Pasta

Pasta Recipes

113 recipes. Page 1 of 5

Various pasta dish recipes

Garlic Olive Oil Pasta

Aglio e olio means garlic and oil, and the Neapolitan dish asks for little beyond that: sliced garlic, chili flakes, olive oil, and spaghetti. With so few ingredients, the result rests on how the garlic cooks. Over low heat it should reach a pale gold in 3 to 4 minutes, and a few seconds past that the oil turns bitter. Starchy pasta water, added in portions and shaken hard with the oil, turns into a cloudy emulsion that clings to every strand. The traditional version uses no cheese and no cream.

Prep 10min Cook 15min 2 servings

Pasta Easy

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta)

The dish turns on slicing the garlic thin and even. If the slices vary, the thin ones burn first and the whole pan of oil turns bitter. Done right, no oil pools in the pan; it has all gone onto the strands as a thin sheen.

Prep 10min Cook 15min 2 servings

Pasta Easy

Penne all'Arrabbiata (Spicy Tomato and Garlic Pasta)

All of the heat in this penne comes from the peperoncino, so adjusting that one teaspoon sets the spice level. The chili gets only 10 seconds in the garlic oil before the tomatoes go in; blackened garlic or chili leaves a bitter streak through the sauce. Simmered uncovered for 8 minutes, the tomatoes thicken enough to coat the outside of each tube and fill the hollow. A pinch of sugar rounds off tomatoes that taste too sharp.

Prep 8min Cook 18min 2 servings

Pasta Medium

Baked Lasagna

Wide lasagna sheets get stacked two or three times over with meat sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella, then baked under a layer of Parmesan. Ricotta softens the acidity of the tomato, while melting mozzarella glues the layers together. A 10-minute rest before cutting keeps the hot cheese from running and the stack from slumping. If the top browns too fast, a sheet of foil goes back over it. The whole dish can be assembled ahead and refrigerated, which makes it easy to bake for guests.

🎉 For Guests

Prep 25min Cook 60min 4 servings

Pasta Medium

Baked Ziti

Baked ziti borrows the meat sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella of lasagna but skips the layering: the tube-shaped pasta is simply tossed and spread in the dish, which cuts the work considerably. Only half the sauce and half the ricotta go into the pasta; the rest sits on top under the cheese, keeping the inside moist. The ziti come out of the water two minutes early because they keep cooking in the oven. Once the mozzarella and Parmesan bubble gold, a 5-minute rest lets portions cut cleanly.

Prep 20min Cook 35min 4 servings

Pasta Medium

Slow-Simmered Meat Sauce Pasta

Milk simmered into the tomato for 80 minutes rounds off the acidity and leaves this ragu soft-textured and mellow. The depth is set earlier, when the ground beef browns over high heat until it catches on the pot and red wine lifts that browned layer into the sauce.

Prep 20min Cook 100min 4 servings

Pasta Easy

Heukimja Cream Bacon Rigatoni (Black Sesame Cream Pasta)

Whisking black sesame paste (heukimja) into cream turns the sauce a dusky gray and gives it a heavy, toasty richness close to nut butter. Crisp bacon breaks up that richness with salt and smoke, and the wide rigatoni tubes fill with sauce so each piece tastes of sesame inside and out.

Prep 12min Cook 18min 2 servings

Pasta Medium

Blue Crab Lemon Garlic Pasta

Sweet crab meat and bright lemon ride on a garlic-scented olive oil sauce that stays clean rather than greasy. Butter and starchy pasta water emulsify the oil into a thin coating on the spaghetti, while a splash of cheongju, Korean rice wine, takes the fishy edge off the crab. Crab picked fresh from whole blue crabs tastes noticeably sweeter than frozen meat.

Prep 15min Cook 18min 2 servings

Pasta Easy

Buchu Vongole Spaghetti (Korean Garlic Chive and Clam Pasta)

Clams opening in white wine release the briny liquor that seasons this pasta, so only a little salt is added at the end. Chili flakes add a slow heat, and buchu, Korean garlic chives, stirred in after the heat is off, gives the dish a grassy, garlicky finish that a classic vongole does not have. Starchy pasta water binds clam juice and olive oil into a glossy sauce that clings to every strand.

