The Kitchen's Best Pasta Recipes

For classic spaghetti, creamy ravioli, chilled noodle salads and more, check out these craveworthy pastas.

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Geoffrey Zakarian opts for a trio of meats — ground pork and veal, plus sweet pork sauce — to form the base of his tender, juicy meatballs, and he beefs them up with extra flavor in the form of fresh herbs and cheese. After baking the meatballs, he moves them to his tomato-basil sauce to let them simmer before serving with pasta.

Get the Recipe: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sunny’s Easy Tomato and Basil Lasagna Roll-Ups

This perfect weeknight dinner is a spin on regular layered lasagna. Sunny packs the cheese filling with fresh basil and parsley. She says, “This is such a great dinner to throw together during the week!”

Get the Recipe: Sunny’s Easy Tomato and Basil Lasagna Roll-Ups

Crab Spaghetti with Zucchini and Basil

GZ balances the delicate flavor of crab with tons of fresh herbs, seasonal zucchini and bright lemon zest.

Get the Recipe: Crab Spaghetti with Zucchini and Basil

Fresh Pasta with Parmesan Butter Sauce

Yes, it really is possible to make authentic homemade pasta with just four ingredients. If you don’t have a fancy stand mixer, you can also make it by hand.

Get the Recipe: Fresh Pasta with Parmesan Butter Sauce

Pasta with Lemon Herb Yogurt Sauce

This sauce requires no cooking at all, just mixing cool ingredients like Greek yogurt, feta, lemon zest, oil and herbs. Add fettucine noodles and a splash of pasta water until the sauce is nice and creamy.

Get the Recipe: Pasta with Lemon Herb Yogurt Sauce

Rigatoni with Spicy Chicken Sausage, Asparagus, Eggplant, and Roasted Peppers

This hearty pasta gets a five-star rating from our fans; it’s quick to make and full of flavor.

Get the Recipe: Rigatoni with Spicy Chicken Sausage, Asparagus, Eggplant, and Roasted Peppers

Burrata Ravioli with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Parmigiano and Basil

The secret here is starting with ready-to-go fresh pasta; you don’t have to make your own!

Get the Recipe: Burrata Ravioli with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Parmigiano and Basil

Baby Shells Bechamel

You’ve had mac and cheese before, but we bet that you haven’t had it like this. The bechamel sauce is super creamy and soaks into each baby shell.

Get the Recipe: Baby Shells Bechamel

Beef Stroganoff

The addition of sour cream delivers a welcome tang to classic stroganoff.

Get the Recipe: Beef Stroganoff

One-Pot Super Easy Fusilli

This dinner is as simple as dumping everything into a pot — dry noodles, tomatoes and all — and letting it simmer. The liquid from the stock will absorb into the pasta and create a rich, flavorful sauce.

Get the Recipe: One-Pot Super Easy Fusilli

Fettuccine with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Picture this: All the creamy richness you know and love in a classic alfredo sauce but without any of the actual cream. Sold yet? That's the scene here in Katie's game-changing recipe. The secret is boiled cauliflower, which becomes smooth and creamy when pureed with milk.

Get the Recipe: Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

5-Ingredient Spicy Sausage Carbonara

The secret to a creamy carbonara sauce is in mixing the beaten eggs with nutty Parmesan. Use the heat of the pasta and a splash of the pasta-cooking liquid to gently warm the sauce and loosen it into a silky combination.

Get the Recipe: Sunny's 5-Ingredient Spicy Sausage Carbonara

Salmon and Veggie Linguine

Complete with pieces of tender roasted salmon, bright peas, pasta and a lemony caper sauce, Jeff Mauro's fuss-free pasta is an all-in-one meal.

Get the Recipe: Salmon and Veggie Linguini - "Sal Monguini"

Shrimp and Artichoke Tagliatelle with Black Pepper and Pecorino

Lemon-roasted shrimp bulk up Geoffrey's cheesy pasta, which is studded with wine-simmered artichokes for bold flavor.

