Any pasta recipes that are simple yet delicious?
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GinnyPNW
Master Chef
I would suggest an internet search for "no cook pasta sauce". There are a ton of them! I have a book of them that I love! It is out of print, but can sometimes be found, used. Joie Warner's No-Cook Pasta Sauces. In this book, most of the recipes are made by starting a pot of water to cook the pasta and then using a metal (or other suitable) bowl as a vessel for your sauce ingredients and then placing that bowl over the pot that is heating for the pasta. This warms the ingredients enough to make your "sauce".
One of my favorites is just a bunch of ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped, some butter, salt, pepper and fresh basil, warmed...delicious!
One of my favorites is just a bunch of ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped, some butter, salt, pepper and fresh basil, warmed...delicious!
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
I would look at it more like a process or formula than a recipe.
Ingredients:
1 24-32 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce or equivalent size can of crushed tomatoes.
1 pound of meat.
1 pound of pasta.
Assorted vegetables.
Assorted herbs and spices.
Grated cheese.
Brown one pound of meat in a tablespoon of oil and set a side. It could be ground beef, boneless skinless chicken breasts, pork chops, sausages, etc…
In the same pan sweat chopped/sliced vegetables in a tablespoon of oil until soft. I usually have minced onion and minced garlic. I sometimes add mushrooms, zucchini, celery, carrots, bell pepper, or baby spinach. Use what you like or what you happen to have on hand.
Add seasonings or season as you go. I use salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. If you are using a seasoned jar sauce you may be content with only adding a little salt and pepper.
Add back meat and tomato sauce.
Simmer covered over low heat until
meat is cooked through, 10-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.
Cook 1/2 to 1 pound of pasta according
to package directions and drain.
Combine pasta with sauce and serve with grated cheese.
The sauce can be frozen in meal size portions for future meals. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to reheating.
Good luck!
Ingredients:
1 24-32 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce or equivalent size can of crushed tomatoes.
1 pound of meat.
1 pound of pasta.
Assorted vegetables.
Assorted herbs and spices.
Grated cheese.
Brown one pound of meat in a tablespoon of oil and set a side. It could be ground beef, boneless skinless chicken breasts, pork chops, sausages, etc…
In the same pan sweat chopped/sliced vegetables in a tablespoon of oil until soft. I usually have minced onion and minced garlic. I sometimes add mushrooms, zucchini, celery, carrots, bell pepper, or baby spinach. Use what you like or what you happen to have on hand.
Add seasonings or season as you go. I use salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. If you are using a seasoned jar sauce you may be content with only adding a little salt and pepper.
Add back meat and tomato sauce.
Simmer covered over low heat until
meat is cooked through, 10-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.
Cook 1/2 to 1 pound of pasta according
to package directions and drain.
Combine pasta with sauce and serve with grated cheese.
The sauce can be frozen in meal size portions for future meals. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to reheating.
Good luck!
Last edited:
larry_stewart
Master Chef
Here are 3 that are primarily garlic/ oil based :
Linguini with fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese ( room temp)
- Cook linguini, drain, cool
- Heat up some oil, add minced garlic ( 4 -6 cloves) heat, but dont burn. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Dice fresh tomatoes ( 3 -4 cups), Place in bowl. Add a little salt, mix, and let sit.
- About a cup of chopped or torn basil ( do the last minute or to will discolor)
- If adding mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes.
Assembly:
- In a larger bowl, add tomatoes , oil and garlic , chopped or ripped basil, mix and salt to taste
- Add pasta ( not all at once, want to make sure there is enough sauce for the amount of pasta. I usually add about 1/2 t0 3/4 of the past, then a little at a time after that until Im satisfied with the ratio.
- Mix, taste, salt as needed. Add cheese at the end. If the cheese is added too early, it becomes a little pasty.
Pasta with spinach and feta cheese ( cold/ room temp)
1 box of farfalle pasta ( bowties ), cook, drain and cool
4 - 6 cloves of garlic, minced, heated up in oil, dont let it burn, remove and cool to room temp
2 - 3 boxes of frozen chopped spinach. Defrost , and drain as much as you can. When you think you are done draining, drain it again ( I press it between 2 plastic plates). Set aside
1 block of feta cheese crumbled up
Salt as needed ( remember the feta is salty).
Add pasta to a large bowl
Add garlic/ oil to bowl, mix til all pasta coated
Add crumbled feta, mix, taste , salt to taste.
