Here are the best pasta recipes that are sure to wow everyone around the table! These crowd-pleasing recipes are full of big flavor.
Looking for pasta recipes? It’s hard to find dinners that please everyone at the table. Pasta to the rescue! Over here, we’ve spent years of testing recipes on our family and lots of dinner guests. And what can we say? Pasta is almost always a hit.
Here we’ve narrowed down to a list of “greatest hits”: all of our very best pasta recipes are guaranteed to be crowd-pleasers. There’s cheesy baked rigatoni with a zesty red sauce, and mac and cheese with a secret ingredient (pesto! so good). There’s pasta that takes only a few minutes to make, and showy lasagna that is absolutely worth the effort. Let’s just get to the recipes, shall we?
And now…the best pasta recipes to try!
Here’s a pasta recipe that marries basic Italian flavors into a mess of garlicky, gooey goodness: baked rigatoni! It’s a pasta bake that’s got all the comfort of tomato sauce and cheese, but has intrigue and uniqueness in the flavors. The tomato sauce is full of garlic and a little fennel for meatiness, and it’s got lots of fresh peppery basil for a herbaceous kick. Cover it in gooey mozzarella cheese and you’ve got a dish that’s hearty enough to please any eater.
Some pasta recipes stand a head above the rest, and this is one of them. Try this cheese tortellini in creamy marinara sauce! In just 15 minutes, you’ve got a pasta skillet that’s a literal symphony flavor. The fresh basil-infused marinara sauce is perfectly complimented with pillows of tangy goat cheese. (In fact, it’s like this baked goat cheese dip made into a main dish.)
There are recipes that taste good…and then there are recipes that taste amazing. Sometimes, that amazing flavor doesn’t take much effort at all. Such is the case with this mushroom pasta recipe! It is so seriously good, it's become a fan favorite recipe. Truth: my mom makes this almost every week! It pairs savory mushrooms with bright lemon, creamy goat cheese, and fresh thyme and oregano. And it’s done in less than 30 minutes. Boom!
Ready for the best ever homemade mac and cheese? We promise: it’s really worth pulling out the superlatives here! Making this comfort food from scratch makes it taste infinitely better than the kind from a box. Want to impress everyone? This homemade mac and cheese tastes homey and cozy, with the best gooey, cheesy sauce and crunchy breadcrumbs. It's a family favorite!
Dinnertime just got easier. This vegan fettuccine alfredo is a winner with everyone from kids to meat lovers: it’s just that good! The impossibly creamy sauce is a healthy spin on the traditionally rich pasta recipe. It’s made with nutrient-dense cauliflower and protein-packed cashews instead of dairy. Make it with any type of noodle you choose (legume noodles, zoodles, etc) and it’s an easy 30-minute plant based dinner. Ready for all the secrets?
This 20-minute creamy goat cheese pasta recipe is so tangy and creamy, sweet from the tomatoes and lightly peppery from the fresh basil. The secret to the creaminess is that goat cheese, which brings a body to the sauce that’s almost like a vodka sauce. Combined with chewy penne, it’s out of this world! And best of all, you barely have to think to make it.
Oh hey there, creamy pesto mac and cheese! This seriously cozy comfort food is just as gooey as it looks, and adding a swirl of bright green basil pesto is a total genius move. The way the Havarti cheese melts into the creamiest sauce makes it our new favorite. Suffice it to say, this one is a serious winner.
Meet your new favorite pasta recipe. Yes, this eggplant pasta has got it all! It’s packed with savory and zesty flavor: tender roasted eggplant, zesty marinara sauce, and peppery basil. It’s 100% plant-based, but lacking nothing in the flavor department. Even better, this Mediterranean-style dinner is incredibly versatile: it works for weeknights and for serving to company! There’s something about it that’s cozy but elegant at the same time.
Hello, pasta lovers. You never need to make box mac and cheese again. Enter this basic White Sauce Pasta! This pasta recipe is a staple recipe in our house. The simple cream sauce is so creamy and full of flavor, and get this: it doesn’t even use cream! All you need is a handful of ingredients you probably already have on hand. It takes just 10 minutes: enough time to make the pasta. Eat it straight up, or add more raw or cooked veggies to the sauce. A quick dinner idea made in minutes!
Also try: Pasta with White Wine Sauce
The best pasta recipes are the simplest, in our minds. The simplicity of pesto pasta with homemade basil pesto, ripe juicy tomatoes, and a splash of cream can’t be beat. With seasonal ingredients, it will always, always taste beautiful and fresh. And that’s something we can’t get tired of! So excuse us if this recipe is simple. We promise it will blow your mind every time. Also try: Vegan Pesto Pasta
Is there any thing better than roasted cauliflower? Over here, we can eat an entire tray in just a few minutes (oops!). So why not make it into a main dish? Meet this roasted cauliflower pasta recipe. It’s got tender, caramelized cauliflower: sweet, lemony and garlicky. Then it’s got al dente pasta that’s covered in a quick Parmesan pan sauce. Top it all off with crunchy basil breadcrumbs and toasted pine nuts and well: it’s an explosion of flavor.
This pasta recipe takes a little time to bake, but it's 100% worth it. Just WOW! No matter how you eat, this vegan lasagna will be a hit. It's smothered in a zesty marinara sauce, layered with spinach, mushrooms, and our secret ingredient: hummus! Top with a sprinkling of "Parmesan" and it will please everyone at the table...we guarantee it.
How to cook pasta to al dente
In all of these pasta recipes, cooking pasta to al dente is absolutely key. Promise us that you’ll make sure not to over cook your pasta. Say it! OK, good.
What’s al dente? In Italian it means “to the bite.” This refers to pasta that has a tender exterior balanced by a firm bite with a fleck of white at its core. No wimpy noodles, here! Here’s how to cook pasta to al dente:
- Boil: Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
- Add pasta & check often! While cooking, check pasta continually for doneness.
- Pull it with a fleck of white at its core. As soon as the pasta has a tender exterior but a fleck of white at its core, drain it! Even a few seconds can be the difference between al dente and limp noodles.
Baked Rigatoni Pasta
(6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This easy baked rigatoni pasta recipe is all about crowd pleasing flavor! Bake this popular pasta with garlicky tomato sauce, fresh basil, and gooey mozzarella.
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 15 ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes (or best quality tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 cup basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (or shredded)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a 9 x 13″ baking dish with olive oil.
- Start a pot of well salted water to a boil. Boil the rigatoni until it is just al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside; usually around 7 to 8 minutes). Drain.
- Meanwhile, mince the garlic. In a separate pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the basil, marinara sauce, and tomatoes and stir for 1 minute. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1 pinch red pepper flakes and the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Remove from the heat.
- Pour the sauce and the drained pasta into the baking dish. Top with torn pieces of mozzarella. Sprinkle the entire top with generous sprinkles of Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until browned.
- Remove the pan from the oven and top with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided over the top. Let stand 5 minutes. If desired, garnish with chopped basil. (Make ahead instructions: Make the pasta through Step 4 and cover with foil. Refrigerate until baking, up to 24 hours.)
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Pasta Recipes
More great pasta recipes
Looking for more inspiration? Here are a few more pasta recipes you’ll love:
- Vegan Pasta Primavera Full of beautifully green spring veggies and lots of flavor.
- Creamy Cavatappi Pasta Mixed with a tasty Parmesan cauliflower sauce: so good!
- Butternut Squash Pasta The creamy squash sauce accents rigatoni perfectly.
- Tomato Basil Pasta Full of fresh summery flavor, with ripe tomatoes and peppery basil.
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
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