Prosciutto-wrapped Breadsticks

A twist on the classic appetizer, these prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks include tasty aged cheese and herbs, and are broiled to get the prosciutto nice and crispy. Make these appetizers in 15 minutes – perfect for your holiday parties!

If there’s one disadvantage to working remotely from home, it’s the holidays. I might be in the minority on this one, but it can be hard to get yourself revved up with holiday cheer week after week when it’s just you and NPR for most of the day, lol.

Take the ole corporate office party, of which I’ve attended more than my share.

Far more than my share, I would argue, as I spent 10 years at a company that had two holiday parties: the official cocktail-dress/best suit/open bar/shrimp tree affair right after work at the fancy-schmancy club. And then the unofficial (but sanctioned) “after-party” at a gritty bar down the street, where staying stone cold sober was reward in itself, if for no other reason than the sheer spectacle of flirty and/or rock-star-wannabe co-workers, mostly drunk, letting go of their … ahem … inhibitions (and, yeah, sensibilities).

Oh, the memories. (And if I were a less ethical person, oh, the blackmail 😉 )

Anyway, the office party can inspire fear, dread, or delight, depending on the culture of your company. But in all cases, for me at least, the mood of the party could be considerably lightened with a good snack bar.

Open bar helps, too, sure.

I do love the salty snacks. As you can tell from the content of this blog, I’m not much into sweets. Oh, I love the occasional sugary treat as much as the next salty snack addict, but give me a choice between a tray full of savory noshes or cupcakes, and I’ll lunge for the savory goodness every time.

So, maybe you’ve seen prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks — geez, you might’ve even made them yourself, as they’re sort of a classic appetizer — but my little twist, I think, makes a world of difference.

Here’s the thing: prosciutto is super tasty, but, because it’s cured — meaning, you can eat it right out of the package — when you wrap them around a breadstick and call it done, that means you’re biting into a thin cut of meat that has the tendency to pull apart in long strips.

Which means you could bite off an inch of breadstick, and end up unraveling four inches of prosciutto.

Awkward, when you’re standing there with your party-mates — and maybe your CEO, who knows, it could happen — convo’ing, and trying to rein in a strip of ever-unwinding prosciutto and being all casual, and, like, intentional about it. (“That’s right {slurp!} I meant to do that.”)

Not that this has ever happened to me IRL. Nuh uh, noooooo sirree bobarino.

My secret to perfect prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks is to layer a little extra-tasty cheese and herbs inside the wrap, and then briefly broil everything, turning the cheese to glue to hold everything in place, and, most importantly, crisping up the prosciutto … like bacon.

In the recipe, you’ll note that I slice the prosciutto in half. Half of a rectangular slice of prosciutto is plenty for a breadstick. (If yours comes in rounds, one entire slice should do it.) In fact, I recommend leaving a good 3″ or so of the breadstick bare at the bottom, to act as a sort of meat-free handle.

Mm mmmhmmh. And, of course, like all great appetizers, you can prepare a party’s worth of prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks in 15 minutes. And it doesn’t hurt one little bit that you can serve them upright in a glass or small vase … like french fries. 🙂

Karen xo

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Prosciutto-wrapped Breadsticks

A twist on the classic appetizer, these prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks include tasty aged cheese and herbs, and are broiled to get the prosciutto nice and crispy. Make these appetizers in 15 minutes – perfect for your holiday parties!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time3 mins

Total Time18 mins

Servings: 16

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

• 16 breadsticks
• 8 slices prosciutto (go for the prosciutto di Parma)
• 1/4 cup grated tasty cheese (such as Parmesan or aged gouda)
• 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

• Arrange the top oven 4" to 6" from the top heating unit, and preheat broiler to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat (for easy cleanup).
• Slice the prosciutto in half lengthwise; you'll use one half for each breadstick.
• Sprinkle a big pinch of grated cheese over the prosciutto, followed by a pinch each of basil and oregano.
• Leaving 2" at the tip, roll up the breadstick in the prosciutto, pulling tightly, but without tearing the prosciutto. There should be 3" to 5" of exposed breadstick at the bottom, to use as a sort of handle.
• Continue wrapping the remaining the breadsticks.
• Place the wrapped breadsticks on the prepared pan, and place under the broiler. Do not walk away! Remove from oven when the prosciutto is sizzling lightly, but before the exposed breadsticks begin to brown, just a few minutes.
• Serve immediately.
• The prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks can be assembled an hour or so ahead of time and refrigerated. Broil before serving.

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.

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