Classic Simple Pasta
Italian food is all about letting the ingredient shine. Never overdone, or overthought a few simple italian pasta dishes should be on all home cook's recipe list. I grew up with the perfect italian grandmother who would make us a pasta dinner that was to die for. The sauce was divine and the sausages and meatballs were cooked in a separate casserole dish surrounded and bathed in the sweet tomato-ness. Her "gravy" or "red sauce" was her specialty so we never often ate pasta without it.
After spending a semester in Italy during college I became truly aware of Italian food that was purely Italian, and not Italian American. I lived right on the edge of the market in Florence, a few blocks from San Lorenzo and the open market were a dangerous combination of location and availability of the best ingredients in Italy. Beyond the fresh pasta, I learned to get great cheese and some lovely items to throw in the sauce. The best way of doing it was to start with parmesan and butter.
Any oven roasted tomatoes are a great option to add in because they have a sweet almost sundried quality without the chewyness or having to re-hydrate them before cooking. Many italian markets will have these that are then marinated with oil and spices, if you want a nice snack or an addition to your cheese plate, make sure you try them elsewhere beyond your pasta.