Speedy, filling and delicious, a good pasta dish has long been one of our failsafe weeknight dinner options.

If you’ve grown a little bored of rotating through the same ragus and carbonaras – or you’ve become a bit too reliant on pesto and you’re in need of some new recipes to shake up your repertoire – we have the perfect solution.

Frances Mayes is the author of Under The Tuscan Sun, the bestselling memoir turned movie that chronicled her decision to move to Italy and her attempts to renovate a rundown house in Tuscany.

Now Mayes has channelled her love of all things Italian into a cookbook that’s all about speedy pasta recipes that don’t compromise on amazing flavours, recreating the taste of the simple but delicious dishes you’d find in a family-run restaurant down a side street in a Tuscan village. 

Pasta Veloce features 100 of Mayes’s favourite pasta recipes, all of which can be mastered in under 30 minutes, from a tagliatelle with duck confit, chestnuts and coffee reduction to the perfect vodka sauce.

To give you a taste of Mayes’s Tuscan-inspired dishes, here are three pasta recipes that are sure to transform your weeknights. 

Sedanini with chickpeas, red bell pepper and olives 

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (340g) sedanini 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• ¼ cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into long slivers 
• 1 (15½oz/450g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
• ½ cup (60g) pitted and sliced Kalamata or Gaeta olives (see note) 
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1½ teaspoons dried 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary 
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• Handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Method

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, 10 to 11 minutes. Do not drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the bell pepper and continue to cook until the pepper is almost fork-tender but still retains a little bite, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Toss in the chickpeas, then add the olives, thyme, rosemary, salt, and black pepper. 

When the pasta is al dente, use a sieve to transfer it directly to the skillet. Toss well with the bell pepper and chickpeas, adding a little of the pasta water, if needed, for moisture.

Mix in half the parsley. Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish with the rest of the parsley. Pass the cheese separately.

Note: Olives and the oil they yield are an intrinsic part of Italian culinary heritage. Of the more than five hundred varieties that are produced, two of the most widely enjoyed black olives are Gaeta and Taggiasca. In the United States, our choices are more limited, so Kalamatas, of Greek origin, are offered as a substitute; they are especially convenient for veloce recipes because they are sold already pitted. The others are easily available online.

Mezze maniche alla Norma 

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

• 8oz (225g) mezze maniche 
• ¼ cup (60ml) plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 medium-size aubergine – about 1lb/450g –  trimmed, half-peeled (see note), and cut into ⅜-inch (1 cm) cubes 
• ¾ teaspoon coarse salt 
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped 
• ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper 
• ½ teaspoon anchovy paste 
• ¾ cup (240ml) passata or pureed tomatoes, diluted with ¼ cup (60ml) water 
• 3 tablespoons (85g) dried currants 
• 3oz (60g) ricotta salata, cut into small dice (about ¾ cup) 
• 2 tablespoons torn fresh basil 
• 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half if large

Method

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Scoop out and reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the pasta water, then drain the pasta. Meanwhile, in a large wok or heavy skillet, heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of the olive oil over high heat. 

When almost smoking, add the aubergine and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Spread out so that as much of the vegetable as possible is in contact with the pan. Sauté, stirring occasionally to allow the surfaces to brown, until the aubergine is tender and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. 

Remove to a bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the garlic and sauté over medium-high heat for 1 minute to soften. Add the hot pepper and anchovy paste and cook for another minute, or until the garlic is just beginning to colour. 

Pour in the passata, currants, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring to caramelize the sauce slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, aubergine, ricotta salata, basil, and cherry tomatoes. Toss to mix well. 

Note: For the aubergine to cook quickly but retain some of the colour and texture of the peel, remove alternating strips with a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, leaving half of the skin intact.

Ruote with courgette, tomatoes and shallots

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 12oz (340g) ruote 
• 5 tablespoons (75ml) extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 large shallots, minced 
• 4 small or 2 medium courgettes (1 pound/450g), sliced into thin coins 
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt 
• 3 or 4 medium yellow and/or red tomatoes, chopped 
• Juice of ½ lemon (about 1½ tablespoons) 
• 4 to 5 fresh mint leaves, slivered, plus a sprig for garnish 
• 6 to 8 zucchini (courgette) blossoms, three of them slivered (optional)
• ½ cup (50g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano 
• Rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Method

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is al dente, about 10 minutes. Scoop out 1 cup (240 ml) of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the shallots in the olive oil over medium heat until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the courgette and salt. Raise the heat to medium-high and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes and lemon juice and continue to cook until the courgette is tender but still firm, about 2 minutes longer. Add the pasta to the vegetables along with ½ cup (120 ml) of the reserved pasta water. Toss gently, adding more pasta water, if needed. Fold in the mint and slivered zucchini blossoms, if using. 

Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the grated cheese. Garnish with a sprig of mint and rosemary and more zucchini blossoms, if using.

Pasta Veloce: Irresistibly Fast Recipes from Under the Tuscan Sun Pasta Veloce: Irresistibly Fast Recipes from Under the Tuscan Sunby Frances Mayes and Susan Wyler (Abrams, £25) is out now

Images: Steven Rothfield