Caprese Pasta Salad

Since I posted the recipe the other day of the Caesar Pasta Salad I thought I'd share another one of my family favorites. I created this a few years back and it's one of our favorites to take for picnics in the park. It's simple and makes great leftovers as well. For the freshest leftovers leave the cherry tomatoes whole as if their cut they don't stay as crisp. If you plan to not have leftovers it's nice to have the tomatoes sliced in half.





Caprese Pasta Salad
1 lb penne, cooked
1 lb chicken, cooked and chopped
3 cups cherry tomatoes (whole or chopped)
1 cup fresh basil chopped
1 cup chopped fresh mozzarella (in water, you can also use the little bocconcini, sliced in half)
1 bottle your favorite Italian Dressing
Mix all together.
Refrigerate
Enjoy

Prosciutto, Asparagus and Parmesan Spaghetti

I love a good pasta, a hearty, rich pasta, and this is one of them for sure.  You really can't go wrong when you mix prosciutto, asparagus and Parmesan.  This recipe goes together very quickly and doesn't take much prep work either which is nice on a night you don't have a lot of time.

Prosciutto, Asparagus & Parmesan Spaghetti
4 oz of prosciutto, cut into strips
1 lb of asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 small onion, diced
1 package spaghetti

In large pan heat oil over medium high heat.
Cook onion, garlic and mushrooms until fragrant and semi done
Add prosciutto and asparagus, cook until asparagus is bright green (about 3 minutes)
Add cream and Parmesan cheese
Reduce heat to simmer and cook until sauce has thickened (about 4 minutes)
Cook pasta according to package directions
Once pasta is cooked add to pan and mix thoroughly.
Enjoy!