Here Are 6 Easy and Quick "Italian Pasta" Recipes Delicious and Healthy Recipes You Can Quickly & Easily Cook.
1. Spaghetti with summer tomato sauce
Ingredients
*1 lb. dried spaghetti or other pasta
*Kosher salt
*21/2 cups Summer Tomato Sauce (recipe on the facing page)
*2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil leaves
*Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
*8 lb. ripe Roma tomatoes (about 40)
*1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
*2 tsp. kosher salt
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Rinse the tomatoes in cold water. With a paring knife, cut an X into the bottom of each tomato.(This will make it easier to peel the tomatoes once they’re blanched.) Carefully lower about 10 tomatoes into the boiling water and leave them for 20 to 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to move them to a large bowl filled with ice water. Continue blanching the tomatoes in batches and transferring them to the ice water.
2. Use a paring knife and your fingers to remove the skin from the tomatoes - it should peel off easily. Cut the tomatoes lengthwise into quarters, core, and remove the seeds. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and transfer them to a bowl.
3. Heat the oil and the garlic in a 5-to 6-quart heavy-duty pot over medium low heat until the garlic begins to sizzle and very lightly browns, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes. Raise the heat to medium high and bring the tomatoes to a boil. Stir in the salt, reduce the heat to medium, and let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and discard the garlic.
2. Spaghetti with portabellas, sage & walnuts
Ingredients
*3/4 lb. dried spaghetti
*3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
*1/2 cup unsalted butter
*3 large portabella mushroom caps, gills scraped out and discarded, caps thinly sliced and cut into 2-inch pieces
*Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*2/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves
*1/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
*1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until it’s tender but still firm to the tooth, about 9 minutes. Reserve 1 cup oft he pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and 2 Tbs. of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re brown and tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
3. In the same sauté pan, melt the remaining 6 Tbs. butter over medium heat. Add the sage leaves, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they darken and crisp and the flecks of milk solids in the butter are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the pan and pile in the walnuts,the cooked pasta, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Toss the pasta continuously with tongs to coat well, adding more water as needed so the pasta is moist,1 to 2 minutes. (If your skillet isn’t big enough, you can toss everything together in the pasta pot.) Season with salt and pepper, mound into bowls, and sprinkle generously with the Parmigiano. Serve immediately.
3. Fettuccine with green beans and walnut-parsley pesto
Ingredients
*Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*10 oz. fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed, and snapped in half
*1 lb. dried fettuccine
*1 cup Walnut-Parsley Pesto (recipe below)
*10 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
*2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice; more to taste
*6 Tbs. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
1. Bring a large pot with 4 quarts water and 1 Tbs. salt to a boil.
2. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Using a slotted spoon,transfer the beans to a large bowl, cover with cold water, and then drain. Return the cooking waterto a boil and cook the dried fettuccine to al dente, about 10 minutes (if fresh, cook for 2 to 4 minutes). Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the beans, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice,1 tsp. salt, and several grinds of pepper; toss well.
4.Taste and add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice, if you like.
5. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of the cheese
4. Spicy capellini
Ingredients
*1/3 cup olive oil
*8 slices bacon, chopped
*2 medium onions, thinly sliced
*10 peperoncini, drained, seeded and chopped
*3 cups crushed peeled Italian tomatoes (about one 35-oz. can, drained)
*1/4 tsp. kosher salt
*1 lb. dried capellini
*3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
*1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Directions
1. In a large, nonreactive skillet, heat 3 Tbs. ofthe olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 15 minutes. Add the peperoncini,tomatoes, and salt, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss it with the remaining oil. Stir in the sauce. Add the Parmigiano,toss well, and serve immediately, garnished with the parsley, if using
5. Spaghetti with pine nuts, tomato & garlic breadcrumbs
Ingredients
*1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*2 1/2 cups fresh coarse breadcrumbs
*Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
*3/4 lb. dried spaghetti
*1/4 cup raisins
*1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
*1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
*6 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil and half the garlic in a heavy skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Turn the heat to medium,toss in the breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until the crumbs brown and turn crisp, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the pine nuts.
3. Put the pasta in the water.
4. Add 2 Tbs. oft he oil to the skillet and cook the remaining garlic,the raisins, and the pepper flakes until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, season generously with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes so they start to soften and lose their shape. Fold in all but 2 Tbs. oft he parsley.
5. Finish cooking the pasta until it’s just tender, about 10 minutes total. Drain the pasta, put it in a large serving bowl, and toss with the tomato mixture, half of the breadcrumbs, and 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Taste for salt and pepper. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 Tbs. of the remaining oil and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and parsley. Serve immediately
6. Cool penne with olives, capers & feta
Ingredients
*Kosher salt
*12 oz. dried penne
*7 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
*7 Tbs. red-wine vinegar
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*Freshly ground black pepper
*1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
*1 cup thinly sliced red onion
*3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, very coarsely chopped
*5 Tbs. drained capers
*1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
*1 small yellow or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
*1 pint tiny cherry tomatoes (red or yellow or a mix) or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
*8 oz. feta, crumbled
*Fresh oregano sprigs, for garnish
Directions
1. In a large pot, bring 6 quarts water and 2 Tbs. salt to a boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente,10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss it immediately with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Let it cool completely in the refrigerator.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 6 Tbs. olive oil with the vinegar and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the penne,the chopped oregano, onion, olives, capers, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes.(At this point, you can refrigerate the pasta for up to a few hours.) To serve, add the feta and stir until just combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Turn the pasta into a serving bowl and garnish with the oregano sprigs.