Add chopped spinach ( best way to do this is crumble it up by hand so it is not just one big clump of spinach. Mix
***I honestly mixed everything and crumble everything with my hands. Its much more efficient***
May need to add a little more oil.
If making ahead of time, may need to adjust / add salt prior to serving
Grilled veggie pasta ( could, room temp or warm)
1 box of those spiral pasta
4 - 6 cloves garlic , minced , heated in oil
Grilled veggies bite sized pieces: Asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, pepper, squash, mushrooms, onions ... Knock yourself out.
***Easier to grill first, cool a bit, then cut to smaller pieces afterwards, so they dont fall into the grill***
Mix pasta, garlic and oil in a large bowl, salt to taste, add chopped up grilled veggies, mix , taste again, done.
Sprinkle with parm cheese if you want.
I also do a pasta with broccoli ( I like the medium shell pasta). I do the garlic and oil as above. Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces, cook the pasta. About a minute or so before pasta is done, I'll throw the broccoli pieces in, they cook in the pasta water for the last minutes. Then drain all together. Drain it good, as broccoli absorbs a lot of water. Mine with the garlic/ oil. Salt to taste.
I do another one with brussel sprouts. Cut sprouts in 1/2, fry in oil til outer leaves get crispy and slightly charred. Salt a bit. Cook pasta, drain, mix with garlic/ oil, salt, add some oregano, parm cheese, mx all together .
Mushrooms with pappardelle pasta
Cook pappardelle pasta in water, drain, set aside
Slide mushrooms ( not too thin).
Add oil to deep pan, fry up mushrooms till they brown a bit, add 2 -3 minced garlic. Stir for a few minutes. Salt a bit. At pasta to pan with mushroom. mix until until well mixed. The wetness of the pasta will kind of deglaze the pan a bit, allowing the mushroom and garlic flavors to coat the pasta. Serve with some parm cheese on top.
All of these are off the top of my head, which explained the non-exact measurements.
Linguini with fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese ( room temp)
- Cook linguini, drain, cool
- Heat up some oil, add minced garlic ( 4 -6 cloves) heat, but dont burn. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Dice fresh tomatoes ( 3 -4 cups), Place in bowl. Add a little salt, mix, and let sit.
- About a cup of chopped or torn basil ( do the last minute or to will discolor)
- If adding mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes.
Assembly:
- In a larger bowl, add tomatoes , oil and garlic , chopped or ripped basil, mix and salt to taste
- Add pasta ( not all at once, want to make sure there is enough sauce for the amount of pasta. I usually add about 1/2 t0 3/4 of the past, then a little at a time after that until Im satisfied with the ratio.
- Mix, taste, salt as needed. Add cheese at the end. If the cheese is added too early, it becomes a little pasty.
Pasta with spinach and feta cheese ( cold/ room temp)
1 box of farfalle pasta ( bowties ), cook, drain and cool
4 - 6 cloves of garlic, minced, heated up in oil, dont let it burn, remove and cool to room temp
2 - 3 boxes of frozen chopped spinach. Defrost , and drain as much as you can. When you think you are done draining, drain it again ( I press it between 2 plastic plates). Set aside
1 block of feta cheese crumbled up
Salt as needed ( remember the feta is salty).
Add pasta to a large bowl
Add garlic/ oil to bowl, mix til all pasta coated
Add crumbled feta, mix, taste , salt to taste.
Add chopped spinach ( best way to do this is crumble it up by hand so it is not just one big clump of spinach. Mix
***I honestly mixed everything and crumble everything with my hands. Its much more efficient***
May need to add a little more oil.
If making ahead of time, may need to adjust / add salt prior to serving
Grilled veggie pasta ( could, room temp or warm)
1 box of those spiral pasta
4 - 6 cloves garlic , minced , heated in oil
Grilled veggies bite sized pieces: Asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, pepper, squash, mushrooms, onions ... Knock yourself out.
***Easier to grill first, cool a bit, then cut to smaller pieces afterwards, so they dont fall into the grill***
Mix pasta, garlic and oil in a large bowl, salt to taste, add chopped up grilled veggies, mix , taste again, done.
Sprinkle with parm cheese if you want.
I also do a pasta with broccoli ( I like the medium shell pasta). I do the garlic and oil as above. Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces, cook the pasta. About a minute or so before pasta is done, I'll throw the broccoli pieces in, they cook in the pasta water for the last minutes. Then drain all together. Drain it good, as broccoli absorbs a lot of water. Mine with the garlic/ oil. Salt to taste.
