10 Delicious Ways To Use Prosciutto in Your Cooking

Prosciutto Pizza — The Spruce / Pete Scherer

Those of us who love prosciutto, are in very good company. The cured ham delicacy has been a beloved Italian way to eat meat since as far back as Roman times and continues to be a popular ingredient in modern Italian cuisine. If you have only enjoyed prosciutto as an appetizer, on crostini, or shredded in salads, you are sure to be wowed by these delicious recipes that will give you new and exciting ideas for how you can cook with prosciutto.

01 of 10

Prosciutto Pizza

The Spruce / Pete Scherer

On your next pizza night at home, skip the take-out (or warmed-up freezer pizza), and make this insanely delicious, Italian-style prosciutto pizza instead. The mouth-watering collision of salty cured meat, umami-rich Parmesan cheese, creamy burrata, and fresh arugula greens is likely to become your new favorite combination of pizza toppings. It makes a fantastic dinner for two, or a hearty meal for one, and takes just 15 minutes to assemble and bake if you use prepared pizza dough.
02 of 10

Watermelon, Prosciutto and Feta Salad

Stuart West

Prosciutto adds a surprising, salty, savory note to a refreshing, summery salad of juicy cubed watermelon and feta cheese. The honey vinaigrette drizzled over top wakes up all of the flavors, bringing a delicious, candied taste to the sliced and cured ham. Serve it for an elegant starter or even a light lunch on its own, garnishing with chopped fresh mint or toasted sesame seeds.
03 of 10

Pork Saltimbocca

The Spruce / Anita Schecter

Saltimbocca, the wishful Italian name for this classical Roman dish, literally means "jumps in the mouth". In simple terms, it is a taste-bud tempting, trattoria-style entree of pan-fried, boneless pork loin chops topped with thin prosciutto slices and fresh sage leaves, poured over with a buttery white wine sauce. Best of all, it comes together in just 20 minutes, for an impressive dish you can serve company.
04 of 10

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Sabrina S. Baksh / Regarding BBQ, Inc.

Wrapping thinly-sliced prosciutto around fresh, crisp asparagus spears is an easy way to dress up this grassy, green vegetable. The spears need just 5 minutes on a hot grill, drizzled in a little olive oil before they are ready for appetizer plates. Feel free to omit the added garlic if you're serving them at a romantic meal.

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05 of 10

Prosciutto Bread

Joff Lee

Fill your kitchen with the heavenly aromas of bacon cooking and bread baking when you make prosciutto bread at home. Even if you have never tried making bread, this chewy, yeasty, ham-flecked loaf will tempt you to try. Enjoy it with spaghetti dinners, or top slices with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce, and pop them under your oven's broiler on a cookie sheet for delicious, open-faced pizza sandwich treats.
06 of 10

Beef Braciole

Skip O'Donnell

Elegant beef braciole is the kind of restaurant-style beef dish you will remember fondly for weeks afterward. It is a hearty beef roulade stuffed with prosciutto, Italian cheese, and sweet herbs, braised in a fragrant and delicious tomato and red wine sauce. This recipe needs a long time in the oven but requires little hands-on effort, and the aroma of it cooking will make you super-excited for dinner.
07 of 10

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pears With Candied Balsamic Drizzle

Matthew O'Shea / Getty Images

Sweet winter pears partner beautifully with salty cured meats. Drizzling the prosciutto-wrapped fruit in a sugared balsamic glaze before sending it on a quick trip under the oven broiler caramelizes and softens the pears, and crisps up the ham, for an epic dessert that explodes with flavor and texture. Top with optional blue cheese crumbles for a classic restaurant presentation.
08 of 10

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Chops

Katie Workman / themom100.com

Wrapping up pork chops mummy-style, in thin prosciutto slices, helps to keep naturally-lean pork juicy as it grills. Even picky eaters will enjoy these better-than-usual pork chops with a crispy, sweet, and salty ham coating. These chops cook in just a few minutes but plan ahead to brine them for about an hour to boost moistness and flavor.

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09 of 10

Italian Sweet Pea and Prosciutto Risotto

Peter Cassidy / StockFood / Riser / Getty Images

When cold weather gets you craving carbs, satisfy your hunger with a dish of tummy-warming, creamy risotto. Sweet green peas and savory, salty prosciutto add wonderful Italian taste to this satisfying version that takes just over half an hour to cook from start to finish, and makes a great dinner on its own or a sophisticated side dish for baked chicken breasts or fish.
10 of 10

Collard Greens With Green Garlic and Prosciutto

The Spruce / Molly Watson

Prosciutto brings savory flavor, and garlic scapes add mildly garlicky, springy sweetness to a side dish of simmered collard greens. You could also use another sturdy green vegetable, such as kale or chard, in this simple side dish that goes great with barbecue meats, fried chicken, or pork chops.