Italian Cooking Made Easy For Busy Families

In today’s busy world it’s getting more difficult for families to find the time to sit down at the dinner table together. There's homework to do, deadlines to meet, and often very little time to breathe let alone cook a big meal! Italian cuisine may be intimidating because some of the meals look very time consuming. But, don't despair. There are ways to fit even Italian cooking into your schedule - and actually many Italian recipes are quite simple. Although there is no way to add any extra hours to the day, there are ways to take the stress out of cooking a big meal. Let's take a look at ideas to make the preparation quick and easy for families on the go.

Find Simple Go-To Recipes

Cover of How to Cook Italian

There are a ton of three and four ingredient Italian recipes out there. These meals require little preparation and time but end up tasting like you spent hours in the kitchen. You don’t have to waste a lot of time figuring out what spices and seasonings to use, and you don't have to travel to a dozen different specialty stores to find the ingredients. Let the freshness of a few simple, high-quality ingredients speak for themselves.

The dish most of us call 'spaghetti' literally requires only spaghetti pasta and sauce. Nothing more. You can embellish the sauce as much as you like, and have time for. But a sauce made Italian style would be very simple; tomatoes, seasonings, onion, garlic, and meat if you like. It takes less time to prepare this dish then it would to drive to and wait in line at a fast food place.

For hot weather, enjoy a quick cold Italian pasta salad. Use a sturdy pasta, like penne, and mix it with Italian salad dressing and olive oil, then add other ingredients you have on hand. You can toss in cooked chicken, seafood, onion, celery, bell peppers, and olives, then sprinkle with oregano or basil and Parmesan cheese and dinner is done, all in a matter of minutes. Keep a few basic ingredients on hand at all times and you can put together a pasta salad any time.

Put Your Slow Cooker to Work

The slow cooker has been around for quite some time helping busy families survive the hectic dinner hour. You can turn just about any Italian meal into a slow cooked feast with very little preparation. And that bit of preparation will pay off, because coming home to a meal that is ready to enjoy just eases that stress away.
Thinking again of our simple recipes, the slow cooker is the perfect way to prepare a sauce for your spaghetti meal. Throw in your ingredients, and, as they say, “set it and forget it.” When you come home, cook your spaghetti and dinner is ready. For the Italian pasta salad, put chicken in the slow cooker in the morning, seasoned with oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary, and when you come home it will be ready to cut up and toss into your cooked pasta. You can even make a simplified chicken cacciatore in the slow cooker using fresh marinara sauce, mushrooms, onion, celery, and Italian seasonings.

Although the slow cooker isn't well suited to cook most pasta, there are some recipes that work, such as lasagne using the large noodles. But, even if you have to cook the pasta for a meal when you come home, it takes only a few minutes. Put the pot on to boil, drop in the pasta, and by the time you've sorted the school backpacks and signed a few permission slips, the pasta is ready. Putting your slow cooker to work making Italian meals will not only help you maintain your sanity, but will allow you time to spend with your family instead of fretting over what to serve for dinner.

Healthy Meals Made Fast & Easy

If it seems like eating healthy takes too much time, take another look at Italian cooking. You might be surprised at how healthy Italian cuisine actually is. When you picture a plate of lasagne or spaghetti, the word 'healthy' may not be the first thing you think. However, when you break down the elements of a good Italian recipe, you find the ingredients to be quite healthy.

Spaghetti all' arrabbiata (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With ingredients like tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, celery, bell peppers, artichokes, olive oil, fresh herbs, seafood, fish, chicken, and lean meats, it's easy to see how healthy Italian cooking can be. But, can this healthy cooking be easy, too? Yes. By following the tips we've discussed – finding simple recipes and putting the slow cooker to work – you can put together a few healthy ingredients fast and have dinner ready when you are.

Now you can skip the fast food racket. Although fast food may seem like the quick and easy fix when you're short on time, in the long run it’s unhealthy and expensive. Instead, stock up on whole grain pastas, fresh or frozen vegetables, olive oil, and plenty of herbs and seasonings. You'll be able to whip up healthy Italian meals in minutes with just a few basic recipes.

And don't forget to involve your whole family in the cooking process. After all, the idea behind cooking fast and easy Italian meals is so you have more time to spend with your family. What better way to do that than having a little help in the kitchen? And what better way to enjoy meals that are both healthy and delicious than learning how to cook Italian style? You will be able to give your family the nutrition they need without taking away the hearty, rich taste everybody loves about Italian cuisine.

