Recipe
3 Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce Recipes You Can Make in Your Dorm Room
I was raised in a traditional Italian family from Italian areas in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. My first words were “pasta” and “prosciutto.” I learned how to grow my own tomatoes and basil and make my own marinara sauce from scratch before I learned basic division.
I have never tasted or been within a two-mile radius of Prego, or whatever other “Italian” jarred tomato sauces exists. That is, until I moved into an apartment-style dorm with two of my friends this year.
The first week of school, my friends and I each went grocery shopping, stocking our kitchen to the point where we needed to buy a second refrigerator. Upon returning from one of my trips to Westside Market, I opened one of our cabinets to see Mario Batali Pasta Sauce Alla Vodka.
As I stared at the little picture of Mario Batali in all of his ponytail-wearing glory, I asked his tiny picture why, and how, he allowed for this to happen. How could a famous chef with incredible restaurants around the world allow a sauce to be mass-produced in a factory under his name? (I’m just going to ignore the fact that the roommate who purchased this sauce is also Italian.)
Admittedly, it is actually really difficult to cook a full meal in a tiny dorm room kitchen, and sometimes working up the motivation to cook after a long and stressful day is even harder. So, I simplified my four favorite, traditional Italian recipes so that you can make authentic Italian in your dorm – in an hour or less! Each portion makes enough for half a box of pasta, so if you have any leftovers, you can pop that baby in the refrigerator, and, BOOM, there’s dinner for tomorrow night, or dinner for up to six months if you keep it in the freezer.
For each recipe, boil enough salted water for the amount of pasta of your choice. Dried pasta should be cooked for 11-12 minutes – al dente is always best.
#SpoonTip: Pop open some wine while you make these.
Classic Marinara
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- Handful fresh basil washed and chopped in the chiffonade style
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper optional
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
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Boozy Vodka Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
- Servings: 2
Ingredients
- Marinara base same as above
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- Handful fresh basil washed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper optional
- 4-5 pieces thinly sliced imported prosciutto cut into 2 inch ribbons
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup vodka I know you have that
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Sicilian Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 can black olives drained and halved
- 1/2 can chickpeas drained
- 1/2 roasted pepper in oil
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- As much provolone cheese as your heart desires cubed thinly sliced or crumbled
- 1/2 lemon
- 3-4 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Marinated mushrooms optional
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*If I want a brinier taste in my pasta salad, I add five marinated mushrooms, halved, and some of their juice with the oil and lemon. I think this achieves a greater depth of flavor, but some don’t like the taste.
Easiest Basil Pesto Ever
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 4 cups large fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 clove garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoon water