One-Pot White Wine Pasta with Mushrooms and Leeks
This creamy, savory pasta dish comes together in just one pot, no need to boil the pasta separately. A combination of savory sautéed mushrooms and gently sweet leeks combine with cream, lemon juice, and white wine to create the rich sauce. Feel free to switch up the flavor by adding tarragon instead of dill.
Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Capers
“For a crowd-pleaser at any party, I combine sheet pan–roasted cauliflower with pasta along with some crispy capers for salty crunch; anchovies (just a few) for umami depth; sautéed garlic and red pepper flakes for oomph, and lemon zest for brightness,” Colu Henry writes. “This recipe calls for the standard white cauliflower, but if you happen to see the purple or orange ‘cheddar’ variety, by all means grab them for presentation’s sake.”
Pulling-from-the-Pantry Puttanesca
Chef Zoi Antonitsas is passionate about preserved fish. The salty, briny fillets are her favorite powerhouse pantry ingredient. They can make almost anything into a meal—and a delicious one at that. Use high-quality tins, like Matiz España brand, for the best results.
Linguine with Frenched Green Beans and Parsley Pesto
In this classic recipe, chef Johanne Killeen employs starchy pasta water to thicken her fresh pesto into a sauce that clings to and flavors each strand of linguine, instead of pooling in the bowl. Thinly sliced green beans intertwine with the pasta, offering a refreshing crunch.
Creamy Tomato Rigatoni
A judicious amount of heavy cream enriches this simple tomato sauce, producing a lush texture that clings to the pasta without blanketing richness. This recipe is inspired by sommelier Derrick C. Westbrook of 1340 Beer Wine Spirits in Chicago, who named it his ideal dish for pairing with wine.
Creamy Vegan Pasta with Greens, Peas, and Lemon Zest
Quickly blanched greens and sizzling scallions and garlic meet in a surprisingly creamy vegan sauce for pasta, with a touch of white miso for added depth. Feel free to top with your favorite grated plant-based cheese, or just enjoy it all on its own.
Pasta Aglio e Olio
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Amelia Rampe
Roy Choi’s simple, garlicky pasta uses pantry ingredients and comes together in minutes.
Pasta Bolognese
Former F&W editor Grace Parisi features a traditional combination of ground beef, pork, veal, and tomato studded with salt-cured pancetta. It’s tossed with penne rigate and served with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Farro Mafaldine with Black Truffle Butter and Mushrooms
Black truffle paste, available year-round, melts beautifully into the buttery sauce for this dish, but when they’re in season (November through February), chef Karen Akunowicz recommends splurging for fresh black truffles, and using a rasp grater to get as much truffle goodness as possible into each perfect bite.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
In the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Test Kitchen, Catherine Jessee gives this rich, creamy pasta a generous layer of garlicky, cheesy breadcrumbs to take it over the top.
Bucatini with Mushroom Ragù, Dandelion Greens, and Tarragon
This meatless ragù gets rich flavor from dried morel mushrooms in former F&W editor Mary-Frances Heck’s first-course pasta that’s hearty without being filling. Save time by chopping the vegetables in a food processor, but take care to not puree them.
Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyère and Prosciutto
For a simple and ultra-creamy baked pasta, take a cue from chef Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner: Trade the béchamel for this much easier sauce of heavy cream simmered with plenty of nutmeg and two kinds of cheese.
Basil Three-Cheese Ravioli with No-Cook Fresh Tomato Sauce
Press and seal fresh basil leaves in homemade pasta dough to make three-cheese ravioli that are as beautiful as they are delicious, paired in this recipe from our test kitchen with a no-fuss, no-cook fresh tomato sauce that doesn’t distract from the delicate pasta.
Pasta with Pumpkin Brown Butter Sauce
A classic browned butter and sage sauce gets a boost of fall flavor from pumpkin butter. Be generous with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, as its salty, savory bite adds the perfect hit of umami flavor to this comforting pasta dish.
White Truffle Tagliolini
Generous portions of this pasta dish perfectly showcase the white truffle’s heady aroma. Use this tagliolini recipe, or purchase fresh spaghetti. Now is the time to break out a great bottle of wine to balance the creaminess of the dish with acid.
Après-Ski Lasagna
This hearty lasagna gets its heft from mild Italian sausage and cremini mushrooms, plus three kinds of cheese. It can be made ahead for a group and served with fresh basil for brightness.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
To create the classic ridges on each piece of gnocchi, use a paddle or fork to gently indent each side. Those grooves help the rich, buttery sauce cling to each tender bite.
