make sure you don't cook it too hot too fast!) Stir in prosciutto.
2. Drain penne. In a large bowl, toss to coat with the oil mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6 servings.

I served this with a side salad.

Dinnertime memory: Usually when I make a salad for our veggie with our dinner, I give the kids carrot sticks. Autumn will sometimes eat hers and Jackson will rarely eat his, but I keep trying. Tonight Jackson noticed some cut up carrots in the salad bowl with the salad and threw his carrot stick across the table into the bowl. We were all surprised to see it actually land in the salad and Jackson said, "Whoa!" and was quite pleased with himself. We had to enforce our "no throwing food" rule, but we were actually quite impressed as well.