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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
