Italian pasta has long been included in our daily diet. Today you do not need to go to a restaurant to enjoy this dish, since there are many homemade recipes. You can cook your own pasta with cream and cheese, as well as chicken, bacon, mushrooms and other ingredients.
Tomato paste
This is one of the easiest pasta recipes. Its peculiarity lies in the use of cherry tomatoes, as they are always sweeter and juicier and contain more pectin than regular large tomatoes. All these factors mean that it is cherry that is ideal for making a thick and aromatic sauce. This recipe for Italian pasta will require you to have only four ingredients and about 10 minutes of free time. So you need to:
- 450 grams of dried pasta;
- salt;
- 4 small garlic cloves, finely chopped;
- 6 tablespoons (or 90 ml) of olive oil (extra-virgin only);
- 750 grams of cherry tomatoes;
- 30 grams of fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- Parmesan cheese.
How to make this simple dish?
The pasta recipe (see photo of the finished dish below) is simple, and the cooking process is as follows. Place the pasta in a deep frying pan or pan, pour water with a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil at high temperature, stirring occasionally. Boil until they reach the al dente stage. This takes about 1 minute less time than indicated on the instructions.
Meanwhile, heat the garlic and four tablespoons of olive oil in a separate frying pan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Garlic must be softened, but not roasted. Add the tomatoes and simmer, stirring regularly, until they begin to burst. At this stage, crush them with a wooden spoon or spatula. Continue cooking until the sauce is thick and uniform, for about five minutes. Stir with basil and season to your taste with pepper and salt.
When the pasta is cooked, drain the water, but leave 1 cup of broth separately. Put them in the sauce and increase the heat to medium. Stew, stirring constantly, adding a little pasta broth if necessary to adjust the density. As you can see, this is the simplest recipe for pasta. At home, every housewife can master it. Remove the finished dish from the heat, mix with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve immediately.
Classic Spaghetti Bolognese
This is a classic recipe for Italian pasta, using minced meat.
For him you need:
- 450 grams of raw spaghetti;
- one not too large bulb;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 450 grams of raw ground beef;
- 800 ml of fresh tomato puree (can be made using a blender);
- 20 grams of grated pecorino cheese;
- half a glass of milk;
- basil leaves.
How to cook a classic pasta bolognese?
This pasta recipe is also quite simple, the cooking process itself is not complicated. Bring the pot of water to a boil and boil the spaghetti. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
Grind the onion and garlic cloves. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep frying pan. Place chopped onions, garlic and salt (half a teaspoon). Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put the ground beef in a pan and cook for five minutes. Add tomato puree, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Everything, the preparation of pasta bolognese according to the recipe presented above is actually finished.
Put the grated pecorino cheese and pour half a glass of milk. Add the boiled spaghetti and mix as thoroughly as possible. Serve with fresh basil and extra grated pecorino.
Another option
There are a lot of recipes for pasta with minced meat, since such a dish is prepared quickly. For this version of the dish you will need:
For the sauce:
- 50 grams of butter;
- a third glass of flour (simple);
- 2 cups of medium fat milk.
For pasta:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (unrefined);
- 1 onion, finely chopped;
- 1 clove of garlic, minced;
- 300 grams of ground beef;
- 400 grams of finely chopped tomatoes;
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste;
- 300 grams of medium-sized pasta (any);
- 20 grams of butter, melted;
- half a glass of grated parmesan;
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten.
Cooking pasta with beef
Heat the oil in a deep skillet over low heat. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic. Cook it for about 1 minute until you can smell it. Further, the preparation of pasta according to the recipe is as follows.
Add minced meat and fry it, breaking pieces, 8-10 minutes. Put the tomatoes and tomato paste, and cook for another 15 minutes, until the mass becomes thick.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot in salt water. Drain and leave the pasta in the pan. Stir in butter and half parmesan.
To make a white sauce, melt the oil in a pan over low heat. Pour in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until the bubbles begin to rise. Gradually add milk, stirring until the mass is thick and homogeneous. Boil for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Oil heat-resistant dishes. Add the egg to the pasta and stir. Place half of this mixture in the prepared container. Cover with minced meat, put the remaining pasta on top. Pour all over with white sauce and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
Pasta with pesto and chicken
Chicken pasta is a hearty meal that combines protein and vegetables, it is simple and healthy, it is easy to cook. If you wish, you can add any vegetables you like to this dish. The basic chicken pasta recipe requires the following ingredients:
- 750 grams of cooked chicken breast (3 large fillets), sliced;
- several small carrots;
- 1 head of broccoli, divided into inflorescences;
- 1 large red pepper, chopped;
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped;
- a quarter cup of pesto sauce (homemade or canned);
- 450 grams of pasta of your choice;
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced in minced meat;
- sea salt and pepper;
- olive oil;
- Fresh grated parmesan cheese.
How to cook chicken and vegetable pasta ?
