48 Pasta Ideas for All Seasons

We've tested countless varieties of noodles and sauces to develop the very best pasta recipes you can use to try something new or perfect a go-to dish.

Pasta e Ceci
Credit:

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Pappardelle! Spaghetti! Gnocchi! Whether you're looking for a one-pot dinner or a cozy baked macaroni and cheese, our best pasta recipes won't let you down. Some of our favorites include earthy Mushroom Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter and Sicilian Baked Pasta loaded with cheese and eggplant. If you need a quick meal, Three-Pepper Cacio e Pepe or Roy Choi's Pasta Aglio e Olio are good bets. Read on for those recipes and even more pasta dishes we love.

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Pantry Puttanesca Pasta

Pulling from the Pantry Puttanesca
Victor Protasio

2015 F&W Best New Chef Zoi Antonitsas points to the salty, briny power of preserved fish as her favorite pantry ingredient. The higher the quality of the tinned fish, the better the results. Antonitsas likes Matiz España brand.

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One-Pot White Wine Pasta with Mushrooms and Leeks

One Pot White Wine Pasta Recipe
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland

Leeks, mushrooms, and fresh herbs combine with pantry staples to make a weeknight-friendly meal that’s ready in 30 minutes. Luscious and savory, the rich sauce in this crowd favorite from Robin Bashinsky is made with cream, lemon, and white wine.

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Espagueti Verde (Green Spaghetti)

Espagueti Verde (Green Spaghetti)

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

If salsa verde is your jam, you'll love this creamy green spaghetti. Simply char poblano peppers and garlic in the broiler, then puree with scallions, jalapeño, cilantro, and Mexican crema for a silky, smoky sauce.

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Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Refrigerated gnocchi are coated in a cheesy and garlicky tomato sauce for this baked skillet dish that's easy to pull off on a weeknight.

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Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)

Pasta e Ceci

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This classic Italian vegetarian dish from F&W recipe developer Craig Ruff comes together in just 30 minutes (in one pot, to boot) with pantry staples like canned chickpeas, ditalini pasta, tomato paste, and vegetable broth.

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Spinach Lasagna

Spinach Lasagna

Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Layers of spinach-laced ricotta, Mornay sauce, noodles, and mozzarella bake up into a golden, decadent pasta masterpiece that's guaranteed to please everyone at the table.

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Linguine with Frenched Green Beans and Parsley Pesto

Linguine with Frenched Green Beans and Parsley Pesto Recipe
Photo by Tara Donne / Food Styling by Chris Lanier / Prop Styling by Raina Kattelson

In this classic recipe, thinly sliced green beans mingle with linguine to give each bite a refreshing crunch. 1988 F&W Best New Chef Johanne Killen employs starchy pasta water to thicken her fresh pesto into a sauce that clings to and flavors the strands of pasta.

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Creamy Tomato Rigatoni

Creamy Tomato Rigatoni
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This simple tomato sauce is more than the sum of its parts: canned tomatoes, butter, cream, and onion. Cooked just so, it's sweet and savory, rich and acidic — creating a lush sauce that's perfect for big, ridged noodles like rigatoni.

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Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Capers

Cauliflower Pasta
Caitlin Bensel

"Of all the fall vegetables, it's the return of my beloved cauliflower and its elegant florets that I celebrate the most," says cookbook author Colu Henry. In this recipe, cauliflower comes together with capers, garlic, anchovy, crushed red pepper, lemon zest, parsley, and Pecorino Romano cheese to form a comforting pasta dish that's ready in under an hour.

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Rasta Pasta with Shrimp

Rasta Pasta with Shrimp

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Savor the flavors of Jamaica with this one-pot pasta dish featuring bell peppers, red onion, and juicy shrimp flavored with fiery jerk seasoning and enveloped in a creamy coconut milk sauce.

