From Our Family To Yours
Simply Nonno's Sauces
Perfected over 30 years at Nonno’s Italian Restaurant
Bring the feeling of an Italian Sunday dinner to your kitchen with Simply Nonno’s Creamy Pesto, our flagship recipe born from decades of family tradition and refined through the same standards that built Nonno’s Italian Restaurant in Central Florida. It is bright with fresh basil, rich with premium olive oils, balanced with pine nuts, and finished with aged cheeses, then blended into a smooth, craveable pesto that goes way beyond pasta night.
Discover
our story
We are A locally crafted Brand
The story of Nonno’s Italian Restaurant began over 30 years ago, when Stefano and his family decided to bring their love for Italian cuisine to the people of Central Florida. With a passion for the industry and a family-oriented approach to hospitality, they quickly earned recognition and awards as the best Italian restaurant in Orlando.
Our pesto sauce was born out of that same passion, as well as our commitment to quality ingredients, time-honored recipes, and traditional cooking methods.
Experience
Our delicious IDEAS
Grilled Pesto Chicken Sandwiches
Grilled chicken sandwiches with tomato, mozzarella and pesto.
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces each)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, lightly crushed with a knife
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 4 soft hoagie rolls, split
- Four 1/4-inch-thick slices mozzarella
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1/2 cup prepared pesto
- Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.
- Halve the chicken breasts crosswise and pound each piece between two sheets of plastic wrap to an even thickness of about 3/4 inch. Toss the chicken pieces with the crushed red pepper, fennel seed, 1 tablespoon of the oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Brush the insides of the rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
- Grill the chicken, turning once, until just cooked through, 8 to 9 minutes per side. During the last few minutes of cooking time, top each piece of chicken with a slice of mozzarella. Grill the rolls, oiled side down, until warmed and lightly charred, about 1 minute.
- Spread some pesto on the bottom halves of the rolls. Top with a slice of tomato, a piece of chicken, the remaining pesto and the top halves of the rolls.
5-Ingredient Chicken Pesto Soup
This easy 5 ingredient pesto soup is packed with flavor.
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups tightly packed spinach (3 ounces)
- 1/2 cup pesto
- Kosher salt
- Put the chicken in a large pot and cover with the broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken from the pot to a cutting board. Skim the surface of the broth with a slotted spoon to remove any skin that’s floated to the surface. Remove the meat from the chicken bones and shred with two forks; discard the skin. Add the meat back to the pot along with the spinach.
- Turn the heat to medium until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Swirl the pesto into the soup and season with salt.
Meatball Sandwich
A saucy baked meatball sandwich served on lightly toasted baguette topped with red sauce and melted provolone cheese.
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¾ cup bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 French baguette
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt, or to taste
- 1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until well combined. Shape mixture into 12 meatballs, and place in a baking dish.
Overhead of a ground beef mixture being formed into balls and placed on a baking dish. - Bake meatballs in the preheated oven until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).
- While the meatballs are cooking, cut baguette in half lengthwise and open like a book. Remove and discard some of the bread from the inside to make a well for the meatballs.
- Brush baguette with olive oil and season with garlic powder and salt. Place baguette on a baking tray, open and with the oiled sides facing up.
Overhead of a baguette cut in half and brushed with olive oil with salt in a bowl off to the side. - When the meatballs have 5 minutes left, slip the baguette into the oven and cook until lightly toasted.
- Meanwhile, warm tomato pasta sauce in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Remove meatballs from the oven. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the hot sauce; mix gently to coat with sauce.
Overhead of meatballs cooking in a skillet covered in red sauce - Spoon meatballs and sauce into one side of the baguette, nestling meatballs in the well. Top with slices of provolone cheese.
Overhead of meatballs and cheese resting on a baked baguette. - Return to the oven until cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
Overhead of meatballs covered in melted cheese resting on a baked baguette. - Cool slightly, then cut into 4 sandwiches.
Quick Baked Chicken Parmesan
This baked chicken Parmesan is a lighter version of the traditional chicken Parmesan.
- canola oil cooking spray
- ½ cup water
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 ½ cups bread crumbs
- 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 2 cups red sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Whisk water and egg together in a bowl until smooth. Combine bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, thyme, and garlic powder in a separate bowl.
Overhead of one bowl with whisked eggs and another bowl of bread crumbs. - Dip each chicken breast in egg mixture, allowing excess egg to drip back into bowl. Coat each chicken breast in bread crumb mixture, shaking off excess.
Raw chicken breasts being dipped in an egg mixture, then coated in a breading, and placed in a baking dish. - Repeat dipping each coated chicken breast in egg mixture and the bread crumb mixture for a double-coating and place in the prepared baking dish. Spray breaded chicken breasts with cooking spray.
Overhead of raw, breaded chicken resting in a glass baking dish. - Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Pour spaghetti sauce over each chicken breast and top each with mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.
Baked, breaded chicken breasts covered in red sauce and topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. - Continue baking until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the cheeses are melted, about 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Serve over pasta.
looking down at a plate of baked chicken parmesan over pasta
Pesto-Related Questions
Pesto alla Genovese is made from just five ingredients, each of which plays a key role in its delectable and versatile nature: basil (specifically Genovese Basil), garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
We recommend storing an opened jar of sauce in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. The remaining sauce may be frozen at any time during the 3-5 days; simply transfer the sauce to a freezer-safe container and it will be good for up to 3 months.
Pesto is one of those ingredients that works with recipes from morning to night. Pesto and pastas are a natural pairing. Pesto can also add some zip to dips like this Walnut Pesto and Goat Cheese Dip or brighten up a salad or grain bowl like quinoa salad, or swirled into baked goods like these Pesto-and-Cheese-Stuffed Brioche Scrolls with Bacon-Tomato Jam. Try it with anything you think would be enhanced with some herbal green oomph.
Myths About Pasta
Refined pasta contains some fiber and protein, with a single serving containing 8 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. On the other hand, whole grain pasta options contain double the amount of fiber with 7 grams of fiber, and are also high in iron, magnesium, and zinc.
With a few simple tips, cooking perfect pasta is a breeze! First, start with enough water – at least a quart of water for every quarter pound of pasta – and be sure to add a generous pinch of sea salt to enhance the pasta’s flavor. Skip adding oil to the cooking water – it doesn’t prevent pasta from sticking together. In fact, it actually prevents the sauce from clinging to the pasta.
If your typical pasta presentation is a bowl of pasta with the sauce poured over the top, think again. Any Italian will tell you the key to a perfect pasta dish is a sauce-to-pasta ratio that allows the pasta itself to shine, with an even coating of sauce on every bite. Prepare your sauce first and keep it warm while the pasta cooks, then gently toss your cooked pasta in the sauce to evenly coat. A general rule of thumb is 1½ cups of sauce for every pound of cooked pasta.
Reviews
SIMPLY NONNO's Lovers
“Simply Nonno’s is hands down my go-to pasta sauce every time it’s pasta night. Their pesto is the most delicious.”
Josie r
“I’ve been going to Nonno’s Restaurant for years and now I am a huge fan of their pasta sauce. So good!”
rachel s
“I’m a snob when it comes to my sauces but Simply Nonno’s sauce blew me away with how rich and creamy it is. I love it with penne pasta.”