Italian Prosciutto Sugo (4-Ingredient Pork Tomato Sauce)

If you need a quick, easy (and really delicious) pasta sauce to feed yourself (or the whole family) at a moment's notice, this Prosciutto Sugo tomato sauce is the perfect recipe. 

It's one of the simplest sauces to make, and the ingredients (or similar ones) you may already have on hand. This sauce is just a little bit smoky from the Italian ham (prosciutto cotto Praha), sweet from the onions, and hits all the right tomatoey notes. 

Everything comes together in just under 30 minutes making it great for busy weeknight meals. For those of you who are new to cooking, I've included step-by-step recipe photos with instructions at the end of the post. 

What's Italian Prosciutto Cotto and Why is it so Delicious?

The prosciutto cotto I use for this recipe is our favorite. This particular version of Italian sliced ham is made using a 200-year-old Austro-Hungarian Praha (Prague) style method of curing and lightly smoking the meat using German beechwood.

It's slightly smoky, but not too much, and it's naturally sweet, not because of additives but because of the quality of the meat being top-notch.

And if you're totally unfamiliar with Italian Prosciutto Cotto, it's basically a really delicious cured and seasoned cooked ham ("cotto" means "cooked") sort of like Boar's Head deli ham (which would probably be a decent substitute in this sauce if you can't find prosciutto cotto).

This ham is a perfect way to add a slight smokiness to an otherwise simple tomato sauce, and turns into a completely different eating experience in a bowl of pasta.

Is Prosciutto Cotto Considered an Italian Salumi? 

Italian Salumi is an umbrella category of meat products that fall into three subcategories: Salumi, Salami, and Salsiccia.  Most are cured through salting and drying. 

Sometimes they're smoked and taste like "Christmas" or a fireplace (like Speck di Asiago), and sometimes they're even cooked like the prosciutto cotto used in this recipe. And although salumi in Italy is made predominantly from pork, you'll find others made from beef (bresaola), wild boar, and even horses etc.

When you hear "salumi" or "prosciutto", I think most Americans immediately think of Prosciutto di Parma or San Daniele (both extraordinary), but Italy has hundreds more artisanal salumi, salami, and salsiccia beyond these usual suspects. 

Many of the best producers still use the same centuries-old recipes and techniques today to preserve these flavorful meats, which are part of the reason they're so good.

Prosciutto Sugo Pasta Sauce Ingredients

There are only 4 ingredients in the pasta sauce (not counting salt), making it a really simple weeknight meal option that the kiddos will love and so will you. Spice it up with crushed red peppers if you like a sauce with a little more heat, or add a smashed garlic clove to the pan if you love garlic.

• High-quality Italian DOP tomatoes (like Mutti brand tomatoes)
• High quality Italian prosciutto cotto like Principe Prosciutto Praga Vecchia Trieste
• yellow or white onion
• extra virgin olive oil 
• salt 
• crushed red pepper (optional)

How to Make Prosciutto Sugo Pasta Sauce

This might just be the easiest pasta sauce you'll ever make. As you can see, there are very few steps between you and this seriously delicious sauce. Make extra sauce to freeze or refrigerate for even easier weeknight meals that are wholesome and hassle-free.

1. Cook the prosciutto cotto (ham). In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the prosciutto cotto and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until it just starts to brown.
2. Cook the onion and tomatoes. Add the diced onion, stir, and cook until the onions are translucent and the ham starts to become crispy. Add the tomatoes, stirring to combine, and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, add salt to taste, and cover with a lid.
3. Simmer the sauce. Cook the sauce for 20-25 minutes over low heat, removing the lid every 5 minutes or so to stir the sauce. After about 25 minutes have passed, tilt the lid to allow some of the steam to escape and cook for about 5 minutes more until just the right consistency. Serve with egg pasta like tagliatelle or pappardelle, or spaghetti, penne, or fettuccine, Enjoy!

Prosciutto Sugo Italian Pork Pasta Sauce step-by-step recipe photos

What Can I Substitute for Prosciutto Cotto?

Boar's Head makes some Italian-style hams which I've tried and they're tasty. And although they don't really taste like the prosciutto I've used for this recipe, you probably can't go wrong by using it as a substitute as long as the ham you choose has been lightly smoked.

If you do happen to live in an area with some niche gourmet or imported Italian food shops (even a Whole Foods) that carry the real deal, then spring for it. You don't need much, and it's delicious stuff.

And if all else fails, just replace the prosciutto cotto with pancetta (which won't taste anything like this, but it'll be excellent), or just make this pasta sauce instead!

Other Dishes and Ways to Use this Pasta Sauce 

This sauce pairs well with pasta of course, but it also works well in any dish calling for a tomato sauce or used as a dipper for complementary foods like chicken fingers. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use this sauce to get you started. 

• sauce for homemade pizzas
• drizzled over basil-parm panko-crusted chicken breast
• as the sauce for Asparagus & Ham Lasagna (w/Asparagus Bechamel)
• use it as a dipper for mozzarella-parm-buttered Italian bread

 

Let's get started!

Print

📖 Recipe