When you don't have time to cook, pasta is always a good idea. Sure, aglio, oglio, e pepperoncini (garlic, oil, and chili pepper) is the obvious dish, but dozens of homemade pasta sauce recipes don't require much time – or ingredients, for that matter. Read on for six simple pasta sauce recipes that come together quickly and easily.
Pistachio pesto
For this Sicilian recipe, you'll need:
4 oz. fresh pistachios
4 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano
½ lemon
1 bunch of parsley
extra-virgin olive oil
To begin, place the pistachios in a mixer and chop them. Add the Parmigiano, the grated rind of the ½ lemon, and the chopped parsley. Stir, pouring in the extra-virgin olive oil. Dilute with 2 - 3 Tbsp. pasta cooking water before combining with the pasta.
Caper and olive pasta sauce
Ingredients
1 lb. cherry tomatoes
12 salted capers
15 pitted olives
1 shallot, chopped
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
red pepper flakes to taste
Wash the capers under running water to desalinate them. Combine with 4 olives and chop them together into small pieces. Fry the chopped shallot in a pan with oil. Add the chopped capers and olives. In the meantime, cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the sautéed capers and olives. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the olives and whole capers. If you like, add the red pepper flakes. Once ready, combine with the pasta and enjoy your meal!
Long live tuna
Follow the above recipe, adding a can of tuna.
Asparagus pasta sauce
Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus
1 clove of garlic
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Clean the asparagus, removing the hard ends of the stalks and peeling them with a potato peeler. Cut the stalks into 2 cm pieces, keeping the tips intact. Meanwhile, in a pan with a drizzle of oil, brown the peeled garlic clove and the thinly sliced onion. Let it brown and add the asparagus stalks. Smoke with a cup of white wine and add salt and pepper to taste. Towards the end of cooking, add the asparagus tips and fry in the pan for a few minutes. After 10 minutes, the asparagus should be tender. Add it to the pasta and stir vigorously to blend well.
Sausage and mushroom pasta sauce
Ingredients
7 oz. sausage or smoked guanciale, pancetta, or bacon
12 oz. mixed mushrooms
7 oz. frozen peas
2 Tbsp. tomato purée
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Parmigiano, grated to taste
Sauté the chopped onion in a pan with 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. In the meantime, dice the sausage or bacon, add it to the onion, blend with white wine, and brown well. Once the wine has evaporated, add the tomato purée, salt, and pepper.
Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth – don't place them under running water. Add the mushrooms to the sauce, along with the peas. Add some water to lengthen the sauce and let simmer for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt and cook the pasta. Drain the pasta when it's al dente, and add it to the pan with the sauce. Add the cooking cream and the grated Parmigiano, and mix well.
Zucchini Pesto
This simple substitute for pesto alla Genovese can be made by boiling the zucchini, then placing it in a mixer with pine nuts and Pecorino. Blend until smooth. combine with the pasta and serve.