Ciao! Do you long to bring the flavors of Italy to your family’s table? Authentic Italian meals are easier to dish up than you may think. Fresh ingredients mixed with store-bought staples are the key to keeping it simple, while that special Italian touch makes it delicious. Stay in tonight, and read on to learn how you can make restaurant-quality Italian meals in your very own kitchen!
Spaghetti And Meatballs With Homemade Sauce
Without a doubt, Spaghetti and Meatballs can be found on every Italian restaurant menu, often with a hefty price tag. There is much to love about this quintessential Italian meal, so why not make your own for a fraction of the price? We guarantee yours will taste just as good, if not better than what you’d get eating out!
Keep things easy by using store-bought spaghetti, cooked al dente according to package directions, but skip the pre-made, jarred sauce and make your own instead! In a stockpot, sauté half a diced onion and two cloves of crushed garlic in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add two cans of crushed tomatoes and two tablespoons of tomato paste and stir well. Toss in some fresh chopped basil (or a sprinkling of dried), plus some salt and pepper to taste, and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add a pound of ground beef, ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, a teaspoon of salt, a sprinkling of garlic powder, and one large egg. Using your hands, gently pinch the ingredients together until evenly blended. Roll about two tablespoons of your meat mixture into a ball, and repeat until all the meat is used. Arrange your meatballs evenly spaced on a baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes or until cooked thoroughly and nicely browned.
Top your spaghetti with meatballs and a generous amount of sauce, and enjoy!
Chicken Piccata
Sure, you can slice chicken breasts in half and pound them thin, but you can also buy thinly sliced chicken breasts to save time. Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with a good inch of olive oil. Dredge your chicken in a mixture of ½ cup of flour and salt and pepper to taste. Cook your chicken breasts evenly on each side over medium heat, and set aside.
Melt 4 tablespoon of butter in the sauté pan, and add 1/ cup of chicken broth, ½ cup dry white wine (we recommend Pino Grigio), and the freshly squeezed juice of a large lemon or two. Simmer and reduce slightly, scraping the flavorful brown bits at the bottom of the pan as you go.
Top linguini, cooked al dente according to package directions, with your chicken and lemony sauce. Add a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and some capers and dig in!
Spinach Lasagna
To save time, start with no-boil lasagna noodles. Defrost frozen chopped spinach and squeeze out all the liquid. Whip up some more of your homemade tomato sauce and set aside. In a large bowl, combine a large tub of Ricotta cheese with ½ cup of Parmesan cheese and the spinach.
Coat a 9×13 baking dish with tomato sauce, then top with a layer of no-boil lasagna noodles. Spread some of the cheese mixture evenly on top, and then drizzle on some more sauce. Sprinkle on a handful of shredded Mozzarella cheese, and repeat your layers until you reach the top of the baking dish, skipping the cheese at the top.
Cover with foil and bake in a 375-degree oven for 50-60 minutes. Remove the foil and top you lasagna with a generous amount of shredded Mozzarella. Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and becomes gooey. Mangia, Mangia!
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