Creamy Blistered Tomato Pasta with Prosciutto and Charred Asparagus

Where did we come up with this delicious Creamy Blistered Tomato Pasta? In the endless groundhog days of cooking for a family of 5, I found myself uninspired and turned to Home Chef, a meal kit subscription service. One of the meals we wanted to try, but didn’t get the chance to became the inspiration for this dish. We were entertaining friends and absent-mindedly I pulled together this delicious meal in no time flat.

How to Make Creamy Blistered Tomato Pasta?

Creamy blistered tomato pasta uses just a few, simple ingredients – fresh and easy to assemble. Fry up some prosciutto until crispy and remove from the pan to a paper towel lined plate. Blister those tomatoes in the prosciutto remains (add a little oil as needed). Slosh in some cream and basil and you’re basically set. The smokey flavor of the prosciutto plays off the freshness of the tomatoes and basil.

Which Vegetable to add to Creamy Blistered Tomato Pasta?

In my quest to add more vegetables to my diet I had also roasted up some asparagus. Actually, that first time through, I was so distracted by my company that I forgot about the asparagus and it charred up a little. However, I discovered that the charred asparagus paired beautifully with the rest of the sauce.

On a later cook through, I found we had used up the asparagus I’d ear-marked for my creamy blistered tomato pasta. I had already started cooking when I realized the error. So instead, I added a cup of frozen peas towards the end. I personally prefer the charred asparagus, but my kids liked the mouth feel of the peas in the sauce. The great thing is that you can swap out the vegetables based on your preference!

Creamy Blistered Tomato Pasta – the Tools of the Trade

If you’ve seen My Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets list then you know I’m a huge fan of the cast iron skillet. You can certainly use some other non-stick pan, but the tomatoes really develop a better flavor in my trusty cast iron skillet. The best thing about cast iron, is that the more you use it, the better the flavors in your subsequent meals. Just remember to try not to stir those tomatoes too often. I always want to swoosh them around the pan, but they blister so much nicer if you can just leave them alone! Other than a good quality knife and cutting board, there isn’t much more that you need for a successful creamy blistered tomato pasta.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

If you’re a regular reader of my recipes, you may have already figured out that I really love to cook with tomatoes. Feel free to take a tour of my Creamy Tomato Bisque recipe. Or, add a little spice to your life and make Instant Pot Butter Chicken – it’s always a crowd pleaser when I’m hosting guests. It’s really no surprise that I’ve even bought bulk tomatoes from a local tomato farm!

Bring on the Cream!

I use a lot of cream in this recipe and even add in some freshly shredded Parmesan. Cream is a really important component, because the basil will infuse while it simmers. For those of you watching the fat content, you can easily modify the recipe to fit your needs. You can cut the cream and use some of the pasta water or skip the cheese entirely.

The good news is that the prosciutto, tomato and basil do a lot of heavy lifting on the flavor front. I just happen to have some really skinny kids and I work hard to boost the calorie count on meals I know they’ll devour.