Get the Recipe: Shrimp and Artichoke Tagliatelle with Black Pepper and Pecorino

Tortellini Salad with Tomato-Arugula Dressing

The ultimate in big-batch side dishes, Jeff's go-to pasta salad recipe gets its ease from a welcome store-bought shortcut: frozen tortellini. He pairs these bite-size pillows with a coarse arugula-basil mixture laced with garlic, plus briny black olives.

Get the Recipe: Tortellini Salad with Tomato-Arugula Dressing

Beef Short Rib and Egg Yolk Raviolo

Just one bite of Geoffrey's raviolo reveals the surprise tucked inside. Not only is there a bed of succulent wine-simmered short ribs, but there's also rich, creamy egg yolk that will gently run out when you slice the raviolo.

Get the Recipe: Beef Short Rib and Egg Yolk Raviolo

Fettuccine Alfredo

GZ's buttery bechamel sauce serves as the base of his 30-minute Alfredo recipe, which he dresses up with sweet sauteed shallots and a duo of cheeses: nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano for a subtle bite.

Get the Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo

Veggie Lasagna

It's all about layering flavors in Marcela's comforting lasagna. Marcela stacks creamy ricotta, a fresh cherry tomato sauce and an earthy vegetable mixture with fresh zucchini and baby bella mushrooms, then finishes the casserole with a blanket of mozzarella to guarantee gooey results.

Get the Recipe: Veggie Lasagna

Cavatelli alla Vodka

Think you don't have time to make pasta from scratch? Think again. Jeff's quick-fix cavatelli dish — tender, hand-rolled pasta and his creamy vodka-spiked sauce — is ready to eat in only 35 minutes.

Get the Recipe: Cavatelli alla Vodka

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Just 15 minutes and only a handful of ingredients — that's all it takes to turn out this 5-star recipe. The key to making it lies in cooking the noodles only part way in boiling water. Let them finish cooking in the mixture of sauteed garlic and olive oil, and add pasta water to gently create a cohesive sauce.

Get the Recipe: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Homemade Marinara Sauce

It doesn't take long for the tried-and-true flavors of tomatoes, fresh basil and bold garlic to develop in Katie Lee's satisfying sauce, which means that you can complete her recipe in just 25 minutes.

Get the Recipe: Homemade Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti Tossed with Butternut Squash and Sage Butter

Studded with roasted butternut squash, Marcela's garlic-butter spaghetti is tossed with crunchy chopped hazelnuts for a bit of welcome texture.

Get the Recipe: Spaghetti Tossed with Butternut Squash and Sage Butter

Italian Chicken Pasta Salad

Follow Geoffrey's lead and start with ready-to-go rotisserie chicken to save time in the kitchen. He brightens up the salad with cool cucumber and tomatoes, plus a classic red wine vinaigrette. He recommends prepping the salad 30 minutes before you want to eat it, so the flavors have a chance to marry.

Get the Recipe: Italian Chicken Pasta Salad

Ricotta Gnocchi

Light and pillowy, GZ's top-rated gnocchi are made with creamy ricotta and Parmesan, and pair well his pancetta-studded tomato-garlic sauce. Since these beauties freeze so well, make a batch and keep it on hand in the freezer for up to two weeks; it will save the day when you need a quick-fix supper.

Get the Recipe: Ricotta Gnocchi

Colorful Veggie Pasta Salad

Bell peppers, bright corn and zucchini add both color and flavor to this big-batch pasta salad, which is tossed with a lemony pesto dressing for next-level flavor.

Get the Recipe: Colorful Veggie Pasta Salad

Corn and Chipotle Ravioli Lasagna

Who says that lasagna must be made with traditional flat noodles? Marcela layers prepared cheese ravioli, which, when baked with a smoky chipotle-cream sauce, promise pure decadence in this corn-laced casserole.

Get the Recipe: Corn and Chipotle Ravioli Lasagna

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