Prep 15min Cook 18min 2 servings

Pasta Hard

Bulgogi Meatball Tomato Spaghetti

Ground beef seasoned like bulgogi, with soy sauce, sugar, and garlic, simmers in a tomato sauce, where the sweet-salty soy meets the acidity of the tomatoes. Searing the meatballs first leaves a browned crust that melts into the sauce and deepens it. Breadcrumbs and egg hold moisture, so the meatballs stay tender through the simmer instead of drying out.

Prep 25min Cook 30min 4 servings

Pasta Medium

Cacio e Pepe (Pecorino Cheese and Black Pepper Pasta)

Rome's cacio e pepe gets its sauce from just Pecorino Romano, black pepper and starchy cooking water. This version adds 30g of Parmigiano to soften the saltiness slightly. Finely grated cheese goes into the pan off the heat, in several batches, to keep it from clumping.

⚡ 20-Minute Recipes

Prep 5min Cook 15min 2 servings

Pasta Easy

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Cajun seasoning, a Louisiana Creole blend of paprika, cayenne, oregano, thyme, and garlic and onion powders, gives this cream pasta a smoky, moderate heat. Half of it coats the shrimp and the other half seasons the sauce, spreading the spice evenly. The butter and spiced fat left after searing the shrimp become the base for the onion, garlic, and bell pepper, and a mix of cream and milk keeps the sauce lighter than cream alone. The shrimp leave the pan as soon as they turn pink and only return on top at the end, which keeps them snappy.

Prep 15min Cook 20min 2 servings

Pasta Medium

Spaghetti Carbonara

Egg yolks, Parmesan, and starchy pasta water come together on hot spaghetti into a sauce that tastes creamy without any cream. Temperature decides everything: the egg mixture is poured on only after the pan has dropped below 85 to 90 degrees, since a hotter pan scrambles the yolks and a pan that cools too far lets the sauce break. The bacon renders slowly over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, and its fat coats the pasta first, with the burner already off. The sauce keeps tightening as it cools, so carbonara goes to the table the moment it is plated.

Prep 10min Cook 20min 2 servings

Pasta Medium

Beef Brisket Perilla Cream Fettuccine

Thin-sliced beef brisket, chadol in Korean, browns at the edges in its own fat in a dry, very hot pan, and that fat is poured off so the sauce tastes mainly of cream and milk. Perilla leaves, a fragrant herb common in Korean cooking, are folded in only once the burner is off, and their herbal note lightens the cream and the fatty beef.

Prep 15min Cook 18min 2 servings

Pasta Easy

Chamnamul Walnut Pesto Trofie

Swapping basil for chamnamul, a celery-scented Korean mountain herb, and pine nuts for toasted walnuts makes this pesto greener and earthier than Genovese. Parmigiano and lemon juice set the salt and acidity. Twisted trofie hold the pesto in their grooves, and because they are not rinsed, their surface starch helps the sauce cling.

Prep 15min Cook 12min 2 servings

Pasta Medium

Cheongyang Chili Carbonara Spaghetti

Cheongyang chili, a sharp Korean green pepper, cuts through a classic cream-free carbonara of egg yolks, Parmigiano, and Pecorino, leaving a cleaner, brighter finish. Sliced chili and garlic fry for just 30 seconds in the rendered pancetta fat, long enough for the heat to spread through the oil but short of scorching the garlic. That oil then emulsifies with the cheese and egg base, and the starch and salt in the pasta water help the sauce coat each strand evenly. Grating the cheese finely ahead of time keeps the sauce smooth. The usual failure is a pan that is still too hot: the yolks scramble instead of turning silky, so the heat is cut and the pan rests a few seconds before the eggs are added.

