Pasta with Garlic Breadcrumbs (Pasta con pangrattato) by kathy vegas

This thrifty pasta dish is from an era when clever home cooks had to feed large families and meat and cheese was too expensive and often hard to come by. Bread was always on hand and stale bread was never wasted. Stale bread shows up in many classic Italian soups, pastas and even deserts. Crisp, savory breadcrumbs are the star in this…

Simple Pasta with Garlic & Olive Oil by John Spottiswood

This is a classic recipe that is so simple to make but always delicious. You can serve this as a side dish to any grilled meat or vegetable entree. It can also stand on it's own or be paired with a salad for a light lunch or dinner. It's a great, easy recipe to add to your list of staples. Using a good olive oil is key here. I…

Spaetzle by John Spottiswood

This is a simple and delicious recipe for Spaetzle. My friend Helmut normally does not add oil to his Spaetzle, but we did last night because it said to on the recipe on our Spaetzle maker. I think it helped make the dough slightly easier to work with and less sticky. Feel free to do without if you prefer.

Top SF Chronicle Recipe: Pasta with Broccoli and Spicy Sausage by John Spottiswood

Our good friend Linda Hansen saved this top recipe from the SF Chronicle in 2004 and it has become one of her and our favorites. It was created at the Last Supper Club restaurant in San Francisco. We've adapted the pasta, broccoli, and sausage…

Pasta with Spinach, Ricotta, Ham by John Spottiswood

This is one of our family staples. It is healthy and delicious! Two of our kids say it is their favorite dish. We've adapted it from Marcella Hazan. It's easy to throw together and great the next day too.

Pasta a risotto (Risotto-style Pasta) by Frank Fariello

One of the guilty pleasures that I have never, up to now, revealed to a living soul is my penchant for late-night pasta snacks. But not just any pasta, but pastina of the kind usually used for soups, cooked in just enough liquid (usually a mixture of water and milk) so that by the time the liquid has almost evaporated, the pasta if…

Superfast Summer Sauce for ? by Amos Miller

It's hot, you're hungry, you don't want to spend more than a few minutes at the stove. You have a main dish in mind. Try this. I use this quick sauce on a pasta, on grilled veggies, on a seared or grilled thin cut of meat - even on shrimp. Use your imagination! The key is that ALL ingredients hit the hot oil at the same time.…

Pennette with Butternut Squash Purée and Sorrento Walnuts by Frank Fariello

This easy and delicious recipe by Neapolitan chef Inghemarck Guida highlights the unique taste of Sorrento walnuts. Of course, if you can't get Sorrento walnuts, this dish will work with 'regular' walnuts--just make sure they are still fresh and flavorful. The original recipe calls for 'zucca' which is Italian for pumpkin. But…

Pasta capperi, olive, anchovy by Paola Polati

This is a mediterranean sauce for pasta, it's very simple. As you may know from my profile I don't use garlic and onion, but I will write the recipe for garlic "lover" also. Salt warning: I buy salted capers, before use them I wash them to remove the salt grains, and I leave the capers in a cup with water for 10 minutes. Anchovy are…

Skinny and Delicious Chicken and Eggplant Pasta for 326 Calories! by Skinny Kitchen with Nancy Fox

We know it’s a mouthful but we’re talking real Italian comfort food here. Most Italian sauces take hours simmering on the stovetop. Not here… The beauty of this fabulous pasta dish is this flavorful sauce comes together in about 30 minutes. In fact,…

Simple Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms and Tomatoes by John Spottiswood

This is one of those simple recipes that are almost embarrassing to put on this website. But this was really tasty and healthy, and our kids devoured it. I have everything being prepared in parallel, so the whole dish takes less than 25 minutes start to finish. If you're tight on time, this is a winner!

Pappardelle Pasta with Porcini Mushrooms by gaetano ricci

Lemon-butter Linguini with Peppery Shirmp by John Spottiswood

It always surprises me when black pepper is used in such quantity that it makes a dish truly spicy, since we so often use it as a mild addititve. That's the case with this dish. The black pepper generates a welcome heat which is cut nicely by the lemony pasta. You'll enjoy this one! Adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light.

Spaghetti with Seafood in Tomato and Herb sauce by John Spottiswood

A colleague of mine brought in some fresh oregano, marjoram, and Italian parsley from his garden, so I looked for a fresh herb pasta recipe. I changed the herbs up a bit to use what I had, substituted prawns for mussels, and ended up with a delicious pasta. As long as you get the basics of this sauce right, you can mess around with…

Pasta with Sauteed Vegetables, Olive Oil & Tomato Sauce by John Spottiswood

Simple and truly delicious. If you like tasty, fresh, and healthy food, this is likely to become a staple for you.