Five easy and delicious pasta recipes that take less than 20 minutes

ITALIAN food can bring out the romance on any date night.

But things are now getting exciting thanks to Angelo Coassin, aka @cookingwithbello, who gives Italian dishes a sexy twist with his new book Cook Like A Real Italian.

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If you haven’t seen his cooking videos yet, you’re in for a treat – trust us!

From primi to secondi dishes and everything in between, there’s a feast of classics to enjoy, like his mother’s meatballs recipe, as well as the intriguing TikTok-inspired penne alla vodka.
But it’s not just pizza and pasta.

We love Angelo’s desserts and even cocktails to set the mood.

Here Kirsty Spence brings you some simple recipes from Angelo’s book, which are so much fun to make and even more fun to share. Enjoy your meal. . .

Cheesy lemon scaloppine

• Servings: 4
• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 15 minutes

I ALWAYS make this super cheesy lemon scaloppine when I want something delicious to eat but don’t have much time to cook.

If you want to make them extra sexy, replace the lemon juice with Marsala wine.

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YOU NEED:

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
• 50 g plain flour
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 50 ml lemon juice
• 50 g provolone cheese, sliced ​​(or use mozzarella)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make four chicken steaks.
2. Place each steak in a ziplock bag and pound with a rolling pin until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. Gently dust each steak with flour and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. After a few minutes, when the pan is hot and the butter is bubbling, add the chicken steaks and cook for a few minutes on each side.
4. Reduce the heat to medium, pour the lemon juice over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Then cook for another five minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through. Always make sure your chicken is fully cooked, and remember that cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken steaks.
5. Turn off the heat and place the cheese slices on your scaloppine. Cover the pan with a lid and let the cheese melt in the residual heat for a few minutes until it is done. . . super sexy.
6. Serve with some pepper and lemon slices if desired.

SEXY TIP: Serve your lemon scaloppine with some fresh arugula and cherry tomatoes.

Fried ricotta balls

• Servings: 6
• Preparation time: 20 minutes
  Cooking time: 50 minutes

MY mom made these super cheesy treats for Sunday lunch when I was little. You can use your favorite vegetables for the filling.

Here I used spinach, but zucchini and pumpkin also work well.

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YOU NEED:

• 20 g unsalted butter
• 50 g breadcrumbs, plus 2 tablespoons for the baking dish
• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
• 800 grams of fresh spinach
• 500 grams of ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 40 g Parmesan cheese, grated, plus 3 tablespoons for the topping
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 100 g plain all-purpose flour
• 250 g provolone cheese, sliced
• 500 ml béchamel sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
2. Grease a 20×30 cm baking dish with the butter and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs over it. Then set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or skillet over low to medium heat.
4. Add the spinach, season with a pinch of salt and cook for ten minutes until wilted.
5. Let cool completely before chopping.
6. Place the ricotta in a bowl and loosen it with a fork.
7. Add the chopped spinach, together with the eggs, the 40 g Parmesan cheese and nutmeg.
8. Season with salt and pepper and stir well.
9. Now add the 50 g breadcrumbs and mix again. Form the mixture into small balls of about 40g each (you should get about 30).
10. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dip the ricotta balls in the flour to coat them. Place them in the prepared baking dish.
11. Place the slices of provolone cheese on top and pour the béchamel sauce over it.
12. Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top, cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil during the last ten minutes of cooking to allow a nice crust to form.
13. Serve and enjoy.

• Get Fabulous Magazine in The Sun tomorrow for Angelo’s 3-ingredient dessert recipes

My mother’s meatballs

• Servings: 4-6
• Preparation time: 15 minutes
  Cooking time: 50 minutes

MY mom makes the best meatballs, and I’m so happy to share her recipe with you.

Serve as a main course with some mashed potatoes, or make them super small to garnish some pasta.

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YOU NEED:

• 80 g white bread, without crust
• Milk, for cover
• 800 grams of minced beef
• 1 egg
• Small bunch of basil, finely chopped
• 30 g grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the tomato sauce:
• A generous dash of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 400 grams of peeled canned tomatoes

METHOD:

1. Place the bread in a bowl and pour enough milk to cover it. Soak for 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare your tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a pan over low to medium heat.
3. Add the onion and garlic, fry for a few minutes and then stir in the tomatoes.
4. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Return to the bread. Remove it from the bowl and squeeze it to remove the excess milk. Then add it to a large bowl along with the beef, egg, basil and cheese.
6. Season with salt and pepper and then mix the mixture with your hands.
7. Use your hands to roll small balls about the size of a table tennis ball (this recipe makes about 40 balls).
8. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook over low to medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

Penne alla vodka

• Servings: 4
• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• Cooking time: 20 minutes

PENNE alla vodka is a classic Italian pasta recipe from the 80s and is super easy to make.

Traditionally this sauce is served with penne, but rigatoni and spaghetti also work well.

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YOU NEED:

• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over it
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red chili pepper, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 50 ml vodka
• 300 ml tomato passata
• 80 ml double cream
• 360 g penne pasta
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped, for serving

METHOD:

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over low to medium heat. Add the onion, chili pepper and bay leaf and simmer for a few minutes.
2. Then add vodka and let it evaporate (this will take a few minutes) and then add passata. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the cream and cook for another five minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat.
5. Add the pasta and cook for two to three minutes until al dente. Drain and reserve a few ladles of the pasta water.
6. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir well over the heat to combine all the flavors. If necessary, add a drop of pasta water to loosen the mixture.
   Serve garnished with parsley.

SEXY TIP: Add some smoked pancetta and minced garlic to your sauce for some extra flavor.

Sicilian cod

• Servings: 4
• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 35 minutes

I LEARNED this dish from Carlo, a Sicilian fishmonger I met on holiday in Palermo a few years ago.

It is easy and quick to make. For extra sexiness, you can dust the fish with flour before adding it to the pan.

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YOU NEED:

• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 250 grams of tomato passata
• 100 ml of water
• 4 skinless cod fillets
• 20 g green or black olives, pitted
• Small bunch of parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over low to medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and cherry tomatoes and fry for a few minutes. Then add the potatoes, tomato passata and water.
3. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender.
4. Add the cod fillets to the pan, sprinkle with the olives, cover and cook for a further ten minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked (cooking time may vary depending on the size of the fish).
5. Serve garnished with parsley.

• Cook Like A Real Italian by Angelo Coassin (£24, Hardie Grant, £24) is available now. Photography: Lucas Albert