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Pasta Bolognese

Pasta Bolognese
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Former F&W editor Grace Parisi's Bolognese showcases a traditional combination of ground beef, pork, veal, and tomato enriched by smoky pancetta. Penne rigate is the ideal pasta shape to pair with the thick, robust sauce.

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Pasta Aglio e Olio

Pasta Aglio e Olio

Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Breanna Ghazali

This simple, garlicky pasta from chef Roy Choi uses pantry ingredients — its beauty comes from building out the flavor profile in the olive oil. Even better, the whole thing comes together in the time it takes for the water to boil, making it the perfect back-pocket pasta to add to your weeknight rotation. 

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Farro Mafaldine with Black Truffle Butter and Mushrooms

Farro Mafaldine with Black Truffle Butter and Mushrooms
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

You can't go wrong with adding black truffles to any dish, but this sophisticated, mushroom-filled recipe from Boston chef Karen Akunowicz calls for truffle paste, which melts perfectly into the buttery sauce to blanket nutty farro pasta.

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Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Scatter a mix of crispy panko, garlic, parsley, and Parmesan cheese over the top of this dish of emulsified butter, cheese, and starchy pasta water for a salty, crunchy, herbaceous edge to its iconic velvety swirl of noodles.

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Pasta with Broccolini, Peas, and Pancetta

Pasta with Broccolini, Peas, and Pancetta

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Noodles called ruote pazze, which means "crazy wheels," bring a whimsical quality to this weeknight-friendly dish; a verdant medley of Broccolini, sweet peas, leek, and fresh herbs celebrates the lushness of the season.

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Lobster Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes

Lobster Pasta

Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

This elegant dinner takes just 25 minutes to whip up using pre-cooked lobster. Toss with a tomatoey wine sauce and sweet corn for an easy warm-weather meal.

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Creamy Camembert and Mushroom Pasta

Creamy Camembert and Mushroom Pasta

Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell

This silky pasta owes its rich, luxurious sauce not to heavy cream, but rather to Camembert cheese. Cheese expert Laura Werlin recommends cutting the rind off this ooey-gooey ingredient while it's still cold.

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Pasta ’Ncasciata (Sicilian Baked Pasta)

Pasta ’Ncasciata (Sicilian Baked Pasta)

Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This classic Sicilian baked pasta has many variations; here, 2016 F&W Best New Chef Michael Gulotta layers tender eggplant, buttery caciocavallo cheese, and crushed tomatoes with al dente rigatoni for an especially hearty, satisfying dish.

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Pasta with Pumpkin Brown Butter Sauce

Pasta with Pumpkin Brown Butter Sauce
Abby Hocking

Homemade pumpkin butter brings full-on fall flavor to classic browned butter and sage sauce. Don't skimp on the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese!

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Après-Ski Lasagna

Aprés Ski Lasagna
Victor Protasio

This cozy lasagna, which gets brightness from fresh basil, earthiness from mushrooms, and savory heft from mild Italian sausage, is designed to feed a crowd — it yields eight to 10 servings.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

How to Make a Spaghetti Carbonara

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

This is the best carbonara you’ll ever make, and it comes together in just 30 minutes with a silky egg-based sauce, guanciale, and a combination of Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino cheese.

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Gnocchi Asparagi e Pancetta (Tuscan Gnocchi with Asparagus and Pancetta)

gnocchi with asparagus and pancetta

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

The key to good gnocchi is good potatoes, and in Tuscany, that means ones from the Bolgheri area. In a celebration of the region's trademark simplicity, we use Yukon Gold potatoes, tossed with delicate springtime asparagus and a savory, emulsified, pancetta-flavored pan sauce.

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Spicy Sausage Pasta with Tomatoes and Squash

Spicy Sausage Pasta with Tomatoes and Squash
Photo by David Malosh / Prop Styling by Amy Wilson / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero

Thinly sliced squash added just minutes before serving means it melts into the pasta without losing its shape and texture. Use a mandoline to achieve extra-thin slices.

