What's for Dinner: Ziti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzerella and Prosciutto

I love asparagus. I love mozzarella. I love prosciutto. So when you combine the three of them together? Perfection. This recipe, from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian, is my absolute favorite recipe from her books. It is wickedly easy to prepare, with minimal ingredients and minimal clean up. The asparagus cooks with the pasta, and then it's all tossed together with prosciutto and fresh basil. Smoked mozzarella (yes, did I mention this is smoked mozzarella? One word: scrumtrulescent) and some of the pasta water combine to create a wonderfully silky sauce.

It is a perfect weeknight meal. Fast, simple and delicious. You need to make this. Now.

Ziti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto
from Everyday Italian

Salt
8 ounces dried ziti or other tubular pasta (I used penne)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced (about 1/2 cup)
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ziti and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the asparagus and cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, and the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the pasta, asparagus, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and the 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid, and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to shallow bowls and serve. (Serves 4.)