A delicious lemon pasta, with prosciutto and poppy seeds, that's just a little bit different from the usual.
A quick and easy pasta dish, this Poppy Seed Prosciutto and Lemon Pasta, is just a little different, with the addition of toasted poppy seeds. along with prosciutto. The buttermilk added to the sauce adds great flavour and keeps the calories in check, too.
I'm always drawn to recipes that offer me something new, either in technique or flavours. This pasta recipe intrigued me with the addition of poppy seeds, along with prosciutto and lemon. It turned out to be excellent and I'll definitely be making this again. It was a quick and easy dinner, too!
If you're like me, you most often think of the lemon/poppy seed combination in sweet dishes. But I know I love lemon with pasta and prosciutto is always good. I wondered what the poppy seeds would bring to the mix. The result was very subtle and except for the necessity of a good flossing afterwards, was really nice.
The other interesting ingredient in this recipe is buttermilk, which added a slight tang to the sauce. I liked it! As for the heavy cream, I often have people asking if they can substitute. Recipes often call for heavy cream when combined with acidic ingredients like lemon or wine (or both), because it's high fat content prevents it from "breaking". You can certainly use a lower fat cream, but do understand that it may break or become a little grainy. I imagine if you're a buttermilk lover (my husband drinks the stuff by the glass!), you could also just use all buttermilk.
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My Three Top Tips for Delicious Pasta Dishes
My pasta dish cooking technique has evolved over the years, to include a couple of techniques that I think produce the most satisfying pasta dishes ...
1. Be sure to generously salt your pasta cooking water, to bring lots of flavour to your finished dish. It's adequately salted when it "tastes like the ocean".
2. Rather than draining pasta in the sink, I scoop the cooked pasta right out of the boiling water with a spider strainer (or tongs, for long pasta) and put it directly into the hot sauce. Adding hot pasta to the sauce helps the pasta to absorb the flavours of the sauce more easily. It also allows for having the pasta-cooking water handy, in case you need to add some to thin your pasta sauce. Be sure to still drain the pasta well in the spoon before adding to the pasta, to avoid watering down your sauce.
3. I always cook the pasta with the sauce in a hot skillet (or saucepan) for several minutes before serving. I've found that the perfect pasta dish needs to come together in a hot pan first, not in the serving bowl.
Simply add the hot pasta to the hot sauce and cook, stirring, for just a couple of minutes. Take the time to taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, as needed, as well. If you sauce thickens or tightens up during this last short cooking, add a splash of your pasta cooking water to loosen it up.
To make sure I don't dirty another pan, I always start my sauce in a large enough skillet or pot so that it will comfortably hold my cooked pasta as well, when it is cooked and ready to be added to the pot.
Bonus Tip! For tomato-heavy sauces, stirring a small pat of butter into the tomato sauce at the end of cooking tempers the acidity in the sauce and rounds out the flavours.
Lemon Pasta with Poppy Seeds and Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallots, thinly sliced or red onion
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz tagliatelle or fettuccine, or other long pasta
- 1 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced (2 slices)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated, plus more to garnish
- 2 green onions, cut in to 1/2-inch slices
- Juice of 1/2 lemon , plus slices to serve
Instructions
- Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the poppy seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant and shallots begin to brown lightly, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add buttermilk and cream. Cook, stirring, until reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add pasta to sauce in skillet. Add prosciutto, Parmesan, half the green onions and lemon juice. Toss to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta water if necessary to make a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with remaining scallions and more Parmesan.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
Kristie says
We have made this recipe several times. Tonight and served it with grilled shrimp -- olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper - the shrimp with the lemon was delicious! We love all of your recipes! Thanks for sharing and keeping our dinner table happy!
Jennifer says
Hi Kristie and thanks :) So glad you are enjoying this and sounds perfect with grilled shrimp. I often pair with grilled chicken, but not yet with shrimp, so I'll be trying that!
Liza says
Hi, I made this for dinner tonight using buttermilk made with lemon. The taste and the texture of the dish were amazing. I served it with a mushroom asparagus dish and your caesar bread. All your recipes I have made are excellent. Thanks.
Jennifer says
Sounds like a perfect meal! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Liza says
Hi, Could you use buttermilk made with milk and vinegar?
Thanks,
Liza
Jennifer says
Hi Liza and yes, you can. If you have lemon juice, that might be the better of the two options, as that bit of lemon flavour would go nicely with the pasta.
Alexandra @ Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker says
Such a gorgeous dish! I can only imagine all the flavors loaded into this pasta are amazing!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Alexandra :)
Julia@Vikalinka says
I can definitely relate, Jennifer. I love to experiment and especially when they turn out as gorgeous as your pasta! Lovely!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Julia :)
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love this pasta, what a perfect weeknight meal!
Jennifer says
Thanks Laura. It comes together really quickly, which is always good :)
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
Be still my heart! This is going to happen in my kitchen today!!! I love that you used buttermilk in this cream sauce, I didn't know that it doesn't curdle with lemon, I'm so glad to know that because I love super lemony creamy sauces, but hate the calories. Beautiful recipe Jennifer :)
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Sue :)
Sophie says
Buttermilk! Poppy seeds! This is so unusual and sounds so delicious. I love the brightness lemon brings to winters :)
Jennifer says
Thanks Sophie :) I really enjoyed it. A great combination of flavours!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
Mmm, this pasta seems like a perfect transition into spring dish. Not that the weather is transitioning at all... More like this is exactly what I'm craving. Pinned!
Jennifer says
Thanks Sarah and yes, I find myself moving ever so slightly in that direction. Even though the weather isn't ;)