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Steak au Poivre Pasta

Steak au Poivre Noodles

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

For this ultra-comforting take on the classic steak dinner, the browned bits from seared steak cubes get transformed into a creamy peppercorn and Cognac pan sauce. It's tossed with the reserved steak and ruffled noodles for maximum sauce coverage.

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Rigatoni Amatriciana

Rigatoni Amatriciana
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Boil your pasta while you make a rich, jammy, pleasantly spicy sauce from sweet onion, fatty pancetta, crushed red pepper, and canned plum tomatoes, then combine the two with pasta water and a blend of cheeses for a deeply flavorful dinner in under an hour.

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Mushroom Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter

Mushroom Ravioli

Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Homemade ravioli are filled with fresh and dried mushrooms enveloped in a creamy blend of ricotta and mascarpone, then coated in a rich brown butter sage sauce for this stunning dish. Drizzle a touch of truffle oil into the filling to add even more depth of flavor.

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Shrimp Scampi with Garlicky Miso Butter

Shrimp Scampi Vermicelli with Garlicky Miso Butter

Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Whisking white miso into the white wine sauce used to cook this shrimp adds even more briny depth to the garlicky seafood pasta.

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Spaghetti with Clams and Braised Greens

Spaghetti with Clams and Braised Greens

Greg DuPree

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best. To give even more flavor to this fresh clam spaghetti, chef Ashley Christensen takes the broth from steaming the shellfish and purees it with sweet roasted bell peppers for a spicy, briny sauce. Adding a hefty handful of Swiss chard makes it an even more satisfying dish.

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Three-Pepper Cacio e Pepe

Three Pepper Cacio e Pepe
Victor Protasio

We're on board for this amped-up version of the classic dish, which doubles down on cheese (pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano) and triples the pepper (pink peppercorn, Tellicherry pepper, and Szechuan pepper).

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Raclette-Gruyère Mac and Cheese with Pickled Shallots

Raclette gruyere macaroni and cheese with pickled shallots
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This cheesy mac casserole takes inspiration from the Swiss älplermagronen — Alpine farmers' macaroni. Robust flavors and creamy textures abound from Gruyère and raclette cheeses. Quick-picked shallots cut through the indulgence with a sharp, bright flair.

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Baked Ziti with Shortcut Vodka Sauce

Baked Ziti with Shortcut Vodka Sauce

Alex Lau / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by JILLIAN KNOX

F&W recipe developer Liz Mervosh hacks jarred marinara to make the shortcut vodka sauce for this weeknight-ready baked ziti, which is loaded with spicy Italian sausage and three types of cheese.

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Creamy Ramp Pasta with Asparagus

creamy ramp pasta with asparagus

Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel

Toss asparagus and curly tubes of cavatappi pasta in ramp pesto for the ultimate expression of spring.

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Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyère and Prosciutto

Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyere and Prosciutto
John Kernick

This baked pasta dish from chef Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner swaps béchamel for a more simple sauce of heavy cream, nutmeg, Gruyère, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Thinly sliced prosciutto is served on the side.

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Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard

Sausage Pasta with Basil and Mustard

Diana Chistruga

British food writer Nigel Slater contributed this spicy, creamy, mustardy pasta dish, which was named one of Food & Wine's 40 best recipes in 2018. Fragrant basil and crisp white wine bring these flavors together: a tangy, meaty, rich, herby dish that's table-ready in just 20 minutes.

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Pappardelle with White Bolognese

Pasta with White Bolognese Sauce
Antonis Achilleos

This cozy, meaty pasta is full of savory goodness from the blend of pork, beef, and veal, as well as cremini mushrooms and Parmesan. Give yourself the full hour and a half to reduce the white wine and the stock; it's worth it for the super tender meat and incredible depth of flavor.

