27 Simple Pasta Recipes Anyone Can Master

This Italian classic is the definition of “easy to make.” It’s just butter, cheese, pasta and freshly ground pepper.

This one-pot, 15-minute pasta limone is like dinner in your back pocket: You likely have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already, and it comes together in practically no time.

Tieghan Gerard from Half Baked Harvest has done it again. Here, she brings us a delightful combo of cherry tomatoes, rosemary, and, yes, smoked bacon.

What’s that delicious smell? It’s not the trattoria downstairs…it’s your kitchen. Heidi Larsen’s traditional spaghetti alla carbonara is worth making for the wafting scent alone.

Serve up this skillet pasta with summer squash, ricotta and basil instead. Best of all, this one-pan meal is ready in half an hour.

You love chicken. You love pasta. Why not combine them into this creamy, smoky and downright delightful pasta Florentine with grilled chicken?

Roasted broccoli, crispy bacon and hearty pasta make one helluva salad. Serve it as a side dish or a main dish—your call.

Aida Mollenkamp’s burrata cream and guanciale pasta was inspired by a trip to the Tuscan hilltop town of Castelfalfi. (Just claim the story as your own.)

Kale, lemon and pecorino cheese are ridiculously delicious toppings for simple bow-tie pasta. (The kids will be into this one too.)

Step away from the blue box. You need only four ingredients to whip up your own homemade macaroni and cheese.

You don’t need a refrigerator full of vegan ingredients to make a veg-friendly pasta. Case in point: Gena Hamshaw’s five-ingredient vegan sausage and mushroom pasta with marinara sauce.

Three words: tiny cheese balls. We’re loving the bursts of flavor in Maria Lichty’s pesto pasta salad that includes mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.

Crunchy pine nuts top this sweet and savory whole-wheat pasta that’s just as delicious on your dinner plate as it is at your desk for lunch the next afternoon.

It’s gorgeous enough to serve at your next dinner party, but not too fancy for the kiddos.

The best part (beyond having just one pot to clean)? Once you’ve mastered this version, you can customize the recipe to your heart’s content.

This goat cheese pasta is bound to be a hit, and if you’re wondering, it takes only 25 minutes to make.

A few classic Italian flavors come together for one simple yet satisfying dish.

This recipe is rich but totally virtuous, and the whole meal takes just 30 minutes to prepare. (Cue singing angels.)

Traditionally, you’d cook the pasta and sauce in at least two different pans, but in this 35-minute recipe, everything comes together in a single pot.

We discovered a while back that pasta and avocado are meant to be together.

Stew doesn't have to mean hours in the kitchen. This recipe comes together in just about 30 minutes, making it an easy staple.

Whip up a quick Italian classic that looks fancy, but it’s really just spaghetti with tomato sauce.

We don’t always eat vegan, but it’s a fun bonus when a creamy, delightful dish just so happens to be plant-based.

Best of all, you can make four servings for less than $10. Salute!

This recipe combines all of our favorite fall flavors (mmm...butternut squash). We have a feeling you'll be making this all season long.

Imagine a plate of pasta that’s lusciously creamy, but not heavy.

Tastes like pizza, but with added frozen veggies and tofu feta, it’s actually pretty nutritious.