Food Recipes Prosciutto Penne With Spinach 4.0 (64) 2 Reviews The secret ingredient to an amazing, restaurant-worthy pasta recipe like this one is shockingly simple. It's just water! Pasta water, that is. Using just ½ cup of the leftover penne cooking liquid adds a starchy body to the pan sauce, which helps the flavors to emulsify into a rich coating that's full of flavor and body. The liquid pulls the salty pan drippings from the prosciutto and the garlicky oil and slicks it onto each tube of pasta. That's why penne is great for a dish like this one—the ridges encourage sauce to stick and the tube traps delicious pockets of sauce. And by the way, this simple pasta water technique is the kind of back-pocket trick that you can pull out with any pasta dish. By Real Simple Editors Real Simple Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter An article attributed to "Real Simple Editors" indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The REAL SIMPLE team strives to make life easier for you. They are experts in their fields who research, test and clearly explain the best recipes, strategies, trends and products. They have worked for some of the most prestigious brands in lifestyle journalism, including Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, the Food Network, Good Housekeeping, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parents, POPSUGAR, Rachel Ray Every Day, and Vogue. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 3, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio Hands On Time: 25 mins Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 12 ounces penne or other short pasta ¼ cup olive oil 4 ounces prosciutto, torn 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 5 ounces baby spinach ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon lemon zest 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about ¾ cup) Directions Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta water. Heat olive oil and prosciutto in a large skillet over medium. Cook, stirring, until prosciutto is crisp, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate using tongs. Add garlic to skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Add spinach, salt, pepper, and lemon zest and cook, tossing, until spinach is wilted, 2 minutes. Add pasta, reserved pasta water, and half the cheese to the skillet. Cook, tossing until sauce thickens and coats the pasta, about 1 minute. Top with prosciutto and remaining cheese. Print