Stew the carrots in a large pan with a spoonful of olive oil and about a quarter glass of water. It takes about 15 minutes, cook under the lid. Add onions, broccoli, red pepper and garlic to the carrots and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
Boil the pasta until cooked. Then drain and put in them a tablespoon of olive oil and pesto, mix well.
Add cooked chicken to a pan with vegetables. Simmer until all excess liquid has evaporated. Put this mixture in pasta and mix, pepper and salt. The process of making pasta according to the recipe presented by us can be considered complete. Serve the dish by adding Parmesan cheese to the paste.
Spinach and mushroom pasta
Light spinach, mushrooms and pasta are ideal for a midweek lunch or a family weekend dinner. Below are recipe pasta and photo dishes.
It is recommended to use champignons for this dish, but you can take any mushrooms that you like. All you need:
For the sauce:
- 50 grams of unsalted butter;
- half a glass of plain flour;
- half a glass of milk;
- one and a half glasses of chicken broth;
- a quarter of a teaspoon of onion powder;
- the same amount of garlic powder;
- a quarter teaspoon of dried thyme;
- 0.5 tsp salt.
For pasta:
- 200 grams of pasta;
- 1 tablespoon olive oil;
- 2 garlic cloves, minced;
- half onion, chopped;
- 250 grams of champignons, sliced;
- 1 small spinach, chopped;
- one and a half glasses of milk;
- teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves, plus an extra for serving;
- 3/4 cup grated cheddar.
How to cook
The recipe for pasta with mushrooms is as follows. First of all, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add flour. Stir to create a paste. Simmer for about a minute. Pour in the milk and broth and stir until the mixture forms a thick and uniform sauce.
Gradually add onion and garlic powder, thyme and salt. Fry, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Cook the pasta and drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep, heat-resistant frying pan at high temperature. Add garlic and onion. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Stir them and fry them for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and mix with spinach.
Add the pasta to the mushroom mixture. Pour sauce and mix thoroughly. Flatten the surface with a spoon, sprinkle with a layer of cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve the pasta with an additional sprinkle of thyme.
Shrimp and Bacon Garlic Pasta
If you are looking for a great pasta dish, opt for shrimp and bacon pasta. Creamy sauce and vegetables make it unusually juicy and satisfying. All you need:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil;
- 500 grams of large shrimp, raw and peeled;
- 1 tsp smoked paprika;
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs;
- 4 medium tomatoes, cut into large pieces;
- 5 garlic cloves, minced in minced meat;
- 5 strips of bacon, diced;
- 0.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes;
- 300 ml cream;
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated;
- 170 grams of young spinach;
- 500 grams of penne pasta;
- half a glass of parmesan cheese optionally for serving;
- sea salt and pepper.
How to make shrimp paste?
The pasta recipe with bacon and shrimp will require some time-consuming, and you should start with the preparation of protein components. In a large frying pan at high temperature, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add shrimp and fry on one side at high temperature for 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt, paprika and Italian seasoning on top. Turn the shrimp over and fry on the other side for 1 minute until pink. Remove from heat.
In the same pan, fry the pieces of bacon until golden and almost crisp. Put on a plate.
Combine chopped tomatoes, garlic, half bacon and chopped red pepper flakes. Cook for about a minute, stirring over medium heat. Add cream and bring to a boil, then season to taste. Put the parmesan cheese, reduce the heat to medium and stir until the cheese has completely melted and the sauce becomes homogeneous. Reduce heat to a minimum, add spinach, simmer under the lid. Remove the lid as soon as it fades and mix the sauce.
Meanwhile, boil bring a large pot of salted water, add pasta and cook according to the instructions. Drain, then add the cooked pasta to the sauce, mix well. Add the shrimp and remaining bacon, season with salt and red pepper flakes and serve with the addition of extra Parmesan cheese.
Gentle Pasta Recipe
Cream, especially thick ones, can change the taste of any dish. And in combination with bacon, you get a completely interesting taste. For this dish, use small pasta. To make a cream pasta with this recipe, you need to have:
- 450 grams of Orzo Pasta or other small pasta;
- 1 cup whipped cream oily;
- half a glass of parmesan cheese;
- 1 cup bacon, diced;
- half of the onion;
- 2 tablespoons oils;
- salt.
How to make a creamy paste?
Boil the pasta until almost cooked.
In a deep pan with butter, caramelize onions. Add the chopped bacon into it and gradually pour in the cream, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil. Put cooked pasta in a pan, sprinkle with cheese. Mix everything thoroughly, pepper and salt to taste. Serve right away. It is best to keep the dish warm.
If you wish, you can add any additional ingredients to this dish. So, champignons or similar mushrooms, chicken breast, seafood and much more are perfect. You can put these products either additionally or replace bacon with any of them.
As a satisfying filler, you can use egg yolks. The main thing is not to add products with a sharp or sour taste, as this will violate the creamy texture of the dish.