Looking for a good side to pair with this soup? Try my homemade breadsticks, buttery garlic bread, or arugula salad.

Homemade Mini Meatball Soup

This meatball soup is a comforting soup reminiscent of spaghetti and meatballs but in homestyle, sip-able soup form! It's an excellent thing to prepare to warm up with after a long chilly day and it pairs beautifully with salad or bread.

For a meatball vegetable soup it can be modified to reduce the carbs and replace the pasta with more vegetables. There are also options to replace the ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken, or use other various types of pasta (all these ideas addressed in the variations and questions below).

Just keep in mind if you plan on having extra servings you may want to consider cooking the pasta separately if you are like me and hate soggy pasta (just reduce the broth by 1 cup if doing so).

Happy fall and welcome to sweater weather and soup season!

So Much to Love About Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Veggies

Welcome to your new go-to weeknight dinner staple recipe! This simple recipe is made with shelf stable gnocchi yet it doesn't even need to be cooked beforehand.

Everything is just tossed together with olive oil on one big baking sheet, then oven roasted and finished with parmesan. Dinner really doesn't get any easier than this!

It's such a fresh tasting, flavorful dinner highlighted with herby, garlicky, parmesan goodness. It's a very hands off meal with such a simple prep and you can have it ready in under 30 minutes. It's adaptable too and you can use up other vegetables you have on hand (ideas listed below).

Plus it's a dish everyone can agree on. There are just so many things to love about this gnocchi, zucchini and tomato sheet pan dinner!

Pair it with chicken, steak or salmon to round out the meal, or just keep it vegetarian and serve it with a side salad.

Crave-Worthy Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

While the recipe itself doesn't have a typical pesto sauce in it, it brings the elements of pesto compiled together in a cooked pasta dish plus an addition of a gloriously creamy sauce.

I love a good pesto with a rich olive oil, but just think of a pesto made with silky cream instead. Once you taste this be wondering why you hadn't made it this way before.

You only need a few ingredients to make this freshly flavorful dish. Plan on a simple prep, and if you want to upgrade it with a protein to make it heartier feel free to add one right into the pasta or pair alongside it.

Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

This Italian tomato sauce is unbelievably easy to make, so easy in fact you you don't even have to start by cutting tomatoes they are just added whole. A quick simmer on the stove will have the skins bursting and they'll simmer down to a thick sauce.

The sauce is ready in 15 minutes and you can have the pasta cooking while the sauce is simmering for a super fast meal. For a quick cooking pasta try it with cheese filled tortellini!

You'll find this to be a vegetarian dish that's sure to please everyone especially if you opt to crown individual servings with those creamy finishing touches. That includes either moisture rich fresh mozzarella (mini pearls are great), dollops of milky ricotta, or torn portions of cream filled burrata.

This is a must try summer recipe that's brimming with freshness and sure to satisfy those pasta cravings!

It's delicious filling for sandwiches or doubles as a topping over potatoes, rice or pasta.

Homestyle Sausage with Peppers and Onions

Sausage and peppers is a simple Italian style dish that's packed with bright fresh ingredients an abundance of comforting, satisfying flavor. It's an enjoyable lunch or dinner entree that is easy to make and it's fun to serve a variety of ways.

It begins with rich sausages that are beautifully browned, then they simmer briefly nestled with the sautéed peppers and onions, while the sauce simmers down and lightly thickens for a nice base. To finish the sausages are sliced into bite size coins and it's all coated with a fair sprinkle of parmesan, because why not? It adds that last touch of perfectly enhancing flavor.

There's so much crave-able goodness in every bite. Truly you'll want to use bakery fresh hoagies only (no stale hoagies buns from the shelf) for something this delicious!

Watch the Video!

[wprm-recipe-video]

Pasta Salad with Pesto

Traditional pasta salad is delicious but I think it's safe to say this pasta salad with upgraded Italian flavors is even better!

It doesn't require an overload of ingredients to really build up flavor, just a generous bowlful of fresh, highly scented basil and some good olive oil.

