The thought of this dish came to me when I saw new varieties of individually sized cantaloupes, about the size of grapefruits, at my local farmers’ markets. As a single cook, I’m drawn to anything with that single-serving thing going for it. But if you can’t find any of these little ones, use 1 cup of the flesh from a larger cantaloupe and save the rest for breakfast or a snack the next day. Now, I can imagine what you’re thinking: pasta with cantaloupe? Seriously? I first read about it in Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty-Minute Pasta and knew I had to downscale it—and add prosciutto, such a natural thing to pair with cantaloupe.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a 2-quart pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, until it is just al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Step 2
Meanwhile, line a plate with a few layers of paper towels. Heat the oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper flakes and prosciutto; cook until the prosciutto is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain the prosciutto on the paper towel–lined plate.
Step 3
Add the cantaloupe to the skillet and cook until it forms a chunky sauce, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste, cook for 1 minute, then remove the skillet from the heat and add the yogurt, stirring to incorporate. Add the cooked pasta and toss to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water as needed if the sauce is too thick for your taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 4
Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with the cheese, basil, and reserved prosciutto, and eat.
