The Top 20 Best Quick & Easy Pasta Recipes

1. Preheat broiler on high and line a large baking sheet with foil.

2. Arrange broccoli in a single layer on the baking sheet and drizzle generously with oil. Season with garlic salt and cracked black pepper, then roast under the broiler for 10 minutes, turning occasionally until broccoli is lightly golden and turning crispy in parts.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Save 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.

4. In a separate mug, combine the butter, hot veggie broth, onion powder, lemon zest and juice. Stir until the butter melts, then set aside.

5. Once the broccoli is deeply roasted and starting to get charred around the edges, remove the baking sheet from under the broiler. Sprinkle the crushed garlic evenly over the hot broccoli and drizzle with a little extra oil to help the garlicky flavor infuse every broccoli piece. Gently toss, and pop the tray back under the broiler for another 45-60 seconds or so, until garlic is fragrant and very lightly golden. (Watch it carefully for this final minute so the garlic doesn’t burn and turn bitter - it won’t take long!)

6. