This prosciutto melon pasta salad turns a classic sweet and salty appetizer into a fully rounded side dish with pasta, arugula and bocconcini cheese that are dressed with a lemon basil vinaigrette.
I'm really excited to share this salad with you today!
It is the perfect example of my favourite kind of dish - one with simple fresh ingredients and zero fuss that turns out a delicious plate of food.
The stars of this salad are prosciutto and cantaloupe, a classic Italian pairing. The saltiness of the prosciutto is such a nice compliment to the sweetness of the ripe melon.
Aside from the dressing (which is made from pantry ingredients), this salad calls for only 6 easy to find ingredients:
- Prosciutto
- Cantaloupe
- Farfalle pasta
- arugula
- bocconcini cheese
- red onion
The next best thing about it? To put it together it takes less than 15 minutes - and most of that time is cooking the pasta.
How to make it
Cook the pasta according to package directions. farfalle is what I used, but you could also use other short pasta like penne or rotini.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper to a mason jar and give it a good shake. I forgot to add my basil before I took this picture.... oops!
Slice the prosciutto and red onion and either ball or cut the melon into bite sized pieces.
Add everything to a large salad bowl then toss together with the dressing.
Serve garnished with a bit of grated parmesan like I did if you also love adding a bit of parm to everything.
If you are looking for an easy and delicious main dish to serve this with check out our crispy baked chicken thighs!
Want to see more recipes like this?? Sign up for our newsletter to have new recipes delivered to your inbox, follow us on Instagram or like our Facebook page.
Helpful Info
This salad tastes best with fully ripened cantaloupe. To check for ripeness, look for a cantaloupe with a fully tan rind - if it's a bit green it's not ripe.
More Simple Side Dishes
If you like this prosciutto melon pasta salad, check out some of our other easy and flavourful side dishes!
If you have made this recipe we’d love to see it! Tag us on Insta @loveandgoodstuff.
Loved this? Don’t forget to rate it below!
Prosciutto Melon Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces farfalle
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 3⁄4 cup balled cantaloupe - diced is also fine
- 1⁄4 cup sliced red onion
- 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
- 7 ounces bocconcini cheese
Dressing
- 1.5 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1.5 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1⁄4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 clove garlic - crushed
- 2.5 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons shredded basil - optional, but highly recommended!
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper to a jar and shake well to make the dressing.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, then drain and cool under cold running water.
- Add the cooled pasta, arugula, prosciutto, melon, bocconcini and red onion to a large salad bowl. Add the dressing and toss then serve.
Nutrition
* nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.
Alex says
Oh how divine - prosciutto and melon is such a lovely combination, and I adore this pasta salad!