61 Impeccable Pasta Recipes to Give a Twirl
Making it onto this list of our best pasta recipes is kind of a big deal. We tried to count how many pasta dishes we’ve developed over the course of this publication’s history—we got to 407 before calling it quits and making ourselves a big plate of noodles. (This one. Maybe there was a little extra classic marinara sauce on the side, too.) So you can imagine what a painstaking process it was to whittle down this list to just 61 recipes. But, fueled by another helping of protein and carbs (creamy chicken and penne pasta, to be specific), we did it. We included everything from savory vegetarian pasta with miso to pasta salad made with lasagna noodles to good old spaghetti carbonara.
Anyway, you don’t need to hear any more about our process. You need pasta recipes, and we can deliver them: Find our all-time favorite pasta recipes below.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua1/61Grated Tomato and Miso-Butter Pasta
This almost no-cook pasta gets an extra savory punch from an ingredient you might not have seen in a pasta recipe before: fish sauce.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens2/61Pasta al Limone (Lemon Pasta)
Luscious but bright lemon pasta (pasta al limone in Italian) is more than the sum of its parts. For those who crave salinity and complexity, here’s a version with preserved lemon.
Photograph by Maya Visnyei, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua3/61Pasta With Creamy Mushroom Ragù
Whereas a classic Italian meat ragù may bubble away all afternoon, this vegetarian version can be a weeknight dinner—and still tastes like it simmered for hours. (Looking for an even simpler mushroom pasta recipe? We’ve got you.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca4/61Spinach Lasagna With Ricotta
This ricotta-laced lasagna recipe was designed so that you can assemble it months in advance, stash it in the freezer, and toss it straight into the oven. No ricotta in the house? Try our easy cottage cheese lasagna or a classic lasagna with homemade béchamel.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca5/61Pasta Alla Norma
Let that bounty of summer eggplant and basil shine in this classic Sicilian pasta. And for when you’re craving a sammie, we made a panini version, too.
Photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott6/61Fettuccine Alfredo
Alfredo sauce is often thought of as a cream sauce, but it doesn’t have cream in it. The silky texture is actually the result of an emulsion between cheese, butter, and pasta water. (See?) If you’re craving chicken Alfredo, all you have to do is cook boneless skinless chicken breasts, slice them, and place them on top of a plate of this.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie7/61Spicy Tomato Feta Pasta
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley9/61Cacio e Pepe
This Italian pasta dish is for the classicists and minimalist alike. All you need are Pecorino, Parmesan, black pepper, butter, salt, and bucatini or spaghetti. (Short ingredient lists are so chic.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi10/61Pasta e Fagiolini
Think of this vegetarian-friendly dish as the summer counterpart to pasta e fagioli, the hearty soup featuring pasta and beans. (If you’re craving it in the winter, though, you can make it with frozen green beans.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman11/61BA’s Best Baked Ziti
Ricotta has a tendency to dry out in the oven. Our untraditional update to this classic comfort food involves a creamy Parmesan béchamel. Together with tangy tomato sauce, it makes for a flavorful pasta bake that stays moist.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Emma Ringness12/61Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Once you try this, we feel pretty confident it will become a go-to pasta recipe in your household. Canned pumpkin purée makes achieving a creamy sauce easy, and the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams13/61Creamy Rabbit Bolognese
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser14/61Tortellini With Garlicky Brown Butter and Dill
Photograph by Isa Zapata15/61Spring Orzotto
Orzo looks like rice, but cooks much more quickly than risotto and is, in fact, pasta. This version screams spring with peas and herby pesto, but we also have creamy orzo with lots of black pepper, buttery orzo in a one-skillet chicken dish, and lemony orzo soup.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pierce Abernathy, prop styling by Olga Grigorenko16/61Beet and Mushroom Miso Ragù
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni17/61Ravioli and Mushroom Skillet
Crispy fried onions are key to topping off this cozy pasta recipe—and we have a lot of opinions about fried onions, starting with store-bought is better than homemade.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Suzie Myers19/61Slicked and Spicy Lamb Noodles
Italian, this is not. But, inspired by Northern Chinese cumin lamb noodles—and absolutely delicious, with that spiced oil and saucy meat—it’s easily one of our best pasta dishes.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua20/61Creamy Lemon Pappardelle With Crispy Prosciutto
This easy garlicky cream sauce comes together faster than your pasta takes to cook. Speaking of the pasta, this headline tells you all you need to know: Trader Joe’s Egg Pappardelle Tastes Like Fresh Pasta Without All the Work.
Photograph Guang Xu21/61Miso Macaroni and Cheese
Miso paste levels up this foolproof stovetop mac and cheese. If you want to level up your simple mixed greens side dish, too, we have salad recipes for that.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Emma Ringness22/61Pasta With 20 Cloves of Garlic
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Sean Dooley, prop styling by Gerri Williams23/61Balsamic Mushroom and Sausage Pasta
Balsamic vinegar not only helps you deglaze the pan when making this pasta dish, but it also brings complexity, acidity, and sweetness. Here’s how to tell a good balsamic from a dud.