Be sure to check back here later this week for some delicious and simple Italian recipes!

These Cookbooks Contain Lots of Easy Italian Recipes:
     

Recipe: Linguine With Fresh Tomatoes And Avocado Cream Sauce

This delicious dish combines fresh flavors of tomato and lemon with the creamy indulgence of heart-healthy avocados for a taste treat that will fill you up and leave you satisfied, without having to over-eat.

Linguine With Fresh Tomatoes And Avocado Cream Sauce
(Serves 3-4.)

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Instructions:
1 (8 oz) pkg uncooked pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 avocados (must be very ripe)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:

• Fill a large pot with salted water, bring to a boil, add pasta and cook until just al dente. Ladle out at least 1 cup of cooking water into a saucepan and keep warm, then drain the pasta through a colander, return pasta to pot, pour in olive oil, toss to coat, and cover to keep warm; set aside.
• Clean and pit the avocados, scooping the flesh into a food processor.
• Add the lemon zest, lemon peel, garlic, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the food processor. 
• Process until smooth, then taste, add salt and pepper if needed, and pulse until blended well.Add more reserved pasta cooking water if the consistency is too thick, blending until smooth. You want a thick sauce consistency, not watery.
• Uncover the pot with the pasta in it, add the cut up tomatoes and the avocado sauce, toss to combine, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.  You may also like a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for a bit of heat.
• Serve warm in pasta bowls or plates.

Pasta Classics Pack Big Flavor In Small Portions

Being 1/2 Italian, pasta is one of my favorite things ever - and I'm not alone. Problem is, carbs, carbs, carbs. With so many people trying to eat healthier, even the thought of enjoying a pasta meal may seem to be literally off the table. A big plate of pasta smothered in rich sauce conjures up thoughts of an expanding belly, unbuttoned pants, and practically rolling out of the dining room to settle onto the couch and sink into a carbohydrate induced snooze.

Balsamic parmesan pasta (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But, pasta doesn't have to be a fat saturated, carbo-loaded meal. Actually, many of the more popular pasta dishes passed down from generation to generation weren't originally so extreme. Pasta dishes were meant to be rich in flavor, and not in bulk. Those healthy recipes have, through the years, been diluted down in flavor and heaped up into huge portions and fatty sauces - far from the light and flavorful Italian cuisine they originated from. 

What do we do to eat healthier pasta dishes?  Go back to the original recipes which were packed with flavor, keeping in mind quality more than quantity. Here are three pasta classics that are made to please your taste buds and your appetite without eating huge portions.

Vodka Penne

This is a ridiculously simple meal that has intense flavors so even a small portion will make a big impression on your taste buds without overwhelming your stomach.  To make this dish, choose a good quality marinara sauce (keep an eye on this blog for recipes), a cup of vodka, half a cup of room temperature heavy cream, a half cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and a pound of your favorite penne pasta, even whole wheat.  This recipe makes a lot of servings, so each portion only has a very little cream in it, translating to less than fifty calories from the cream.  But, the creaminess adds to the satisfaction, which again means smaller portions.

The marinara and vodka simmer in a skillet over low heat to cook out the alcohol but leave the flavor. About twenty minutes into the cooking process, the cream is added to give the sauce a rich creamy texture, which also cuts some of the acid from the tomatoes. Once the skillet comes back up to temperature, the Parmesan is stirred in until it melts. Meanwhile, the penne is cooked until al dente, then drained, dumped into the sauce and stirred to coat. A small plate is all you will need to satisfy your hunger due to the super flavor and creamy taste. And the leftovers are divine! 

Parmesan Prosciutto Cavatappi

This is  a nice light pasta dish that will become a go-to meal for your family because it's so easy to make and so tasty. All you need is cavatappi, which is a spiral shaped hollow pasta (my favorite pasta shape!), minced garlic, some fresh parsley, olive oil, thinly sliced prosciutto, and freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Cook the cavatappi according to directions, reserving about three tablespoons of the pasta water after cooking, then drain the pasta well. In a big skillet, add a little olive oil and cook the garlic for about a minute. Then add the reserved liquid, prosciutto and parsley, stir together, then add the cavatappi. Taste and add salt and pepper, then top with the shaved cheese and stir immediately to melt the cheese.  Serve hot with more shaved cheese on top if desired. This simple pasta dish is perfect for anyone who wants to do minimal work preparing a meal but enjoy maximum flavor.  And, again, this dish has such depth of flavor that you need only a small portion size to satisfy your appetite.

