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 topnotch. 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 Proscuitto 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.
- 1 (14-ounce) can of Mutti brand tomatoes (400g)
- 1 1/2 ounces Principe Prosciutto Praga Vecchia Trieste, diced (or other premium prosciutto cotto) (40g)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced (88g)
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (25-40g)
- salt to taste
- 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 this seriously delicious sauce. Make extra sauce to freeze or refrigerate for even easier weeknight meals that are wholesome and hassle-free.
- 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.
- Cook the onion + 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 heat to a simmer, add salt to taste, and cover with a lid.
- 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.
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
How to Cook Pasta Like a Pro Every Time
If you’ve eaten a forkful of pasta at your favorite restaurant you may have wondered why it can sometimes be so much richer and velvety (even tastier) than the stuff you make at home. Restaurants typically use more fat (and sometimes dairy) than you’d ever imagine cooking with at home. And one of the biggest differences between your spaghetti and theirs mostly comes down to cooking techniques and the quality of ingredients used. In order to bring out the best texture, flavor, and maximum pasta goodness, follow the guidelines below.
- Don’t pre-cook your pasta noodles. In most cases, try to time the pasta so that the sauce is ready just before (or well in advance of) the noodles and not the other way around.
- Add starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce. Just before the noodles are finished cooking to “al dente” doneness, add a little starchy water to the sauce and stir.
- Don’t over-salt the cooking water. If the pasta cooking water is too salty, it’ll make your final sauce too salty when it gets added. Alternatively, if the pasta water is not salty enough, the noodles will be bland.
- Cook the pasta directly in the sauce at the end and toss. When you can, it’s good to finish cooking the noodles directly in the sauce for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. But this is not a technique to be used when making Pasta alla Carbonara because egg yolks are involved.
- Don’t add any cheese while the sauce is boiling, simmering, or otherwise cooking. Adding grated cheese to a pasta sauce while it’s cooking, causes the cheese to separate and become stringy. The fat in the cheese will separate leaving the sauce oily. Instead, remove the sauce or pasta from the heat and add the cheese after 15-20 seconds. Alternatively, in some recipes, you may serve the grated cheese at the table instead of adding it directly to the pasta.
- Skip the dairy. Butter and cream aren’t necessary to create a smooth velvety texture to pasta, although in the right amounts and in the right sauce the addition can be delicious. If you’re using dairy to enhance the flavor, go for it, but if you’re just trying to create a better mouthfeel, use the techniques above and you can’t go wrong.
- If the sauce is tomato-based use Mutti brand tomatoes (or the best San Marzano DOP tomatoes). My recommended canned tomato brand to use for all your tomato-based pasta sauces is Mutti. These are the best 100% Italian (non-GMO, no additives or preservatives added), tomatoes from near and around Parma, Italy. These tomatoes are available in the US (and other global markets including China. In Italy, if your family doesn’t grow and can their own tomatoes, or buy them from a local producer, Mutti is a staple found in just about every cupboard here. The reason is simple. These tomatoes are delicious with intense real tomato flavor. We have access to an abundant variety of high-quality canned San Marzano DOP tomatoes that we love and buy, but we still always keep Mutti on hand. They’re consistently great-tasting. This is important when I’m developing and sharing recipes. I want the Biting audience to have the best possible results when replicating a dish at home. Using a consistent brand that’s available to me and you make the most sense. I’m not paid by Mutti. for the endorsement. They are just one of the best brands out there, and using them absolutely will make all the difference in your homemade pasta or pizza sauce.
Let’s get started!
Print
Italian Prosciutto Sugo
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings depending on the hunger level 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Need a super tasty dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes or less? This house favorite porky red sauce has only 4 ingredients, but don’t let that fool you! It’s so easy to pull together and ready in a flash making it a perfect solution for a busy weeknight meal or for that date night dinner this weekend (plus, picky eaters love it too)!
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) can of Mutti brand tomatoes (400g)
- 1 1/2 ounces Principe Prosciutto Praga Vecchia Trieste, diced (or other premium prosciutto cotto) (40g)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced(88g)
- 2–3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (25-40g)
- salt to taste
- crushed red pepper (optional)
Instructions
- 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.
- Cook the onion + 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 heat to a simmer, add salt to taste, and cover with a lid.
- 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.
Notes
- If you’re eating this sauce with pasta right away be sure to add a spoonful or two of pasta cooking water to the sauce just before the noodles have finished cooking. This helps the sauce bind to and coat the noodles making it extra delicious.
- To make the bowl of pasta taste even better you can always add freshly grated Parmigiano or Grana Padano, or Parmesan to taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Sauces + Spreads + Dips
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4
- Calories: 230
Prosciutto Sugo Italian Pork Pasta Sauce step-by-step recipe photos and instructions
