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A simple, summery, and Creamy Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto. Great for nights when you’re craving cozy Italian and fresh summer flavors. This dish is made with fresh garden cherry tomatoes that are roasted with herbs and pureed into a creamy sauce with ricotta cheese. All together they make for the most vibrant and delicious summer pasta. Finish the dish off with parmesan cheese and crispy-salty prosciutto.
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Just like most people, I love a summer Caprese salad. It’s a summer classic. And when tomatoes are really at their peak, nice and juicy and sweet, it’s a delicious salad to enjoy almost daily.
But I have to admit, there are only so many tomato, basil, and mozzarella dishes I can enjoy before getting a little bored. Tomatoes can obviously be used throughout so many different recipes, so I’m trying to branch out and away from Caprese this season.
Instead, I’m trying to create more unique dishes, like tomato pastries, and plenty of Italian pasta.
Here are the steps to making this pasta
I tried to keep this as simple as possible, so don’t let the steps and cooking time throw you off. Promise this recipe is easy enough for a weeknight.
The heart of the pasta is really all in the roasted garlic tomato sauce. The herbs, cheese, and prosciutto just help make every bite really extra yummy.
My trick is to roast the tomatoes, garlic, and prosciutto together on the same sheet pan. As the tomatoes roast, the garlic caramelizes, and the prosciutto gets crispy.
Roast the tomatoes and garlic with lots of fresh thyme, rosemary, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
Arrange the prosciutto on top of the tomatoes, then roast everything until those tomatoes burst and the prosciutto is crispy. It doesn’t take too long.
If you don’t eat meat, you can easily omit the prosciutto to make this a vegetarian pasta. It’s going to be great either way.
Purée the tomatoes into a sauce
When the tomatoes have finished roasting, puree them with the garlic and ricotta cheese until smooth. You can do this in a food processor or blender.
Boil the pasta, but save some of the water for thinning the sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet with a little more fresh thyme. Next, add the tomato sauce, gouda cheese, the pasta, plus the reserved whole tomatoes. Toss everything together until it’s super creamy.
Finish with the prosciutto, and of course, I always add fresh basil. A wonderful easy pasta for these mid-summer days and even into the fall.
Looking for more summer recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Skillet Burst Cherry Tomato Summer Pasta with Lemony Breadcrumbs
One Pot Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Pasta
Pesto Chicken Saltimbocca with Burst Tomatoes and Burrata
Detroit Style Tomato Herb Pepperoni Pizza
Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 6-10 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 slices prosciutto, leave out if vegetarian
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 pound long or short cut pasta
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425° F.2. On a baking sheet, toss together the olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, 2 tablespoons thyme, rosemary, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Arrange the prosciutto on top of the tomatoes. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the prosciutto is crisp and the tomatoes are bursting. 3. Add 2/3's of the tomatoes, the garlic, and the ricotta to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain.5. In the same pot, melt together the butter and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Cook until the butter is browning, then add the tomato puree and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, stirring until combined. Melt in the gouda and parmesan.6. Add the pasta and remaining tomatoes to the sauce, tossing to combine. If needed, thin the sauce with a little of the reserved pasta cooking water.7. Divide the pasta between plates. Top with parmesan, prosciutto, and fresh basil. EAT and ENJOY.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I’ve somehow just come across your recipes and have tried a lot of them lately. They’ve ALL been keepers! But this one was especially amazing, as my whole family ate it and loved it, even my hard-to-please kids. Delicious and easy! Love what you’re doing and can’t wait to try more!
Hey Ashley,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving so many recipes a try, I really appreciate you making them! So glad your family enjoyed this one! xTieghan
Am I supposed to roast these with the skin still on? You didn’t peel them until after you roasted them but the recipe doesn’t say to do that…
Hi Sierra,
Yes, you can leave the skin on the garlic:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Am I supposes to eat the garlic skin?
Nope, I definitely wouldn’t recommend that:)
I made this last night and it was a crowd pleaser with my little family of 6, kids included <3
Hi Meghan,
Amazing!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback:)
I thought overall it was fine, but 3 cups of tomatoes didn’t appear to be nearly enough. The pasta was more white than red once incorporated in with the sauce. Do you know how much tomatoes to use by weight? I would like to try the recipe again, just don’t want to mess it up a second time.
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback. I do not know the exact weight of 3 cups of tomatoes, but if you feel like you need to use more next time then please do, it’s not going to ruin anything. I hope this helps! xx
Is there a reason you didn’t peel or smash your garlic cloves when you roasted them?