This pasta salad is easy to make, the pesto is even made in the food processor for a shortcut and the fresh mozzarella already comes pre-cut into tiny pearls.

And you'll love that this pairs well with so many summery grilled meats. I like to serve it with grilled chicken or steak and grilled corn on the cob.

It's adaptable to use other types of pasta and it will actually store well in the fridge for a day (or more if you wait to add the arugula).

Add this one to the dinner menu this week and save any extra for lunch the next day!

A Vibrant Grilled Breast Chicken Recipe

Here you get lightly charred chicken breasts with gorgeous grill marks blanketed with melty mozzarella, vibrantly green basil pesto, and it's highlighted with glistening crowning finish of fresh tomatoes atop. This Italian style recipe is the ultimate upgrade to plain chicken!

Inspired by margherita pizza, chicken margherita is made including those same flavors while being more heavy with the fresh basil (thanks to the plentitude of homemade pesto).

This is a summery chicken dish with gourmet flavor that will undoubtedly impress, yet it doesn't require a whole lot of effort. And if you don't own a grill or if it's too chilly out you can also pan sear the chicken (see note below).

It's fair to say this is most definitely a chicken recipe you don't want to pass by, especially with grilling season upon us. What better way to welcome the warm weather than celebrating it with this flawless chicken margherita?

This cozy soup is everything you love about a cheese laden baked potato and more. You get all those layers of flavor built into the goodness of a soul warming, homestyle, sip-able soup.

This soup recipe begins with actual baked potatoes. Many recipes will just go the route of chopping and boiling the potatoes but I prefer the baked method so we can skip the step of peeling and chopping the potatoes, and rather just scoop the interiors out after baking and mash them into the soup. Plus it just feels more authentic if we are going to call it "baked potato soup" lets use the real deal.

The potato skins are chopped up into small pieces (after baking) and then pan fried for extra crispiness. They are a favorite ingredient to the soup among family members, everyone just likes to eat them on their own because they are so good!

Just be sure to load up on all of those various toppings when serving the soup as it will add a lot of the flavor. And don't drain the fat from the bacon as this also builds up flavor and adds richness to the soup.

Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta 

This tomato pasta recipe is one of my go-to options for busy weeknights. Made with just one pot and a saucepan, it’s ready in just a little over 30 minutes. You really can’t go wrong. 

If you’ve never had sun-dried tomatoes in pasta, prepare to be amazed. They’re one of my favorite ways to spruce up a simple dish with a pop of color and a rich, savory, slightly smokey flavor. 

I love to include them in recipes like my sun dried tomato basil and Parmesan orzo with chicken and this spaghetti with sun dried tomatoes and spinach. However, this tomato pasta might be my favorite sun-dried tomato recipe yet. 

Made with al dente pasta tossed in a vibrant tomato sauce, it’s rich, creamy, and unbelievably satisfying. Plus, it features fresh spinach for a boost of nutrients and fiber. 

Basically, this sun dried tomato pasta has everything you could want in a homemade dinner and more. Quick to make, it’s easy enough for weeknights yet elegant enough for special occasions. It’s sure to have all of your guests coming back for more!  

The Best Easy Risotto Recipe

So, what is risotto, anyway? Risotto is sometimes described as being the rice version of mac and cheese. A northern Italian dish, it is made by cooking starchy, short-grain rice with stock or broth until it becomes tender and creamy. It is also often given a boost of flavor with butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese as you’ll find in this recipe. 

If you’re wondering if risotto is difficult to make, the answer is not at all. A cross between rice and pasta, it comes together on the stovetop for a fairly hands-off recipe. You’ll find that one batch makes enough to feed up to 6 people, making it perfect for family-friendly weeknight meals. You can also easily half or double the recipe to fit your needs. Plus, it stores and reheats well, meaning you can enjoy leftovers throughout the week. 

Simple yet elegant, the tender rice bursts with savory flavor and a satisfying, creamy texture. Warm and satisfying, this Parmesan risotto recipe is the ultimate comfort food that will make you feel like you’re dining at a 5-star restaurant. 

One bite and it will become a new favorite in your recipe lineup.