I do another one with brussel sprouts. Cut sprouts in 1/2, fry in oil til outer leaves get crispy and slightly charred. Salt a bit. Cook pasta, drain, mix with garlic/ oil, salt, add some oregano, parm cheese, mx all together .
Mushrooms with pappardelle pasta
Cook pappardelle pasta in water, drain, set aside
Slide mushrooms ( not too thin).
Add oil to deep pan, fry up mushrooms till they brown a bit, add 2 -3 minced garlic. Stir for a few minutes. Salt a bit. At pasta to pan with mushroom. mix until until well mixed. The wetness of the pasta will kind of deglaze the pan a bit, allowing the mushroom and garlic flavors to coat the pasta. Serve with some parm cheese on top.
All of these are off the top of my head, which explained the non-exact measurements.
Attachments
Jade Emperor
Sous Chef
Why?
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Alfredo:
Fettuccine - cook
parm. reg. - grate
butter - melt
Pepper - grind
Fettuccine - cook
parm. reg. - grate
butter - melt
Pepper - grind
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
Don’t judge me! 
larry_stewart
Master Chef
I used to eat the cheese ravioli's right out of the can ( unheated of course). Did the same with spaghettios.
larry_stewart
Master Chef
Once, at a wedding, they offered pasta primavera. It was all I could eat , so I figured, here we go again, but they put a little twist on it. Instead of garlic and oil or red sauce based, they made a simple, lemon flavored sauce which worked well. Basically it was a chicken-like stock, with a squirt of lemon juice in it. Thickened with a butter/ flour mix, and a few slivers of garlic. I don't remember if it had heavy cream in it or not, but that would definitely work. The veggies were basic ( mushrooms, strignbeans, squash, carrots..), and I think they used a spaghetti. I still make a version of this when I have all the veggies on hand, want to clean the produce drawer , and want something quick and easy. For health reasons, I have to watch my carbs intake, so now I make a " Primavera pasta". instead of " Pasta primavera". Bottom line is, more veggies than pasta . Here I tossed in, in addition to the basics, artichoke hearts, asparagus and sun dried tomatoes.
Attachments
GinnyPNW
Master Chef
Rigatoni with a bit of pesto makes a wonderful dish, hot or cold! Cold, it is a nice "salad" to serve at pot lucks too...no mayo to spoil.
Kathleen
Cupcake
Look for a Wonderpot recipe. In one pot, brown meat, add everything including dry pasta, stir a few times as it cooks and serve. The one linked is very easy and very good.
I was going to mention fettuccine Alfredo.
I used to make the creamy version, but now I make the classic version. This link has both versions. I imagine they would be a good side dish. I have only made it as a main dish and served a salad on the side.
A Customizable Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe, Ready In Only 30 Minutes
Fettuccine Alfredo recipe two ways: the classic version with just butter and Parmesan or the creamy version that adds heavy cream to the mix. Try it both ways and decide which one you like the best!
Are you interested in a template for making a quick, easy, and tasty pasta dish? If so, are you willing to use fresh pasta to make the recipe extra quick? I'm asking because I only have this recipe from a link to a Danish cooking site, so it's in Danish. If you are interested, I will be happy to write it up in English.
Silversage
Head Chef
One of my easiest is to get a package of Boursin Cheese. It coumes in a couple falvors - pick one you like.
Chop up and/or cook assorted things to put in your pasta - mushrooms, onions, peppers, whatever you have in the fridge that strikes your fancy.
Cook you pasta. Toss in whatever veggies you selected. Crumble the cheese and stir.
The cheese melts into a delightful sauce, and the things you added make it into a meal. If the cheese is too thick and not 'saucy' enough, add a scoop of the pasta water and stirr it in.
Chop up and/or cook assorted things to put in your pasta - mushrooms, onions, peppers, whatever you have in the fridge that strikes your fancy.
Cook you pasta. Toss in whatever veggies you selected. Crumble the cheese and stir.
The cheese melts into a delightful sauce, and the things you added make it into a meal. If the cheese is too thick and not 'saucy' enough, add a scoop of the pasta water and stirr it in.
Badjak
Sous Chef
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2010
- Messages
- 554
Fry bacon, garlic and mushrooms.
Add creamed spinach.
Eat with spaghetti.
Very simple, very tasty.