Might be so it does not burn while baking? I did not peel and it turned out perfect.
That’s why I’m confused.
Because the ingredients call for smashed garlic cloves and the skin mostly comes off when you smash garlic.
But in her pictures they are not smashed or peeled.
I’m just trying to figure out what she actually meant for us to do…
Hi Lenny,
Just leave the peel on and smash them, they will be just fine:)
So am I ever supposed to remove the skin or do you want me to eat them? Your recipe never says to remove them after roasting.
Hi Lenny,
Leaving them in the peel prevents the garlic from burning while in the oven:) When you smash them, the garlic will still caramelize. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
When I smash garlic the peels come off. How do I get the skin to stay on when I smash them prior to roasting as your instructions state?
Also you need to edit your recipe so it says to leave the peels on. And then in step 3 you need to add that that is when they should be peeled since that is what your pictures show you doing.
The incomplete recipe was confusing.
You must be smashing them pretty hard, mine stay in the peel for the most part, I would be a little more gentle:) And yes, you definitely want to remove the peel before blending them up!
No, not at all. When you the side of a knife onto garlic with even a small amount of force the skim splits and comes off…
This recipe is so good, Tieghan! The fresh tomatoes make an amazing sauce with the ricotta for a perfect dinner enjoyed by all. I made the recipe as written, and it was delicious (made a 2nd variation for my vegan daughter- the roasted, blistering tomatoes over pasta with navy beans and she loved it too!)
Hi Kirsten,
Happy Tuesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love that you enjoyed the dish! Thanks for your review:) xx
I really enjoyed this dish. It was nice and simple for a lovely week night dinner. The sauce was very tasty with that ricotta and Gouda… then top anything with crispy prosciutto and I’m sold. Husband gave it a 100. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Marisa,
Amazing!! Thanks so making this recipe:) I am so glad that both you and your husband enjoyed the pasta! xxT
Absolutely delicious and so pretty. Yum yum yum. Wow!!!! Also fun to make.
Hi Laurie!
Perfect! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making the dish! xTieghan
Made tonight with a few substitutions – had to use up bacon instead of prosciutto but it was (chefs kiss)
Husband went for seconds!
Hi Lauren,
I am so glad both you and your husband enjoyed this recipe, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
SO good!
I am vegetarian so left off the prosciutto…and only had smoked gouda so used that, but it was so delicious!
Served a piece of baked fish over it for my husband. He LOVED this one!!
If I wanted to cut down on the pasta do you think adding some roasted cauliflower would work?
Hey Monika,
Sure, I think that would be delicious! I hope you love the pasta, let me know how it turns out! xx
Hi Linda,
Amazing! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Holy moly soooo yummy! The sauce is so good! And the prosciutto was such a good touch!
Hi Andrea,
Fantastic! Thanks for your comment and trying the recipe:) I am so glad it was enjoyed! xxT
Amazing! So easy to make. I usually do prep, but I didn’t do any for this and it’s absolutely a 45 minute or less meal. And it’s so good—trying not to scarf it!!
Side note: I used rigatoni for the pasta.
Hey Erin,
Fantastic! Thanks for your comment and trying the recipe:) I am so glad it was enjoyed! xxT
As mentioned previously, the link for short or long cut pasta is for linguine which I don’t think you used. Your reply states Dilanti. Is that really a pasta (google can’t find it). Looks like rigatoni…OR did you mean Ditalini? Just making my grocery list so I want to be sure..
Hi Carolyn,
Sure, I guess it was ditalini, like I stated before it was a super random find at Whole Foods which is way the exact shape is not linked. You can really use any pasta shape you like here:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
Hi Tieghan, would you happen to remember the brand of pasta? This cut looks so good and fresh!
Sorry, I found it at Whole Foods, it was totally random, but it’s a Ditalini shape!
It looks to me like a Mezzi Rigatoni or a Paccheri cut
I made this last night and it was a big hit! I used 3 pints of cherry tomatoes and next time I might increase that to 4 pints so I can have more of the burst tomatoes after making the sauce. For serving, I rough cut the prosciutto, fresh basil and shaved parm. So pretty and so delicious!
Hi Kristen,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out and sharing your review:)
Made this for dinner tonight. Was fabulous. Husband said it was one of the best things I’ve made and to add it to my “rotation”.
Hi Amy,
Happy Saturday! I am so glad this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) xTieghan