Who doesn’t love trying new variations on pasta recipes? One person can only eat so much spaghetti and meatballs? This was a total check-out line find. You know, when you’re waiting in line at the food store, the person in front of you has an entire shopping cart spilling over with food, and somehow you ended up getting the slowest cashier. Then you pick up a food magazine and start leafing through it. I’m glad I got in the slowest line that day because I discovered this recipe and eight years later it’s still one of my favorite pastas. Any time you mix in some vegetables to balance out the carbs, score! Give me a simple sauté with olive oil and I’m a big fan. Sprinkle in something gourmet like prosciutto and that’s where you elevate the senses. The texture and taste of this whole dish are so incredible but it’s the sautéed prosciutto that takes it from an A to an A+. It’s so good that I make extra prosciutto so that we don’t have to use it sparingly and also have extra for leftovers. Drew loves it too and usually steals some when it’s cooling on the paper towels. Second up for making a big appearance in this dish is the Pecorino Romano. It’s the perfect flavor combo. Where it’s a great pasta for Spring and Summer, I absolutely love this pasta any time of year and often crave it. I love making it with shapes other than penne like we did here with the pasta wheels. Change the shape of the pasta and it can feel like a whole new dish. When you reheat it the next day I suggest heating it up in a skillet. Spray the skillet with a light layer of cooking spray, preheat it to medium-high heat, and toss in the pasta until lightly browned. It’ll get a crispy light crust around the edges that’s oh so good! The only modifications I make to the recipe are: I add more prosciutto, add in one more zucchini, and take the cider vinegar down to 1 teaspoon.