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Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling Josh Hoggle

Egg yolks are the secret to an extra-luscious Alfredo sauce that gets tossed with store-bought cheese tortellini and chicken. Whip this together for a quick weeknight meal that will please kids and adults alike.

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Crab Macaroni Gratin

Crab Macaroni Gratin
Sarah Crowder

"A glorious amount of crabmeat baked with shell-shaped pasta in a three-cheese cream sauce — tangy white cheddar, nutty Gruyère, and sharp Parmigiano-Reggiano — is no-joke delicious, and trés riche," cookbook author Andrea Slonecker writes.

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Kale-Artichoke Stuffed Shells

Kale and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Ann Taylor Pittman uses jarred marinated quartered artichoke hearts with jarred Calabrian chiles, canned cannellini beans, and jarred marinara sauce to keep this jumbo pasta shell dinner simple. It can be prepped ahead, too.

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Chorizo Carbonara

Chorizo Carbonara

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styliing Claire Spollen

Mexican chorizo stands in for the traditional guanciale in this spicy riff on Italian carbonara from F&W recipe developer Melissa Gray-Streett. Like the original, it's made with a rich sauce of egg yolks, cheese, and pasta water.

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Creamed Corn Pasta

Creamed Corn Pasta
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

This summer-friendly pasta gets much of its creaminess from fresh corn in this recipe from Birmingham, Alabama, chef Victor King. Maximize the dish's deep corn flavor by using a peeler to cut kernels off the cob.

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Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes Melted in Garlic Butter

One-Pot Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes Melted in Garlic Butter

Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Cherry tomatoes are a shortcut to fresh and delicious pasta any time of year. Mixed with a little garlicky butter and pasta water, their juices create a luscious sauce.

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Spaghetti With Mussels

Spaghetti with Mussels Mint and Lemon

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

In this lemony 30-minute pasta dish from Andrea and Daniele Zazzeri, fresh mint and white wine help lift the briny flavors of mussels. It's at once easy and elegant.

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Penne All’Arrabbiata

Penne All’Arrabbiata

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

All'arrabbiata means "in an angry style" in Italian, but since this fiery dish takes just 15 minutes to make, it's sure to quickly calm any hangry belly. Plus, it comes together largely from pantry staples.

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Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese with Baby Kale

Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese with Baby Kale
Kelly Marshall

Tender sautéed baby kale almost melts into the buttermilk-enriched béchamel in chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls' riff on mac and cheese, which is baked until the sharp cheddar on top turns crisp and golden.

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Cold Crab Spaghetti

Cold Crab Spaghetti Recipe
Eric Wolfinger

"The dish is essentially an extra-refreshing take on pasta salad: Chilled cooked spaghetti tossed with a lemony Dijon-spiked vinaigrette, plus plenty of fresh mint, basil, and parsley and a touch of minced Thai chile," says food writer Adina Steiman. Half a pound of crab, sweet fresh tangerine segments, and spoonfuls of trout roe provide a luxurious touch.

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Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio Recipe
Greg DuPree

Ready to eat in just about an hour, this recipe from cookbook author Susan Spungen adds dimension to lusciously cheesy pasta with the slightly bitter bite of radicchio and the brightness of red wine vinegar. Want to make it vegetarian? Just skip the prosciutto.

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Creamy Lemon Pasta

Creamy Lemon Pasta
Victor Protasio

Andrew Zimmern uses floral Meyer lemons for this creamy Italian pasta dish. The juice is tossed with the pasta just as it's done cooking, the zest imbues brightness into the cream sauce, and a garnish of lemon supremes contributes tart, juicy pops throughout.

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Pappardelle with Chicken and Pistachio-Mint Pesto

Pappardelle with Chicken and Pistachio-Mint Pesto
David Cicconi

A bright, nutty make-ahead mint and pistachio pesto ties together all the components of this fresh and flavorful dish: thick ribbons of pappardelle, shredded rotisserie chicken, and easy-to-prep cherry tomatoes and summer squash.

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