Busiate with Pork Ragù
For his pork ragu, Copenhagen chef Christian F. Puglisi marinates the pork overnight for a meltingly tender meat sauce served with hand-rolled busiate.
Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio
A splash of red wine vinegar balances the richness of this cheesy pasta and magnifies the pink color of the onions and radicchio. Omit the prosciutto to make this a vegetarian main dish.
Spicy Sausage Pasta with Tomatoes and Squash
Added just minutes before serving, thinly sliced squash melts into the pasta without losing its shape and texture. Use a mandoline to achieve wafer-thin slices.
Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese with Baby Kale
A quick sauté renders baby kale leaves perfectly tender, allowing them to almost melt into the buttermilk-enriched béchamel in chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls’ version of mac and cheese. For a smooth sauce, make sure all of the dairy is at room temperature.
Cold Crab Spaghetti
Late summer in Louisiana is boggy hot, but this refreshing dish from chef Isaac Toups comes to the rescue with sweet-tart segments of juicy tangerine and uses just a teaspoon of Dijon to create a creamy, balanced sauce. Thai chile brings a touch of heat, while a flurry of mint, basil, and parsley highlight the natural sweetness of fresh crab.
Kale-Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Cannellini beans add hearty creaminess to these stuffed shells, while mild heat from Calabrian chiles and earthy sweetness from fennel seeds amp up jarred marinara sauce. Cook a few extra pasta shells to have on hand in case some tear during boiling.
Summer Crab Carbonara with Lemons and Capers
Chef Douglass Williams’ method for carbonara allows you to hold the cooked pasta before adding it to the garlic-oil-pasta cooking liquid emulsion. It makes for a simple, creamy carbonara without the stress.
Bucatini Amatriciana
Chef Hugh Acheson’s Amatriciana sauce strikes the perfect balance of savory (from the pancetta) and spicy.
Spicy Tonnarelli with Clams
Pair this simple, flavorful pasta with a crisp Verdicchio.
Spaghetti with Sun-Dried-Tomato-Almond Pesto
This Mediterranean dish from Marcie Turney is quick, simple and utterly delicious.
Creamy Lemon Pasta
Chef Andrew Zimmern mimics the sweet, fragrant lemons of Italy’s Amalfi Coast with Meyer lemons in this beautifully bright and creamy pasta. The dish originated at L’Antica Trattoria in Sorrento, where lemon juice is tossed with just-cooked pasta until absorbed. Supremes of lemon add a juicy, tart pop that cuts through the cream in the sauce.
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs is a crowd-pleasing classic Italian-American dish. The mixture of beef, veal, and pork makes the meatballs really flavorful.
Cheese Tortellini with Walnut Pesto
Here’s one of the quickest pesto sauces you’ll come across. It’s a perfect match for cheese tortellini, but you can use other tortellini such as mushroom or meat instead. The pesto is also great with just about any plain pasta.
Beef Brasato with Pappardelle and Mint
Chef Chris Cosentino braises beef shank and oxtail in red wine to make a brasato he serves with house-made mint pappardelle.
Pappardelle with Chicken and Pistachio-Mint Pesto
Justin Chapple makes a bright and nutty mint-and-pistachio pesto as the sauce for this fresh and summery warm pasta dish.
Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms
Allowing the pasta dough to rise (just like a bread dough) before rolling and shaping gives the cecamariti in this dish its characteristic texture and flavor. Fine Italian 00 flour can be found at specialty food shops and amazon.com.
Orecchiette with Broccoli and Tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar adds a hint of sweetness to this savory sauce. If the slight sweet-and-sour effect isn’t to your taste, either omit the vinegar completely or use wine vinegar instead. The effect will be different, but no less delicious.
Mostaccioli
A hearty meat sauce, lots of melted cheese and pasta make this dish a crowd-pleaser. Mostaccioli, a smooth, tube-shaped pasta with angled ends, is the go-to here, but penne also works well.
Chorizo-Poached Shrimp Pasta
Former F&W editor Justin Chapple cooks chorizo in oil, then uses that oil to cook shrimp and garlic, infusing this entire dish with excellent smoky flavor.
