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Meat, Italy

Piadina with prosciutto and arugula

Piadina with prosciutto and arugula is an Italian flatbread filled with soft cheese, prosciutto and arugula, served with fresh vegetables. This recipe for 4 people takes 35 minutes, rated easy, and costs about €3.00 per person. The key to success is rolling the dough very thin and cooking it dry in a very hot skillet.

Tonight is easy and satisfying, Romagna style piadinas filled with prosciutto, soft cheese and arugula, served with fresh vegetables.

Piadina with prosciutto and arugula
Total time
35 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.00
Calories per person
500 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Spring, Summer
The kids
They generally like it

Piadina comes from Romagna, it's a soft wheat flatbread that you fill while it's still warm. Here prosciutto brings the salty bite, the soft cheese melts slightly against the warm dough, and arugula adds a fresh peppery note. Folded in half, you eat it with your hands, a bit like a flat sandwich.

This recipe works well for an easy weeknight dinner or a summer lunch with fresh vegetables on the side. Kids like filling their own piadina at the table, everyone builds it the way they want. It fits a rushed evening just as well as a relaxed Sunday with friends.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • flouroften in the pantry 400 g
  • olive oiloften in the pantry 6 tbsp
  • warm wateroften in the pantry 10 cl
  • baking sodaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • milk 10 cl
  • soft cheese spread 200 g

Butcher

  • prosciutto 8 slices

Fruits and vegetables

  • arugula 100 g
  • tomatoes 3
  • cucumber 1

Allergens Gluten, Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, olive oil, milk and warm water into a soft dough.

    Knead for two minutes, the dough should be smooth and not sticky.

  2. Let the dough rest under a towel, then divide it into four balls. 20 min

    Resting relaxes the gluten, so the dough stretches without springing back.

  3. Roll each ball into a thin round and prick it with a fork.

    Roll them very thin, a thick piadina turns out tough.

  4. Cook each flatbread in a hot dry skillet, two minutes per side. 8 min

    Flip them as soon as brown spots appear.

  5. Spread with soft cheese, top with prosciutto and arugula, fold, and serve with the fresh vegetables.

    Fill it while the flatbread is still hot, the cheese softens better that way.

Our tips to get it right

  • Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface if it still feels sticky after resting, without adding too much extra flour so it stays soft.
  • Use a cast iron skillet or a crepe pan if you have one, the heat spreads more evenly and brown spots form consistently.
  • Stack cooked piadinas under a clean kitchen towel while you cook the rest, they stay warm and soft for filling.

The variations

  • Swap the prosciutto for cooked ham or bresaola for a different flavor, the rest of the recipe stays the same.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the prosciutto with sun dried tomatoes and grilled mushrooms, keeping the soft cheese and arugula.
  • For kids, spread on just soft cheese and cooked ham without arugula, and serve the vegetables on the side as sticks.

What to serve it with

  • Seasonal fresh vegetables
  • Cold lemon water
  • Tomato salad with olive oil

Storage

Plain cooked piadinas keep for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed bag, and reheat in a skillet for a few seconds before filling. Once filled, eat them right away. The raw dough doesn't freeze well, but the plain cooked flatbreads freeze just fine.

Questions about this dish

Can you make the piadina dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the dough the day before and keep it covered in the fridge. Let it come back to room temperature before rolling it out so it stays soft.

Can you use a different flour instead of wheat flour?

Regular wheat flour gives piadina its classic soft texture. A whole wheat blend also works, but the flatbread will turn out a bit denser.

Why does my piadina turn hard as it cools?

This usually happens when the dough is rolled too thick or cooked too long. Roll the rounds very thin and take them off the heat as soon as brown spots appear.

Can you cook all the piadinas ahead for a dinner with friends?

Yes, cook the plain flatbreads before your guests arrive and keep them under a towel. Just reheat them for two minutes in a skillet and fill them at the last minute.

How long does it take to make a piadina with prosciutto and arugula?

Count 35 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a piadina with prosciutto and arugula?

About 500 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a piadina with prosciutto and arugula cost?

About €3.00 per serving, or €12.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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