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the true "parmesan" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lemon Basil Parmesan Pasta

How can you go wrong with two powerhouses of flavor like lemon and basil?  With the refreshingly light taste of lemon and the earthier taste of basil, the flavors play off each other perfectly.  Add to that the saltiness of Parmesan cheese and you won't leave the table wanting.  For this simple dish all you'll need is 1 pound of spaghetti, 2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan, 3/4 cup of lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon zest, and 2 cups of basil leaves cut chiffonade style.

Cook the spaghetti until just al dente. While the pasta is cooking, put the Parmesan and lemon juice in a big serving bowl and start whisking, adding the olive oil in while you whisk until it becomes creamy and frothy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the lemon zest, and stir to combine. Then add the cooked, drained spaghetti along with the basil, tossing all to coat well with the dressing. This light and lemony dish boasts such powerful flavors that you'll naturally eat a dainty portion, keeping the calories, carbs, and fat at a very respectable level.

When you cook pasta dishes using powerful, multi-layer flavors, you don't have to heap a big dinner plate full to satisfy your appetite.  Start with healthier ingredients, like olive oil, lemon, herbs, and whole wheat pasta, then you can add in the foods and flavors that change an ordinary plate of noodles to a fantastic gourmet pasta dish that any restaurant would be proud to serve.  And with flavors that pack a punch, you won't pack on the pounds. Enjoy smaller portions, healthier ingredients, and bigger flavor when you cook these delicious pasta dishes on the lighter side.

Keeping Italian Food Healthy

It seems recently that among health circles Italian food has gotten a bad rep.  With the advent of Atkins many former Italian food fans have steered clear of the cuisine because of all the pasta that is used.  However, this idea that pasta will make you fat is largely unfounded.  A diet of Italian food, especially from the Mediterranean, is actually very healthy and will keep you looking and feeling great as long as you know what Italian food to eat and how to prepare it.

Image via WikipediaA great example of the fact that Italian food will not make you fat is in Sophia Loren.  She told the world in her book that she grew up on spaghetti and ate it constantly.  She says that it is not the pasta that makes you fat; it's what you put on top of it.  People who gain weight eating Italian food typically do so not because of the pasta, but because of creamy sauces like Alfredo sauce and because they eat too large portions (a common issue in American today, no matter what type of food you're talking about).  Italian food from the Mediterranean doesn't rely on rich, thick sauces and uses olive oil instead of butter, making it very healthy.

It all starts with the ingredients you use.  For good, healthy Italian food you want to make sure you stock the kitchen with quality pasta, olive oil, garlic, onions, lean meat, fish, and seafood.  For seasoning you will want some herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley.  You'll want to stay away from a lot of cheese and perhaps only get a little parmesan cheese to top your favorite Italian food dishes.  The creamy and cheesy Italian food dishes are the ones you're going to want to stay away from to keep a healthy diet. 

There are lots of different light Italian food meals that you can prepare with these simple ingredients.  Here is one to start you off, an Italian food classic -- pasta with tomato sauce (this is a vegetarian version).  You can use any type of pasta you want and you might want to try livening it up with a new shape, or try fresh instead of dried.  Italian food is not just spaghetti noodles.

Boil the pasta in water with a dash of salt.  Make sure not to overcook the pasta.  You want it to be firm, yet tender.  The most common mistake made in making Italian food is making mushy pasta.  For the sauce simply chop up some garlic, an onion, and some tomatoes (you can try other additions if you like - mushrooms, eggplant, or celery are some other interesting ideas which add their own depth of flavor).

Image via WikipediaTake a tablespoon of your quality olive oil and sauté both the garlic and onions (and other veggies, if using) until they are soft.  Once that is done add the tomatoes and cook until all the ingredients are blended together well.  To top it off add your favorite herbs such as parsley, oregano, or basil.  Try different combinations of herbs, there is no definitive herbs for Italian food so experiment and give your sauce your own signature flavor.

Serve this sauce over your hot pasta and if you want put a little sprinkle of parmesan on it.  This is a simple Italian dish that stands on its own and you won't need to eat bread or anything else with it, but you may add a green salad for a complete and healthy dinner. This is a great example of how healthy Italian food is supposed to be, light and fresh, and easy to prepare. 

Feel free to try different variations on this recipe.  Italian food is full of a variety of pastas and recipes that can keep you satisfied and healthy as long as you stay away from the heavy sauces and creams. (Though there's nothing wrong with indulging in one once in a while, as long as you don't overdo it!) 

(For some more great Italian recipes, see cookbooks below.)