Pasta Recipes: Easy Pasta Dishes and Still Be A Proud Italian Grandmother!

Pasta recipes are a staple in every Italian home. The best pasta recipes don't have to take hours to cook. For family gatherings on the holidays, yes, but for everyday meals a 30 minute prep and cooking time is alright. As long as it tastes amazing and gives everyone that warm, fuzzy feeling, you will not lose your standing as the matriarch of the family!

Pasta with chicken has few ingredients, is quick, easy, and budget friendly. If you make this for your family, I promise that it will become a favorite! I use linguine with this recipe.

1. 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces or 1 inch square shapes

2. 6 - 8 cloves of garlic, finely diced or put through your garlic press
3. 1 teaspoon of ground, black pepper
4. 1 rounded teaspoon of salt, or more to taste
5. 4 Tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
6. 2 28 - 30 ounce cans of diced tomatoes - any store brand is fine
7. 1 can of water
8. 1 pound of your favorite pasta - I swear by Barilla pasta and will not use any other brand. It is the best! For this recipe, I use linguine, but you can use your family's favorite. The pasta should be cooked as directed on the package. Start your pasta pot when you turn the chicken.

In your sauce pot (at least an 8 quart pot with a lid), heat the olive oil over a medium high heat and then add your chicken pieces in a single layer. Sprinkle the pepper, making sure that each piece of chicken has some pepper on it. Don't worry about the pepper and your kids. The cooking process mellows the taste and they shouldn't find it overpowering at all. My 2 year old and 8 year old grandkids have never noticed it.

When the bottom of the chicken looks like it has a little bit of a crust on it, turn the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Just saute the garlic lightly. The smell will let you know how long; usually a couple of minutes until it is tender. Add the tomatoes, fill up one of the tomato cans with water and pour that into the pot. As you add the tomatoes, scrape the little bits of chicken off of the bottom of the pot. Add the salt, stir thoroughly and bring this mixture to a boil.

Lower the heat to a heavy simmer and put the lid on the pot. Make sure you stir this every 5 minutes. This will also give you an opportunity to make sure that you have a heavy simmer, but not a full rolling boil. Allow this to cook until your pasta pot has come to a boil and your linguine is cooked, usually about 20 minutes.

When the pasta is finished cooking, turn the heat off under the sauce and give it a quick taste to see if it needs a little more salt. Drain the pasta and return it to the pasta pot. Add some of the chicken and sauce to the pasta. Mix. Serve this right from the stove, if you like. Put some pasta on the plate and top it with more sauce and chicken pieces.

If you prefer to serve this at the table, just mix all of the pasta with all of the sauce and put it into your favorite pasta bowl.

This is wonderful sprinkled with some parmesan cheese and served with garlic toast and a small green salad! It will serve at least 4 hungry adults and you may have some leftovers for lunch the next day.

Update: November 16, 2010. Originally, I had three recipes in this hub. Or so I thought! I just re-read the hub and noticed that these were gone! Maybe I did not press the save button when I originally wrote it, but I apologize to anyone who was expecting pasta recipes, not just one! Again, my apologies!

Linguine Aglio Olio or Linguine with Garlic and Oil.

1. 1 pound of Barilla linguine
2. 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup of olive oil
3. 6 - 8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4. 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
5. salt to taste
6. 1 cup of pasta water
7. Parmesan cheese, as desired, I use Kraft

Start your pasta pot. When it boils, add a generous amount of salt and drop your pasta. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and the red pepper flakes. Saute the garlic gently, so that it doesn't burn. You really just want to infuse the garlic into the oil. When the house smells like an Italian restaurant, you can either take the garlic out with a slotted spoon or leave it in. Ladle a cup of the pasta water into a measuring cup, just in case you want a saucier pasta. I don't use pasta water, just the oil. If you want to use the pasta water, add it to the oil and stir it in. Drain the pasta. Return to the pasta pot and pour the hot oil over it. Take a pair of tongs and mix thoroughly. Now is when you would also add some salt. Serve this at the table with Parmesan cheese and a small green salad. This will feed four people easily. This is what most Italian babies are given when they are small. A little less garlic, but all Italian toddlers love this one! As they become adults, it is still an Italian favorite!

Linguine Alla Ceci or Linguine with Garbanzo Beans

1. 1 pound of Barilla linguine
2. 1/3 of a cup of olive oil
3. 6 - 8 cloves of garlic
4. 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
5. 1 teaspoon of salt
6. 1 cup of chicken broth
7. 1 can of garbanzo beans (14 ounces)
8. 1 can of diced tomatoes (14 ounces)
9. 1 cup of pasta water (optional)
10. Parmesan cheese, as desired, I use Kraft

Heat your pasta pot with water. When the water is boiling, add some salt and drop your pasta. In the meantime, put the olive oil in a skillet. Drain the garbanzo beans and put them and the garlic into you food processor. A few quick pulses is all this needs. Add the beans and garlic to the heated oil, along with the red pepper flakes. Saute the garbanzo beans in the oil for about 5 minutes, then add the can of tomatoes, the chicken broth and about a teaspoon of salt. Heat to a simmer. Prior to draining the pasta, take out a cup of the pasta water and add it to the tomato and bean sauce if you want a creamier sauce. Drain the pasta and return it to the pasta pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and with tongs, thoroughly mix together. Serve at the table with Parmesan cheese and a green salad. This will serve four as a main dish and takes less than 30 minutes.