Ingredients Pasta + Noodles 21 Go-to Pasta Recipes You'll Make for the Rest of Your Life By Elisabeth Sherman Elisabeth Sherman Instagram Twitter Website Elisabeth Sherman is a writer, editor, and fact-checker in the food, culture, and entertainment spaces. She has been working professionally at national magazines since 2015. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Maria Yagoda Maria Yagoda Instagram Twitter Maria Yagoda is a senior editor at Food & Wine, where she has worked for five years, specializing in restaurant and travel coverage.Her writing on food, culture, travel, and health issues have been published in People Magazine, the Atlantic, Glamour Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and more print and digital publications.She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her chihuahua, Bucatina. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 22, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: 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've gathered together our favorite pasta dishes that you'll find yourself returning to again and again. 01 of 21 Penne alla Vodka Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis 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. Get the Recipe 02 of 21 Spaghetti with Clams and Braised Greens © Greg DuPree 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. Get the Recipe 03 of 21 Vegetable and Ravioli Lasagna Rick Poon Fresh spinach ravioli is 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. Get the Recipe 04 of 21 Cheese Tortellini with Walnut Pesto Christina Holmes Here's one of the quickest pesto sauces you'll come across. It's a perfect match for cheese tortellini, and you can use other tortellini such as mushroom or meat instead. The pesto is also great with just about any plain pasta. Get the Recipe 05 of 21 Cheesy Mixed Pasta Casserole with Mushrooms © Lucy Schaeffer This recipe is ideal for people who have lots of half-finished bags of different types of pasta at home. While the various pasta shapes cook at different rates in the water, they all become tender once baked. Get the Recipe 06 of 21 Creamy Tomato Rigatoni Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen 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. Get the Recipe 07 of 21 Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe © John Kernick 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 a simple yet flavor-packed pasta dish. Get the Recipe 08 of 21 Spinach and Ricotta Tortelli with Browned Butter © John Kernick Tortelli is extremely silky and supple, which makes it excellent with the creamy ricotta and spinach filling. If there's any dough left over, cut it into noodles then dry it and store it in bags in the refrigerator to have on hand for last-minute dinners. Get the Recipe 09 of 21 Stovetop Mac and Cheese © Fredrika Stjärne This clever, quick, and easy mac and cheese recipe eliminates the baking time, as well as the need for a white sauce. A combination of panko and Parmesan is sprinkled over the pasta and gets a brief pass under the broiler for a pleasing browned top. Get the Recipe 10 of 21 Free-Form Sausage and Three-Cheese Lasagna © Quentin Bacon 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. Get the Recipe 11 of 21 Pasta Bolognese © Fredrika Stjärne A traditional combination of ground beef, pork, veal, and tomato is enriched by smoky pancetta in this Bolognese sauce. It's tossed with penne rigate and finished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Get the Recipe 12 of 21 Macaroni Gratin © Fredrika Stjärne 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. Get the Recipe 13 of 21 Cacio e Plantain Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis 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. Get the Recipe 14 of 21 Calabrian Carbonara © Christina Holmes Chef Andrew Carmellini uses Calabrian 'nduja, the spicy, spreadable sausage, to bring loads of delicious heat and flavor to his silky carbonara. Get the Recipe 15 of 21 Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard Tina Rupp 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. In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best. Get the Recipe 16 of 21 Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus Andrew Purcell Ready to go at a moment's notice, this asparagus-embellished classic is not only creamy, quick, and delicious, but it all cooks up in only one pot. Get the Recipe 17 of 21 Speedy Baked Ziti Pernille Pedersen 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. Get the Recipe 18 of 21 Pici Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Missie Neville Crawford 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. Get the Recipe 19 of 21 Basil Three-Cheese Ravioli with No-Cook Fresh Tomato Sauce Greg DuPree 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 with a no-fuss, no-cook fresh tomato sauce that doesn't distract from the delicate pasta. You can make these ravioli ahead of time and keep them in the freezer for a speedy weeknight dinner. Get the Recipe 20 of 21 Creamy Vegan Pasta with Greens, Peas, and Lemon Zest Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey 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. Get the Recipe 21 of 21 Shortcut Baked Rigatoni with Meatballs Con Poulos Dry pasta and meatballs get baked with mozzarella and marinara in this genius shortcut recipe. Use store-bought sauce for extra ease. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit