Ever wondered how to make a creamy pasta sauce without cream? There are lots of ways to cut calories in recipes, but here is a chicken and broccoli pasta recipe which uses chicken broth, broccoli, milk and a touch of flour to create a luscious sauce which is cream, butter and cheese free. I believe my husbands exact words were, “Really? But it tastes like it should be ridiculously bad for me!”

That crazy time of year has finally come to an end. There is no more running after last minute Christas presents, stressing over large scale entertaining and eating too much rich food. I am hoping that this all means you are looking for new quick recipes. Cacio e Pepe is a classic Italian pasta recipe from Rome, it’s about salty cheese and lots of spicy pepper.

After you have eaten a bowl your tongue should tingle slightly from the sharpness of all the pepper. Be careful when you add the cheese that your pan isn’t too hot – otherwise you will find it has reformed into a skating rink of cheese at the bottom of your pan. Oh, and my last piece of advice? Consume immediately, even the act of taking photos can lose some of that precious sauce.

Looking for more easy pasta recipes? Check out some of my favorites!

In this easy pasta casserole, roasted squash puree is stirred into a sage-tinted bechamel and tossed with cooked pasta and blue cheese. A short ten minutes in the oven to soothe the blue cheese into meltiness and you have a slightly sweet macaroni and cheese with a lot less calories! What a way to use up leftover squash.

There are so many recipes for chicken and pasta but here is a simple preparation of braised chicken legs with mustard, mushrooms and wine. Once you are used to butchering a chicken and making stock, you can get yourself organized enough that you can break down the chicken and simmer the stock in the morning (including adding the chicken leg bones to the stock) and then make this dish in the evening. If you would rather make this mustard recipe with chicken breasts, reduce the cooking time so they don’t dry out.

Pasta puttanesca, and Pasta al Tonno are both great recipes to know how to make for just such an evening, so here is a hybrid recipe for you. It’s spicy and salty like a good puttanesca, but with protein and richness thanks to the olive-oil-packed canned tuna. If you aren’t lucky enough to have arugula in your garden, as I am, then you can always substitute for frozen spinach or arugula which is easy to keep on hand.

Quickly pickled onions are a really fun condiment to have on hand; they are excellent on tacos, in salads or sandwiches, even in pastas. After making a batch from a Rick Bayless recipe I wanted to use them in everything and this loaded pasta was born.

This macaroni and cheese recipe is heavy with goodies and is only a healthy alternative if your other options are french fries or a deluxe pizza. But I can justify almost anything if it is made at home without preservatives, and so should you.

But cook it well and eggplant will melt on your tongue as softly as the ricotta it is tossed with. My suggestion? Cook it hot and fast. Make sure your oil is hot enough that it doesn’t become a greasy sponge but rather quickly tenderizes and browns. Nonnas from Siciliy to Sorrento will thank you.

This classic Italian recipe, “pasta alla norma” always features ricotta, tomatoes, eggplant and pasta. The remaining details vary. Make it now when all the ingredients are fresh and available.

So now that I have a garden full of zucchini, I find myself looking for new ideas. Zucchini bread, ratatouille and stuffed flowers are all wonderful, but here is one more recipe to add to your arsenal for the yearly zucchini war. This creamy vegetarian pasta is a combination of hazelnuts, basil, zucchini and cream, toss it with fresh pasta for an easy dinner.

Are you itching to harvest your tomatoes but they are still green? You aren’t alone. I check on mine daily and have started to name each little green nugget (fatty, wide butt, ridges). To distract us from the waiting game here is a recipe which focuses on the wonderful little cherry tomatoes which are always first to ripen.

This pasta recipe is as simple as they come. Though you do have to roast the tomatoes it is an hour of absolutely free time and then you will simply be waiting around for the pasta water to boil.

Now I just have to figure out how to move somewhere where I can grow lemon and olive trees in the same garden as my tomatoes and basil. Any suggestions?