Photography by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen24/61Melted Fennel Pasta
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness25/61Creamy Red Curry Pasta
This riff on pasta alla vodka swaps in Thai red curry paste for tomato paste and coconut milk for cream. She’s a little bit spicy, a little bit sweet, and—hats off—quite inventive.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen26/61Mostly Chard Tiny Pasta Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Sean Dooley, prop styling by Gerri Williams27/61Double Pepper Diavolo With Shrimp
Jarred roasted red peppers take the place of tomatoes for a smokier, sweeter riff on fra diavolo. We recommend going frozen with this shrimp pasta—frozen shrimp are often fresher than “fresh” shrimp from the store.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Tim Ferro28/61One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Nicole Louie29/61Ragù Paprikash
We reimagined classic Hungarian chicken paprikash as a pasta dish with ground chicken, aromatics, sweet paprika, and a dollop of sour cream. (Because, of course, there’s sour cream.)
Photograph by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by JoJo Li31/61Lemony Pasta Salad With Crisped Capers
Guess who’s making a comeback? Sun-dried tomatoes. These intensely sweet, tart, and tangy fruits are here from the nineties to show you their umami complexity and audition for a regular spotlight in your kitchen.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Nicole Louie32/61Broken Lasagna Pasta Salad
This main-course-worthy pasta salad balances olives, bitter radicchio, and crunchy almonds with a bright, herbaceous dressing. We go for Castelvetrano olives because, well, they’re the best.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Andy Baraghani, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski34/61Paccheri With Shellfish, Squid, and Tomatoes
Once again, fish sauce in a pasta recipe. Here, it marries the tomatoes with the clams, mussels, and shrimp and it ups the overall umami factor.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman35/61BA’s Best Macaroni and Cheese
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca36/61Weeknight-Fancy Ravioli With Creamy Peas
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks.37/61Turkey Etcetrazzini
Revitalize leftover turkey by turning it into this creamy, mushroomy dish—or if it’s not the day after Thanksgiving, use up the rest of that rotisserie bird for a chicken pasta dinner.
Photo and Food Styling by Emma Fishman39/61One-Pot Kimchi and Squash Mac and Cheese
This pasta recipe is a good way to get your (fermented) veggies in and have some comfort food at the same time. Instead of squash, feel free to use sweet potato or even add a bunch of spinach or kale leaves.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Kat Boystova41/61BA's Best Linguine and Clams
If possible, look for an artisanal dried pasta for this recipe. Here’s an argument for why expensive pasta is worth it: The rougher surface texture will better catch the slippery sauce.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua42/61One-Pot Puttanesca
In this streamlined puttanesca, the pasta—use small pasta such as ditalini, orzo, or mini shells—cooks directly in the broth, absorbing all of it tomato-y, umami flavors.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio43/61Kale Pesto With Whole Wheat Pasta
This is one of our most feel-good easy pasta recipes. What more delicious way is there to eat your greens than blended with Parmesan cheese into a pesto and coating warm noodles?
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene45/61Sausage and Ricotta Baked Cannelloni
We’re all for a good store-bought marinara, especially in a recipe with multiple parts like this one, but there is simply no substitute for homemade béchamel.
Alex Lau47/61Toasted Orecchiette With Veal Meatballs
Toasting your pasta may sound wrong, but it’s so right. Fry orecchiette in olive oil after boiling and draining it and you get crispy, crunchy edges.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich49/61Cauliflower Bolognese
Chopped-up cauliflower and shiitake or crimini mushrooms provide comparable richness and texture to what you would usually get from the classic slow-simmered meat sauce. Try it and you’ll believe.
Linda Xiao50/61Linguine With Green Olive Sauce and Zesty Breadcrumbs
Green olives, anchovies, capers: This herbaceous pasta sauce isn't afraid to bite back. It can stand alone as a main dish, or act as an accompaniment to a simple roasted fish.
Photo by Heidi's Bridge, styling by Molly Baz52/61Baked Pasta With Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
This recipe is all the proof you need that baked pasta recipes don’t have to use up every pot in your kitchen and they needn’t require a ton of steps.
Peden & Munk56/61Spaghetti With No-Cook Tomato Sauce and Hazelnuts
With absolutely zero shade meant to be thrown at Parmesan, our ride-or-die, the fresh tomatoes and zucchini in this summery pasta dish call for ricotta salata.
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott57/61The Ultimate Bolognese Sauce
We realize that this recipe makes enough meat sauce for three 12-ounce portions of pasta. That’s a lot. But we also realize that leftover sauce is a good thing, for which future you will be grateful after whipping up a batch of homemade pasta dough on a whim.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime58/61Rigatoni With Fennel and Anchovies
This is the best pasta recipe to convince your friends who think they hate anchovies that, well, they don’t. Because magic happens when fennel, garlic, anchovies, and olive oil come together.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova60/61Summer Bolognese
Think of this weeknight-friendly pasta recipe as a lighter take on the classic Italian ragù, featuring cherry tomatoes, a red chile for some heat, and tons of fresh basil.
