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!
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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!
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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!