Probably the firat time in my life I had spinach and actually liked it
Add creamed spinach.
Eat with spaghetti.
Very simple, very tasty.
Probably the firat time in my life I had spinach and actually liked it
Jade Emperor
Sous Chef
A lot of pasta dishes are very very simple in traditional Italian cooking.
For me, anything that I can make without needing an extruding machine gets fresh pasta which is simply better in my opinion.
Very easy to make a simple spaghetti with just pesto and olive oil.
Also you can get a can of tomatoes, heat with some fried garlic, thyme and basil and dump in some cooked pasta - quick and easy Spaghetti Marinara.
Google is your friend.
For me, anything that I can make without needing an extruding machine gets fresh pasta which is simply better in my opinion.
Very easy to make a simple spaghetti with just pesto and olive oil.
Also you can get a can of tomatoes, heat with some fried garlic, thyme and basil and dump in some cooked pasta - quick and easy Spaghetti Marinara.
Google is your friend.
I have Danish recipes that use some brand of Danish cream cheese with herbs. I substituted Boursin and it worked very well. But, I hadn't thought of doing that for pasta. I'll give that a try.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
I always have a can of mini ravioli on hand for emergencies. If there are just enough leftovers for one, Himself is the "one". I'm happy with the raviolis. I probably use them as a fall-back meal for me two, maybe three, times a year, but they work!
larry_stewart
Master Chef
I haven't made this in awhile, but we , in the past, made a one pot lo mein. Although not authentic Chinese restaurant quality, tasted pretty good in its own way.
One Pot Chicken Lo Mein - The Wholesome Dish
One Pot Chicken Lo Mein - Uncooked pasta, chicken, veggies, broth, and Asian seasonings are simmered together in a pot for an easy dinner recipe.
www.thewholesomedish.com
Another time, like 10 + years ago, I was watching Martha Stewart on TV. Alan Alda was her guest . Im not sure how they got on the topic of cooking, but he shared a recipe fora ' no boil' ziti with tomato sauce. You just mixed the dry pasta with olive oil in a large bowl., let it sit for a bit. Then, mix in 2 cans of crushed tomatoes , salt and pepper.. Mix, put in a large dish that can go in the oven, bake covered , and that was it. When done, serve with parmesan cheese. Although not a great dish, the pasta had more of a chewy consistency ( not in a bad way, just different , but again, I liked it in its own way. It was a different take on making pasta, and a recipe that can definitely be tweaked to your liking.
Baked Pasta with Tomatoes and Parmesan
In this method adapted from Giuilano Bugialli's "Classic Techniques of Italian Cooking," dry pasta such as penne or rigatoni bakes with fresh or canned tomatoes. The result: Deeply flavorful, tender, authentic Italian pasta destined to become a favorite.
How about a quick, simple, tasty Carbonara?
For 4 portions:
320gr spaghetti
4 eggs
150gr guanciale (not pancetta, but if you can't find guanciale, pancetta will do)
Grated Parmesan or "pecorino romano" which is the real original recipe (if you find it).
Salt and pepper.
Extra virgin oil (optional)
Fry chopped guanciale in a large pan, until crispy, but not burnt
. You shouldn't add oil as the guanciale will let out all the fat as it fries.
In the meantime, bring to the boil salted water in a large saucepan.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl, adding salt, pepper and grated cheese.
Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook until "Al dente".
Before straining the pasta, add a ladleful of pasta water to the guanciale.
Strain pasta, add to the guanciale, throw in the egg mixture, switch on the heat just for a few seconds and stir. You mustn't end up with "scrambled eggs", the pasta should remain creamy.
Hope you like it.
For 4 portions:
320gr spaghetti
4 eggs
150gr guanciale (not pancetta, but if you can't find guanciale, pancetta will do)
Grated Parmesan or "pecorino romano" which is the real original recipe (if you find it).
Salt and pepper.
Extra virgin oil (optional)
Fry chopped guanciale in a large pan, until crispy, but not burnt
. You shouldn't add oil as the guanciale will let out all the fat as it fries.
In the meantime, bring to the boil salted water in a large saucepan.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl, adding salt, pepper and grated cheese.
Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook until "Al dente".
Before straining the pasta, add a ladleful of pasta water to the guanciale.
Strain pasta, add to the guanciale, throw in the egg mixture, switch on the heat just for a few seconds and stir. You mustn't end up with "scrambled eggs", the pasta should remain creamy.
Hope you like it.
