The Kitchen's Best Pasta Recipes

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

Related To:

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

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

Want More from The Kitchen?

Visit The Kitchen headquarters for more recipes, plus videos and insider photos of the co-hosts.

More: The Kitchen

The Kitchen