34 Pasta Recipes with Pizzazz
Penne with Arrabiata Sauce [1]
Arrabbiata (the Italian word for angry) is a Roman sauce of garlic, tomatoes and red chili cooked in olive oil. This recipe, inspired by RAGBRAI vendor Pastafari, offers several variations. Serve cooked penne with either a spicy red sauce or with a classic green pesto sauce. Optional toppings include rosemary-crusted grilled salmon or grilled summer squash.
Tuna-Noodle Casserole [5]
Green beans, chopped sweet peppers, chopped celery and fresh mushrooms add fresh flavor to our tuna casserole recipe.
Classic Lasagna [9]
With its rich meaty sauce and creamy cheese layers, this lasagna is always a favorite main dish.
Classic Lasagna [10]
Pea and Mint Pesto [13]
Fresh mint and sweet peas shine in this bright, versatile pesto. We love it as a dip, sandwich spread and pasta sauce (thinned with a little water), but we suspect that you’ll find even more ways to use it for a burst of early-summer flavor.
Pea and Mint Pesto [14]
Fresh Herb Pasta Primavera [17]
A Parmesan cream sauce tops pasta made with your choice of fresh herbs and veggies.
Tagliatelle A La Hudson [21]
Lemon and prosciutto flavor this easy-to-make pasta dish to perfection.
French Spaghetti [25]
Layer creamy white and tomato-mushroom sauces with noodles to create this meatless dish. You can serve it with a salad as a main course or spoon out smaller portions as a side dish. "This was a real treat," writes one of our website reviewers. "The cream gives this dish a really rich boost."
French Spaghetti [26]
Fusilli Primavera [29]
This recipe tosses fun curly pasta with spring vegetables ("primavera"). We added almonds and a hint of cheese for a colorful stir-fry dish with crunch. A splash of vermouth adds some tang to the sauce.
Fusilli Primavera [30]
Blue-Ribbon Italian Sauce [33]
This old family recipe comes from Kansas City, Missouri, reader Mary Rowell. She learned it from her mother, who learned it from her Italian mother-in-law. Starch from a potato helps thicken the sauce.
Fresh Tomato and Arugula Pasta [37]
Arugula is a spicy little green that gives this fresh tomato pasta a peppery bite. For a more mellow flavor, use spinach instead of arugula.
Noodles with Honey-Balsamic Beef [41]
Tangy balsamic vinegar, sweet honey and the bite of red pepper flakes blend as they season this beef stir-fry. We liked the crunch of the Chinese cabbage called bok choy. Dried vermicelli pasta nests or angel-hair pasta can be used as the noodle base.
Grilled Chicken and Garden Vegetable Penne Pasta [45]
Tomatoes, squash, red sweet peppers and green onions give garden-fresh flavor to this chicken-and-pasta main dish. Also, the vegetables add nice color to the recipe, which comes from the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio.
Chicken Veneto [49]
This variation of a classic Italian recipe comes from Salvatore's Ristorante in Indianapolis. Chicken is cooked in a skillet and seasoned with a sauce of butter, garlic, artichoke hearts, pistachio nuts and white wine. The dish takes just 30 minutes from start to finish.
Chicken Veneto [50]
Pizza in a Bowl [53]
One of the winners in a Midwest Living potluck recipe contest, this recipe from a North Canton, Ohio, reader combines pizza toppings with macaroni, sprinkled on top with Parmesan and pepperoni.
Pizza in a Bowl [54]
Tuna Pasta Bliss [57]
Fun three-color pasta, cubed cheese, albacore tuna and roasted sweet red peppers blend for a pasta salad with summer freshness from fresh basil and Romaine leaves. Sprinkled cashews add a nice topping.
Tuna Pasta Bliss [58]
Linguini with Shrimp and Pine Nuts [61]
Dry sherry flavors the broth, and crushed red pepper adds a tiny bite to this pasta dish from Bartolino's, a popular Italian restaurant in the Hill area of St. Louis, Missouri.
Army and Lou's Macaroni and Cheese [65]
Here's a real crowd-pleaser: a creamy mac and cheese recipe using three kinds of cheese. It's from Army and Lou's restaurant in Chicago.
