Orecchiette pasta with Zucchini and Speck
A delicious combination of summer vegetables, smoked cured ham from Northern Italy and orecchiette pasta from Southern Italy. It’s easy to make and can be eaten tepid or cold as a salad
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta with Zucchini and Speck
Servings: 4
Calories: 596kcal
- 2-3 zucchini depending on size
- 150 g speck or pancetta slices or in one piece
- 320 g orecchiette pasta preferrably fresh
- 1 onion
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes
- 50 g parmesan grated
- 2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6-8 basil leaves
- salt for cooking pasta and to season
- black pepper to season
Slice the onion thinly, cut the zucchini into small strips, half the tomatoes, chop the basil and cut the speck into small pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet and add the onion. When the onion starts to soften add the zucchini strips and, after a few minutes, the chopped speck.
Let the ingredients cook until the speck and zucchini start to brown a little then add the halved tomatoes and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes.
Before the sauce is ready, add salt and pepper to taste and the chopped basil. Set the sauce aside or let it simmer on low.
Cook the pasta al dente in boiling salted water. Save a cup of the pasta cooking water. Strain the orecchiette and add them to the frying pan.
Mix everything together and continue cooking for a couple minutes. If the sauce is too dry add some of the pasta cooking water.
Serve with grated parmesan or grana cheese and a little more olive oil is desired.
This dish can be eaten as a salad and is still delicious the next day if kept covered in the fridge.
For readers in US, I know that Italian speck from the South Tirol can be bought online from SupermarketItaly.com
Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 618mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 464IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 2mg