Great Friday food, easy and quick to make. This is Friday pasta at its best: simple, quick and with a little twist that makes all the difference. Crispy fried Parmasticks (strips of Parma ham fried until crisp) add a salty, crunchy contrast to the creamy pasta, and it takes no more than 20 minutes from an empty fridge to everything on the table.
The idea is simple: pasta in a creamy, flavourful sauce, topped with Parmasticks fried quickly in a little butter until golden and crisp. Straight out of the packet they are limp and rather dull, but a minute in a hot pan turns them into something else entirely. Use them the way you would use crispy speck, pancetta or breadcrumbs: they bring texture and a salty umami kick to the dish.
Tip: Fry the Parmasticks just before serving and put them on top at the very last second, so they stay crisp instead of going soft in the sauce.
Pasta with crispy Parmasticks is Friday pasta at its best, simple, quick and with a little twist that makes all the difference. The Parmasticks give a salty, crunchy contrast to the creamy sauce, and the whole dish is on the table in under 20 minutes.
The clever thing about Parmasticks is that they combine salt, fat and crunch in one element, so you get both garnish and seasoning in a single step. A smart weeknight shortcut with results that taste like they took far longer.
Tips and variations
- Fry the Parmasticks in a dry pan over medium heat until crisp and golden. They contain enough fat that they don’t need any oil.
- Chop them roughly and scatter over just before serving so they keep their crunch.
- A pinch of chilli flakes in the sauce gives a nice contrast to the salty flavour from the sticks.
- Add a handful of baby spinach or smoked salmon to the sauce for a light upgrade.
- Always save a little pasta water: the starch binds the sauce and gives a more even texture.
🍷 Wine tips
Barbera d’Asti / Prosecco: Pasta with crispy Parmasticks and sage pairs well with a Barbera d’Asti, fruity and fresh. Alternatively, a good Prosecco as a festive accompaniment: the bubbles play beautifully against the fatty, salty Parma flavours.
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Pasta with crispy Parmasticks
Great Friday food, easy and quick to make.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Take out the meat and let it come to room temperature.
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Parmasticks: Divide the slices into 2-3 strips lengthwise. Fry quickly in a dry non-stick pan.
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Roughly chop the onion and fry it gently in butter for a few minutes without letting it colour, add cream and mustard, let it cook for a few minutes.
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Boil the pasta and pour over the cream with the onion and stir together. Cut the tenderloin into 2-3 cm pieces, fry them with salt and pepper.
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Serving: Put the pasta on the plate, scatter over the meat and garnish with Parmasticks. Serve with a nice salad.
Notes
Tips: Lay the Parma ham flat on baking paper and bake at 180°C for 8 to 10 minutes until brittle and crisp. It crisps up further as it cools.
Storage: Best eaten fresh. The pasta and the ham lose their texture over time.
Variations: Swap the Parma ham for pancetta or guanciale for a richer, saltier flavour.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 421 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 3 g
- Protein
- 37 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Saturated fat
- 16 g
- Polyunsaturated fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated fat
- 9 g
- Trans fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 174 mg
- Sodium
- 1,056 mg
- Potassium
- 734 mg
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Sticksini, grissini or other crispy Parmesan snacks work well. Ready-made bacon bits or crispy fried pancetta give a different but equally good crunch.
A simple cream sauce with garlic, white wine and Parmesan is the natural choice. A tomato sauce with chilli is a fresher alternative. Both suit the salty, rich character the Parmasticks bring.
Absolutely, and children love it. Leave out the chilli in the sauce and serve the Parmasticks on the side for dipping if you want to keep it really mild and simple.
Lay the Parma ham on baking paper and bake at 180°C for 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool on the paper; it crisps up even more as it cools.
Prosciutto, Serrano ham or speck work just as well. Avoid cooked ham; it does not hold together when crisped.
Yes, they stay crispy for a couple of hours at room temperature. Do not cover them, or they lose their crispness.