Arugula Pesto Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto & Bocconcini

Eating seasonly is wonderful, especially when you have a garden and this Arugula Pesto Pasta is a delicious way to use that fresh arugula in season! If you love a regular pesto, then you will love this. It is similar in flavor but a bit lighter and nuttier. It’s perfect!

One of the main reasons I plant both basil and arugula in my garden is for fresh pesto. It is such a simple sauce that you can make to use for pastas, pizzas, and sandwiches. While all pestos are delicious arugula may just be my favorite. It is light, vibrant and full of flavor. You will want to add it to everything!

To make this arugula pesto pasta, you start with homemade pasta. I use my sourdough pasta recipe but use any pasta recipe you like. Then you grill up some chicken until juicy and tender. Next, add all the pesto ingredients together and blend until smooth. Toss that beautiful pesto over the homemade pasta, along with some crispy prosciutto, bocconcini, and the grilled chicken.

I love making this pasta because you can make the pesto in advance, then just throw it all together before serving. You can also make a double or triple batch of it and store the pesto in ice cube trays in your freezer. This way your beautiful garden harvest doesn’t go to waste and you can enjoy homemade pesto anytime. I hope you try this one, because it is absolutely incredible!

Tips for Making Arugula Pesto Pasta

1. When making your homemade pasta, you want to knead it until it is nice and smooth. No matter what pasta recipe you use, you want to knead it for at least 5-10 minutes.
2. For the pesto, I think it turns out best if you blend everything together first except the parmesan. Then you can add the parmesan and just blend it slightly you get little pieces of parmesan throughout.
3. If you like a bit of a saucier pasta, always reserve a bit of the pasta water before straining the noodles. Then once you stir the pesto into the pasta, you can add in some of that pasta water to loosen it up and give you a nice sauce that sticks to the pasta.

Arugula Pesto Pasta With Prosciutto & Bocconcini Ingredients

Homemade Pasta– You can do regular or my sourdough pasta. It is just flour, eggs and then sourdough discard if you choose to use it!

Arugula- Use home-grown or store bought. Whichever you have.

Basil– I like to include just a hint of basil for a little extra flavor.

Parmesan– This is essential for pesto. Use freshly grated.

Olive Oil- A good quality olive oil, will give you the best flavor in your pesto.

Lemon– Fresh lemon juice adds a beautiful acidity and freshness to the sauce.

Walnuts– I love the combo of these with the arugula but you can also use pine nuts.

Garlic– Fresh garlic is always best.

Prosciutto– If you don’t care for prosciutto you could sub with bacon.

Bocconcini– These are small balls of fresh mozzarella cheese.

Chicken– We like grilled chicken thighs with this pasta, but chicken breasts work too.

The Steps

1. Start by heating your grill to 400-425F.
2. Season the chicken on both sides with Italian seasoning then place on the grill.
3. While the chicken cooks, add the arugula, basil, garlic, lemon juice, toasted walnuts and olive oil to a large jar with a hand held blender or to a food processor.
4. Blend until mostly smooth, then add in the parmesan and some salt and pepper.
5. Blend for just a few seconds to get the cheese incorporated. Taste the pesto, then add any more salt if needed. Set aside.
6. Finally, boil the pasta in salted water until tender.
7. Reserve 1/2 a cup of the pasta water for later then strain the pasta, and add it back to the pot.
8. Take the pesto sauce and toss it over the hot pasta, adding in a bit of the reserved pasta and stiring until you have your desired sauce consistency. If you like it a bit more saucy, add in more of the pasta water.
9. Serve the pasta in bowls, topped with some of the crispy prosciutto, a few bocconcini, and some of the grilled chicken. Enjoy!

If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment or a recipe review below!

Looking for more delicious pasta recipes to try this Summer?

https://cmbarndominium.com/easy-flavourful-cowboy-butter-steak-pasta/

https://cmbarndominium.com/simple-and-delicious-roasted-red-pepper-burrata-pasta/

https://cmbarndominium.com/fresh-lemon-asparagus-sourdough-pasta-salad/