It’s been almost a full year since I did my European tour that ended in Rome — and I still miss fresh Italian pasta on every street corner. While nothing beats eats from Rome while IN Rome, a new culinary delivery box will get you pretty close — no passport required.

Houston natives and brothers, Lance and Brett Martin, teamed up with Luca Manfe (aka as a MasterChef on Fox winner) to create Delivery Italiano. Once a month, Delivery Italiano delivers a curated collection of products imported directly from Italy that come together to create a comprehensive dining experience.

Heads up — this post is sponsored by Delivery Italiano, but
all opinions are my own. // Photos by Christen McDonough

My box had two recipes and the ingredients — both recipes were skill level 3/10 (score, my cooking skills are p average). Both were pasta, so there were sauces (red pepper pesto and a fancier, more authentic marinara sauce), olive oil, lemon cookies, crackers and a few other things. I tackled the red pepper pasta. Every box comes with two pastas, a bottle of olive oil, sauces/pestos, crackers, a dessert, and more.

That 3/10 skill level was easy peasy, and before I knew it, it was eating time. I did add some of my own fresh ingredients — I grilled some chicken and sprinkled in some parmesean. I liked that the recipe was simple, so I can add my own spin. Kinda wish I would have added some spinach or something — would have taken it to a whole new level, but I’m not sure how the Italian’s feel about spinach, so I didn’t dare. I also added wine, obviously. It was in the Italy section at HEB and, just in case you didn’t believe HEB, it had a map of Italy on the label. Had to keep it on theme.

The pasta ended up being really delicious and perfectly cooked, if I do say so myself. But, can’t take all the credit — Deliver Italiano’s recipe, as simple as it was, had tips for me. I made the other pasta off camera (the one with the marinara), and can confirm that the sauce will make you think you’re at a restaurant with a terrace view of the colosseum.

Delivery Italiano seems to be the box for everyone who loves Italian food — whether you have the cooking skills of a chef or a 13-year-old girl, which is sometimes where I think my culinary inclination plateaued. Although, I do watch a lot of chopped, so maybe by osmosis, I have attained some random skills.

Special thanks to Nan and Company Properties, who let me hang in one of their listings in Montrose. It’s on the market; check it out!