Pasta alla papalina is a creamy Roman pasta dish, created for a Pope, and some would say a lighter version of carbonara. It's made with prosciutto, onion, peas, eggs and parmigiano reggiano, and is a big crowd-pleaser!
If you're looking for a carbonara-like dish, but want to give something a bit different a try, then this papalina pasta is for you!
Why it's the Pope's pasta
The story on how this prosciutto and pea pasta originated stems from Pope Pius XII when he was still a cardinal. "Papa" is "pope" in Italian, so "papalina" means "of the pope."
The dish was invented in Rome in the 1930's, when Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was a regular client at the restaurant "La Cisterna" - situated near the Vatican.
Eugenio dined there one day and asked for a dish that was different than the usual, and lighter than the classically heavier and full-bodied roman pasta dishes. So the chef started on preparing a dish that was unique, but stayed true to Roman culinary basis and tradition. Apparently pasta alla papalina is still on La Cisterna's menu to this day.
So that's how fettuccine alla papalina was born. The chef based the dish off of carbonara, replaced the semolina pasta with egg fettuccine, the guanciale with prosciutto, replaced the pecorino romano with parmigiano reggiano, and added sautéed onions. But the beaten eggs/egg yolks traditional to a carbonara remained.
Like in this recipe, many people add peas to this dish, but if it's part of the original dish is hard to say.
I've made this dish for a Sunday dinner, and served it as the first course (primo), followed by my Italian chicken cutlets or baked chicken thighs as a main course (secondo). I finished the meal off with my Italian panna cotta which is the perfect light ending to a hearty meal like this one.
Ingredients and Variations
Most of the Roman pasta dishes like carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia and amatriciana have very defined ingredients. Everyone knows that carbonara has guanciale in it, pecorino romano and eggs for example.
But the ingredients in a papalina vary greatly from version to version depending on who is making it. Many people add heavy cream in addition to the eggs, some may not use eggs at all, just cream, some use ham instead of prosciutto, and some add mushrooms and butter.
My recipe attempted to stay true to the original recipe, but it's important to note that there are many variations out there.
How to make it
Boil the pasta. Be sure to reserve some pasta water.
While waiting for pasta water to boil, heat a large pan over medium heat. Cook the onions and prosciutto. Deglaze with white wine (optional).
Add the peas. If pasta is not ready by this time, turn the heat on the pan down to low.
While peas are cooking, make the egg mixture.
When pasta is cooked to al dente, add it to the pan (still over medium heat), along with a ladle of pasta water.
Toss the pasta together with the prosciutto and peas for a few minutes and remove from the heat.
Add the egg mixture to the pasta.
Toss once more until pasta is evenly coated.
Plate and top with additional parmigiano reggiano. Enjoy!
Top tips
- For the prosciutto, I asked for a thicker slice at the deli (about 3mm thick), and then cut it into strips, about 1cm wide (similar to how you would cut guanciale for carbonara)
- Deglazing with white wine in this recipe is optional. I've made this recipe both ways and it always comes out great ether way
Recipe
Pasta Alla Papalina with Prosciutto (Pope's Pasta)
Ingredients
- 250 grams egg fettuccine or tagliatelle
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped white or yellow onion
- ¾ cups prosciutto cut into 1 cm wide strips
- ¼ cup white wine optional
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- ¾ cups parmigiano reggiano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. When it's boiling, add salt. Throw the pasta in and cook until it's al dente. Be sure to reserve some pasta water.
- While waiting for pasta water to boil, heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and let it heat up.
- When the olive oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and let it cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the prosciutto and let it cook down until slightly crispy, another 3-4 minutes.
- Optional step: Deglaze with a splash of white wine.
- When the alcohol from the white wine evaporates off (a few mins, if using), add the peas to the prosciutto/onion and cook for a few minutes. If pasta is not ready by this time, turn the heat on the pan down to low.
- While peas are cooking, make the egg mixture: in a bowl, beat egg and egg yolks together, with parmigiano reggiano, freshly ground black pepper to taste, and a splash of pasta cooking water. Set aside.
- When pasta is cooked to al dente, add it to the pan (still over medium heat), along with a ladle of pasta water.
- Toss the pasta together with the prosciutto and peas for a few minutes, and remove from the heat.
- Add the egg mixture to the pasta and toss once more until pasta is evenly coated.
- Plate and top with additional parmigiano reggiano. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- For the prosciutto, I asked for a thicker slice at the deli (about 3mm thick), and then cut it into strips, about 1cm wide.
- If you want to use fresh peas, you can - just bring a pot of water to boil, throw the peas in and boil them until tender but still have a slight bite to them because they will cook a few more minutes in the sauce. Drain and proceed with the regular recipe.
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