Crab Macaroni Gratin
“A glorious amount of crabmeat baked with shell-shaped pasta in a three-cheese cream sauce — tangy white cheddar, nutty Gruyère, and sharp Parmigiano-Reggiano — is no-joke delicious, and trés riche,” Andrea Slonecker writes.
Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard
In matching spicy sausage with a creamy mustard sauce and fragrant basil, British cookbook author Nigel Slater created a quick pasta supper with warm, mildly spicy flavors, perfect for a cool fall or winter evening.
Caviar Carbonara
For special occasions, Justin Chapple makes beautiful, fresh pappardelle pasta, then tosses it with a quick and rich carbonara sauce laced with briny pops of caviar and lemon zest. When he doesn’t feel like making the pasta from scratch, he buys the noodles fresh at his local Italian market.
Smoked Gouda Carbonara
In a clever play on carbonara, Justin Chapple uses smoked Gouda cheese, adding a deliciously smoky flavor to this silky, hearty, and totally delicious pasta.
Spaghetti with Squash Blossom Butter and Summer Beans
2005 F&W Best New Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson adds a generous amount of crisp green and wax beans to this light summer pasta for crunch and body, so the dish uses fewer noodles.
Three-Pepper Cacio e Pepe
A trio of peppercorns gives this pasta a subtle, floral heat. If you like, spice it up, swapping the Szechuan pepper with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Garganelli with Speck, Peas, and Scallion Cream
Sweet spring peas and garlicky sauce flood the tubular garganelli pasta in this recipe, making each bite a surprise. Substitute penne if you can’t find garganelli, and don’t skip the lemon and mint at the end, which bring balance to the dish.
Spinach-and-Prosciutto Ravioli
As a stuffing for her supple ravioli, Missy Robbins, chef at Lilia in Brooklyn, mixes spinach and prosciutto with two cheeses. Her ravioli can be made a month ahead of time. Freeze them in a single layer, and when they are solid, they can be combined in a large resealable plastic bag.
Raclette-Gruyère Mac and Cheese with Pickled Shallots
Inspired by älplermagronen, Alpine farmers’ macaroni, this Swiss take on a Thanksgiving classic gets rich flavor from Gruyère and a lush creaminess from Raclette. Traditional versions of this dish are served with applesauce; as a nod to that flavor play, we’ve added some shallots that are quickly pickled in apple cider vinegar to balance the cheesy richness.
Teff Tagliatelle with Niter Kibbeh
In traditional Ethiopian niter kebbeh (spiced clarified butter), whole spices, like nigella, coriander, and cardamom, are bloomed in clarified butter, or ghee, and then strained; here, chef Yohanis Gebreyesus leaves the toasted spices in to add texture to this simple but luxurious sauce for pasta made with earthy, fragrant teff . Don’t skip on resting the dough—it prevents the pasta from cracking apart when rolling and boiling.
Creamed Corn Pasta
Fresh corn melts into a creamy sauce that clings to every cranny of this pasta from Victor King of The Essential in Birmingham, Alabama. Any short noodle, like gemelli or casarecce, will work here. Using a vegetable peeler to shave the corn kernels is key to this summery dish. The peeler cuts juicy pieces of fresh corn while leaving rich and creamy corn milk behind to add body and flavor to the sauce.
Spaghetti with Mussels, Squid Ink, and Breadcrumbs
Commonly sold as squid ink, cuttlefish ink lends its signature deep black hue to this dish and coats every strand of spaghetti with its briny, mineral-rich taste. A simple mussel puree provides a mild, delicate seafood flavor and creamy richness. The recipe was one prepared by Copenhagen chef Christian F. Puglisi at a week-long culinary retreat at Rocca delle Tre Contrade in Sicily.
Pasta with Roasted Sun Gold Tomato Sauce
Cherry tomatoes are roasted on a sheet pan and then cooked down with garlic, a pinch of sugar, and olive oil until the liquid has thickened for this quick, fresh tomato sauce. Use Sun Gold tomatoes for a stunning orange sauce and if they’re not available, use any small, sweet cherry tomatoes you can find.
Cacio e Plantain
Mildly sweet and super creamy, caramelized plantains and nutty Parmesan form a silky sauce that drapes over spaghetti in this recipe by game-changing chef Eric Rivera. Choose very ripe plantains, with a mostly or completely black peel. Cilantro stems add a pop of crunch and freshness along with their tender leaves. Chop them finely for the garnish.