Why Italy - What simple Italian food can I make in less than 2 hours?

What simple Italian food can I make in less than 2 hours?

My friends are coming back from New York and I wanted to surprise them by them by having a meal already laid out, and they know I'm not the best of cooks haha. Eh, no spaghetti please?

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I know you said no spaghetti, but I have one that is simple and easier than it looks. In a saute pan, saute some shrimp with garlic until they are just about pink-then take them out of the pan. Add a little olive oil, and then saute some onions until they are soft. Add a can of diced tomatoes, one cup of white wine, and some red pepper flakes. Simmer about ten minutes, and then add the shrimp back in along with some fresh basil. I usually serve it over angel hair pasta, and everyone loves it (they think it takes longer than it really does).
Pasta Primavera 3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips 2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips 2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips 1/4 cup olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning 1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta) 2 Tablespoons minced garlic 15 cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a very large bowl toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer the vegetable mixture to 2 heavy large baking sheets and arrange evenly. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes, or to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.
Gnocci, it is a italian dumpling and is personally my favorite thing to eat and i am italian...it is very easy to make but tastes like you spent hours cooking it. If you have a Trader Joes that is local you can buy the dumplings in a package...all you have to do is find a good sause you want t go with them, and boil water put the dumplings in and they sink to the bottom, in about five min. you will notice them floating to the top once all of them are floating you drain the water and add the sauce it takes no longer then 15 min. If i were you i would add some garlic bread to the meal and an easy salad...Maybe a glass of wine :)
Try a risotto. You'll need to buy arborio rice, some wine, olive oil, Parmesan and the ingredients you want to flavour it with (mushrooms/truffles are traditional, but red onion and green pea make a good combo). It's fast and surprisingly easy to make, and you can pair it with a nice light fish with a zesty olive oil and lemon drizzle (very Italian).
Here is simple: Buy boneless chicken breasts. Turn oven to 350 Put chicken breasts in baking pan Season with S&P, oregano, onion and garlic powder and a bit of oregano. Sprinkle some Italian bread crumbs ( if you have them, if not no worries) Add a pat of butter on each breast. Pour one jar of already made spaghetti sauce over chicken Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes After 30 minutes, remove foil and add slices of mozzarella cheese on the chicken. Bake for 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Serve with buttered Italian or French bread and a toss green salad.
Baked ziti is good. All you do is cook the ziti and mix it with a good pasta sauce. Then put it in a 9 x 13 baking pan and cover it with mozzarella cheese and maybe a little parmesan. Bake it in the oven for just a few minutes until the cheese melts. Make sure you use plenty of sauce so it doesn't get dried out. And it's much easier than making layered lasagna and it doesn't have to bake long. I like to use a sauce that has veggies in it like onions, mushrooms, green peppers and garlic. It also gives it more color and texture. Get a nice loaf of Italian bread, but out some softened butter and /or olive oil to dip it in. Have a tossed salad too maybe?
Just about anything! Lasagna, stuffed shells, any tossed pasta dish, osso bucco, saltimbocca, you name it! Serve any of the below w/ pasta of your choice and a big green salad w/ lots of good fresh veggies in it! Chicken Saltimbocca 6 (3-oz) chicken cutlets, pounded to evenly flatten Salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 paper-thin slices prosciutto 1 (10-oz) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup grated Parmesan 1 (14-oz) can low-salt chicken broth 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Place the chicken cutlets flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay 1 slice of prosciutto atop each chicken cutlet. Squeeze the frozen spinach to remove the excess water. Season the spinach with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, toss the spinach with 1 tablespoon of oil to coat. Arrange an even, thin layer of spinach atop the prosciutto slices. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each. Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken cutlet as for a jellyroll. Secure with a toothpick. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Season the cooking liquid with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove toothpicks from the chicken. Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and serve immediately. --Gaida De Laurentis --------------------------- CHICKEN PICCATA 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 cups all purpose flour, for dredging 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess. In a large 10 or 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate. Reduce heat to medium low and add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley. -- Giada DeLaurentiis ---------------------------- EGGPLANT PARMESAN W/ TOMATO SAUCE 2 pounds (about 2 medium-sized) eggplant Salt 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, seasoned with 1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup pecorino 2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce, recipe follows 1 pound ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wash and towel dry the eggplant. Slice the eggplant horizontally about 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices in a large colander, sprinkle with salt and set aside to rest about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the eggplant and dry on towels. In a saute pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil until just smoking. Press the drained eggplant pieces into the seasoned bread crumb mixture and saute until light golden brown on both sides. Repeat with all of the pieces. On a cookie sheet lay out the 4 largest pieces of eggplant. Place 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce over each piece and place a thin slice of mozzarella on top of each. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and top each with the next smallest piece of eggplant, then sauce then mozzarella. Repeat the layering process until all the ingredients have been used, finishing again with the Parmigiano. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the top of each little stack is golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Basic Tomato Sauce: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 Spanish onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped 1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes Salt In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft an
I'm Italian try to do this Pasta con Ragù alla Bolognese..