Pesto Penne with Roasted Chicken [69]
Purchased pesto and roast chicken put this main-dish pasta on the table in just 20 minutes. Fresh broccoli cooks with the pasta and lends fresh flavor.
Linguine in Fresh Tomato Sauce With Garlic-Basil Toast [73]
Kalamata olives add flavor to the homemade tomato sauce in this vegetarian pasta meal. And it's ready in 20 minutes!
Greek Pastitsio [77]
Some call this dish (pronounced pah-STEET-see-oh) the Greek lasagna. Our version was inspired by the pastitsio served at a popular Detroit-area Greek restaurant. We use elbow macaroni and kasseri cheese (similar to provolone in flavor, but milder with a slight buttery taste). Just like lasagna, this dish is easier to serve if it stands about 10 minutes after baking.
Greek Pastitsio [78]
Reunion Noodle Salad [81]
Soy sauce, lemon olive oil and garlic create a flavorful dressing for this pasta and vegetable salad. The recipe comes from the Savage family in Columbus, Ohio, where it's served at big family gatherings.
Reunion Noodle Salad [82]
Second-Helping Pasta [85]
Sweet peppers, garlic and tomato add color and flavor to this quick-and-easy pasta dish. If you like, add cooked chicken strips or shrimp.
Second-Helping Pasta [86]
Tuna Alfredo Casserole [89]
Substitute any pesto you like in this easy, six-ingredient tuna casserole recipe.
Pumpkin-Filled Ravioli [93]
Choose from the variety of mushrooms at your supermarket when you make this dish from Spiaggia in Chicago. Or you can buy cheese ravioli to use with this recipe's rich mushroom sauce.
Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce over Fettuccini [97]
This versatile recipe is delicious over any type of pasta. A classic tomato sauce gets extra flavor from 2 tablespoons of vodka and smoothness from whipped cream. You can leave out the vodka, if you like, and experiment with different flavors of canned stewed tomatoes.
Cheesy Multigrain Spaghetti Casserole [101]
Extra-firm tofu provides protein in this meatless main dish. Whole-grain pasta adds flavor and nutrition.
Mushroom and Gorgonzola Fettuccine [105]
This rich-and-creamy noodle recipe is from Herman's restaurant at Garland resort near Lewiston, Michigan. Sweet red pepper and fresh herbs give splashes of color to the mushroom sauce.
Eight-Layer Casserole [109]
A Waukegan, Illinois, reader contributed this homespun ground beef-and-noodle hotdish recipe. She said it is one of her favorites to take to church suppers. Make-ahead directions are included at the end of the recipe.
Eight-Layer Casserole [110]
Pesto Pasta Toss [113]
You’ll only need six ingredients — and 20 minutes — to whip up this pasta dish. Use chopped leftover cooked turkey, chicken, pork, beef, or vegetables, and whatever kind of pasta you have on hand.
Pesto Pasta Toss [114]
Thai Chicken Salad [117]
Lots of veggies, grilled chicken, Asian buckwheat noodles and a peanut dressing create this choice chilled main-dish salad. The recipe is from M's Pub in Omaha. You can assemble it 2 to 4 hours before serving.
Thai Chicken Salad [118]
Inside-Out Spaghetti Pie [121]
Pasta forms the "crust" for ground meat filling in this family-favorite dish.
Inside-Out Spaghetti Pie [122]
Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce With Pasta [125]
This creamy morel sauce pasta is a signature dish at Samuel's restaurant in Suttons Bay, Michigan. When Sam Hybels bought the former Hattie's restaurant in Suttons Bay, he also acquired this recipe. Today, Hattie's is called Samuel's, but the sauce remains the same. "I'd never dare tamper with it," Sam says.
Lemongrass Chicken over Noodles [129]
The popular Thai herb lemongrass seasons this stir-fry we created with a lemony finish. You can substitute a variety of noodles in this main dish.
Walnut Room Butternut Squash Ravioli [133]
Toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) add crunchiness to this main dish recipe from Macy's Walnut Room in Chicago. Dried cranberries, sweet red pepper and sage add color.