Pasta Recipes & Meal Ideas

Bonus: It’s ready in 30 minutes!

And there’s bacon!

It tastes like childhood.

All the flavor with less of the work.

It’s even better than the original — seriously.

It's a fraction of the cost of guanciale or pancetta.

Lasagna is perhaps the quintessential feed-a-crowd casserole. There are many ways to make lasagna, but here is my own method for making it. I was so intimidated by lasagna before I first tried it. It looked like a process that would eat up my whole day. While that it is not true, it is definitely more time-consuming than spaghetti with meat sauce — but it’s oh-so-worth-it. This recipe is a hybrid of a full-on, totally from-scratch lasagna recipe and one that uses pre-made components.

So saucy, so creamy.

Yes, you really can make baked ziti (well, “baked” ziti) in your slow cooker. And the result isn’t just good — it’s amazing. What it lacks in the crispy-edges department it gains in the ooey-gooey comfort-food department: tender noodles coated in marinara sauce and mixed with a double dose of melty cheese. Pasta in the slow cooker has a reputation for being overcooked and soggy — a result of too much liquid in the slow cooker or too long of a cook time.

One-pot pastas are an absolute magic trick. Cook pasta start to finish in just one pot? No straining? And oh, wait — all the other ingredients for a delicious, well-rounded weeknight dinner cook right in the pot with the pasta? Amazing!The family-friendly pasta technique deserves a spot in your meal plan. Here are 25 one-pot pasta recipes to keep you happy and well-fed.

You’ll want to make it on repeat.

Carbonara plus corn equals perfection.

You’ve never tasted pasta salad like this before.

Petition to put coconut shrimp in the shellfish hall of fame.

Two ingredients and less than half an hour is all you need.

Where once I’d pounce on a chef-made bowl of al dente pasta and crisp-tender spring vegetables, now it’s a dish I prefer to make at home. Using what’s fresh and new at the market, I slice and dice carrots, bell peppers, peas, spring onions, and baby Broccolini before tossing them into a pot to quickly cook with penne pasta. Finished with bright and citrusy lemon butter and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, this warm-weather supper is perfection. And the best part?

I’ll be making it again and again.

They are zesty, tangy, a little bit spicy, and absolutely irresistible.

I have to admit an unpopular opinion: I am just not into mayonnaise-based summer salads. When it is hot out, I want to eat light and refreshing salads, not thick and creamy ones. So when I say this is the best pasta salad ever, it’s with that opinion in mind. But a mayo-free pasta salad can still come with a degree of creaminess. In this case it’s by way of an olive oil-rich vinaigrette and a sprinkling of flavorful soft cheese.

So much more than a dip.

Homemade noodles take it to the next level.

Is there a more quintessential warm-weather side dish than cold pasta salad? This cool salad keeps well, and it’s the perfect make-ahead lunch that you can pack throughout the week. Just about everyone in your family, from your kids to your mother-in-law, will eat it! This recipe is truly as simple as boiling water and tossing in a few key pasta salad ingredients.

It's my forever recipe.

A double hit of lemon balances out the creaminess.

It's ready in 20 minutes.

“It’s the best I’ve ever had,” says everyone who's tried it.

It's so good I ate it straight from the pot.

It's the most comforting thing you'll make all week.

Bonus: It’s super easy.

lasagna's lazier cousin.

You'll love it.

Bonus: It's ready in 30 minutes.

Almost every culture has a homey version of chicken soup to comfort the sick or the soul weary, or to stave off the chill of cold weather, but the Greeks might just have one of the best: the egg and lemon soup known as avgolemono. Here’s how to make this classic comforting soup at home. First of all, it’s gorgeous. The broth is vibrant yellow from the eggs and heavily scented with lemon fragrance. The broth is rich, but not heavy.

You won’t be able to resist.

What can’t cabbage do?

They bake in half the time as the classic.

This is the ultimate pasta dish.

It all starts with store-bought gnocchi.

You might adore Olive Garden for the unlimited salad and garlic breadsticks (our copycat recipe is seriously legit!) or the ultra-comforting creamy pastas, but for me, it’s all about the luxuriously creamy chicken gnocchi soup. Just thinking about it, I can smell the herb and black pepper-flecked broth and feel the warm, satisfying comfort it brings to my belly.

It takes almost zero effort.

Oh, and it's done in 25 minutes flat.

Embrace the magic that is store-bought tortellini.

Your friends will beg for the recipe.

So much better than chicken noodle.

Just one pot and no chopping required.

Oh, and it cooks in just 30 minutes.