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  1. Home
  2. Pasta + Noodles
  3. 21 Go-To Pasta Recipes You'll Make for the Rest of Your Life

21 Go-To Pasta Recipes You'll Make for the Rest of Your Life

By Elisabeth Sherman and Maria Yagoda Updated October 10, 2018
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Cacio e Plantain
Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Whether you're making your own fresh pasta or using the store-bought variety, nothing beats an excellent bowl of noodles. Cheesy, creamy, super satisfying pasta is the ultimate comfort food. Here, we gathered together our favorite pasta dishes that you'll find yourself returning to again and again.

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Penne Alla Vodka

Penne Alla Vodka
Credit: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
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While some vodka sauce recipes lean on the creamy side, this version is more tomato-forward, loaded with bits of broken-down tomatoes and onion. The tomatoes are cooked for nearly an hour before the cream is added, concentrating their deep umami flavor. 

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Spaghetti with Clams and Braised Greens

Spaghetti with Clams and Braised Greens
Credit: © Greg DuPree
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We didn't think spaghetti and clams could get better than the garlicky classic until chef Ashley Christensen of Poole's Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina, created a version that forever changed the way we look at this dish.

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Vegetable-and-Ravioli Lasagna

Vegetable-and-Ravioli Lasagna
Credit: Rick Poon
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Fresh spinach ravioli are a clever shortcut for making lasagna: Each ravioli is already a mini layer of pasta, cheese and vegetable. This recipe is especially fast to make using pre-roasted or grilled vegetables from the deli counter.

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Cheese Tortellini with Walnut Pesto

Cheese Tortellini with Walnut Pesto
Credit: Christina Holmes
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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.

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Cheesy Mixed Pasta Casserole with Mushrooms

Cheesy Mixed Pasta Casserole with Mushrooms
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This recipe is great for people who have lots of half-finished bags of different types of pasta at home. While the different pasta shapes cook at different rates in the water, they all become tender once baked.

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Creamy Tomato Rigatoni

Creamy Tomato Rigatoni
Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
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A judicious amount of heavy cream enriches this simple tomato sauce, producing a lush texture that clings to the pasta without blanketing richness. Crushing the canned tomatoes by hand creates a rustic mixture of tomato pulp, pieces, and puree. 

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15 Go-To Pasta Recipes You'll Make for the Rest of Your Life

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Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

spaghetti cacio e pepe
Credit: © John Kernick
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There's a reason this one's so popular these days. Made with Pecorino Romano, a tangy aged sheep's-milk cheese originally from Rome, and lots of freshly ground black pepper, cacio e pepe is simple, yet, flavor-packed pasta dish.

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Spinach-and-Ricotta Tortelli with Browned Butter

Spinach-and-Ricotta Tortelli with Browned Butter
Credit: © John Kernick
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Tortelli is extremely silky and supple, which makes it excellent with the creamy ricotta-and-spinach filling.

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Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Stovetop Mac and Cheese
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This clever, quick and easy mac and cheese recipe eliminates the baking time, as well as the need for a white sauce.

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Free-Form Sausage-and-Three-Cheese Lasagna

Free-Form Sausage-and-Three-Cheese Lasagna
Credit: © Quentin Bacon
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This rustic and gooey lasagna is packed with cheese and sausage. The style is called free-form because the pasta can be arranged in different ways—for instance, folded over the filling—instead of traditionally layered.

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Pasta Bolognese

Pasta Bolognese
Credit: © Fredrika Stjärne
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A combination of ground beef, pork, veal and tomato is enriched by smoky pancetta in this Bolognese sauce.

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Macaroni Gratin

Macaroni Gratin
Credit: © Fredrika Stjärne
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This deliciously moist macaroni gratin is a far cry from American macaroni and cheese. Chef Benoît Guichard cooks the pasta in milk, then cools the cooking liquid down with ice cubes, a technique that keeps the macaroni from drying out.

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Cacio e Plantain

Cacio e Plantain
Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
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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.

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Calabrian Carbonara

Calabrian Carbonara
Credit: © Christina Holmes
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Chef Andrew Carmellini uses Calabrian 'nduja, the spicy, spreadable sausage, to bring loads of delicious heat and flavor to his silky carbonara.

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Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard

Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard
Credit: Tina Rupp
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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.

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Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus

Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus
Credit: Andrew Purcell
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Ready to go at a moment's notice, this asparagus-embellished classic is not only creamy, quick, and delicious, but it dirties only one pot.

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Speedy Baked Ziti

Speedy Baked Ziti
Credit: Pernille Pedersen
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This is the fastest way to make really good baked ziti. The key is to doctor good-quality jarred tomato sauce with ground meat, onion, garlic and spices. Once the meat is browned, everything comes together quickly and the dish bakes up to gooey cheesy perfection in just 15 minutes.

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Pici Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes

Pici with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes
Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Missie Neville Crawford
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If you've never made pasta before, pasta expert Meryl Feinstein recommends starting with pici, a thick, hand-rolled spaghetti from Siena that looks like a plump udon noodle.

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Pecorino Ravioli with Walnuts and Marjoram

Pecorino Ravioli with Walnuts and Marjoram
Credit: © Quentin Bacon
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Swap out fresh pasta for wonton wrappers in this recipe, which will showcase for the nutty brown butter, delicate young pecorino cheese and fresh marjoram better than fresh pasta.

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Creamy Vegan Pasta with Greens, Peas, and Lemon Zest

Green Pasta in purple bowls
Credit: Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey
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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.

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Shortcut Baked Rigatoni with Meatballs

Shortcut Baked Rigatoni and Meatballs
Credit: Con Poulos
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Dry pasta and meatballs get baked with mozzarella and marinara in this genius shortcut recipe.

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By Elisabeth Sherman and Maria Yagoda

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    Everything in This Slideshow

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    1 of 22 Penne Alla Vodka
    2 of 22 Spaghetti with Clams and Braised Greens
    3 of 22 Vegetable-and-Ravioli Lasagna
    4 of 22 Cheese Tortellini with Walnut Pesto
    5 of 22 Cheesy Mixed Pasta Casserole with Mushrooms
    6 of 22 Creamy Tomato Rigatoni
    7 of 22 15 Go-To Pasta Recipes You'll Make for the Rest of Your Life
    8 of 22 Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe
    9 of 22 Spinach-and-Ricotta Tortelli with Browned Butter
    10 of 22 Stovetop Mac and Cheese
    11 of 22 Free-Form Sausage-and-Three-Cheese Lasagna
    12 of 22 Pasta Bolognese
    13 of 22 Macaroni Gratin
    14 of 22 Cacio e Plantain
    15 of 22 Calabrian Carbonara
    16 of 22 Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard
    17 of 22 Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus
    18 of 22 Speedy Baked Ziti
    19 of 22 Pici Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes
    20 of 22 Pecorino Ravioli with Walnuts and Marjoram
    21 of 22 Creamy Vegan Pasta with Greens, Peas, and Lemon Zest
    22 of 22 Shortcut Baked Rigatoni with Meatballs

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    21 Go-To Pasta Recipes You'll Make for the Rest of Your Life
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