Prep 10min Cook 18min 2 servings

Pasta Easy

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken breast browned deeply in butter, 4-5 minutes a side, carries its roasted flavor into the Parmesan cream sauce that goes on the fettuccine. Two things sour or split that sauce: garlic left to brown, and cheese added over strong heat, so the burner goes low before the Parmesan goes in. Pasta moves into the sauce straight from the water, while its surface starch still helps the sauce cling; reserved pasta water loosens it if it turns stiff. Plenty of black pepper cuts the richness.

Prep 15min Cook 20min 2 servings

Pasta Medium

Chili Garlic Pork Belly Arrabbiata Penne

Pork belly, fried until the fat turns translucent and the edges crisp, gives this arrabbiata a richer, meatier base than the usual garlic and chili tomato sauce. The heat comes from Korean gochugaru instead of dried Italian chili, so it lands as a familiar, warm Korean spiciness.

Prep 18min Cook 25min 4 servings

Pasta Medium

Chogochujang Kkotge Cold Capellini (Spicy-Sour Crab Angel Hair)

Ice-chilled angel hair takes a dressing of chogochujang (Korean chili paste sharpened with vinegar and sugar), loosened with olive oil and lemon juice, that tastes spicy, sour, and sweet at once. Sweet crab meat and crunchy cucumber soften the heat, and the juice of cherry tomatoes thins the thick dressing on the plate. Capellini, among the thinnest pastas, overcooks fast and sticks together at room temperature unless it is chilled the moment it leaves the pot. The chilled noodles are pressed lightly in the sieve to shed their water, which would otherwise thin the dressing. Salt waits until the very end, since chogochujang varies in saltiness.

Prep 20min Cook 10min 2 servings

Pasta Medium

Chunjang Beef Ragu Tagliatelle

Chunjang, the black bean paste behind Korean jajangmyeon, goes into an Italian-style beef ragu, where its salty, roasted depth meets the acidity of tomato passata. Wide tagliatelle carry a thin, glossy coat of the sauce on every ribbon, and the result tastes somewhere between jajangmyeon and a Bolognese.

Prep 20min Cook 40min 2 servings

Pasta Easy

Cream Pasta

Bacon crisped in butter leaves behind a smoky, salty fat, and the onion and garlic cook in it before any cream arrives. Milk thins the cream until the sauce coats a spoon lightly instead of sitting heavy on the pasta. A hard boil reduces it too far and can split it, while a gentle simmer at the edges keeps it smooth. Parmesan melts in after the heat is off, and either penne or spaghetti works.

Prep 10min Cook 20min 2 servings

Pasta Easy

Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Pulling the shrimp out early and returning them for only the last 30 seconds keeps them tender instead of rubbery. While they wait, the cream reduces in the same pan and picks up the garlic butter and shrimp juices, so the sauce needs no stock.

Prep 15min Cook 20min 2 servings

Pasta Medium

Dakgalbi Cream Rigatoni (Korean Spicy Chicken Gochujang Cream Pasta)

Chicken thighs marinated in gochujang, chili flakes, and soy sauce are stir-fried with cabbage and onion like dakgalbi, Korea's spicy chicken stir-fry, then simmered in cream into a pink, gently spicy sauce. The cabbage and onion hit the pan before the chicken to draw out their sweetness. Thigh meat is used because it suits the cream sauce. Sauce fills the thick rigatoni tubes and gives each bite both heat and richness. Mozzarella melted in at the end stretches like the cheese on cheese dakgalbi. The final seasoning waits until the sauce is done because gochujang brands differ in saltiness.

Prep 20min Cook 25min 4 servings

Pasta Easy

Danza Noodle Soup (Tomato Chickpea Pasta Soup)

Because thin pasta cooks straight in a tomato and chickpea broth, there is only one pot to wash and the noodles take on the oregano-scented base. The catch is timing: the pasta keeps drinking the broth after the heat is off, and a pot left standing turns into soft, swollen noodles with little soup. Parsley is stirred through once at the very end to keep it fresh.

Prep 12min Cook 18min 2 servings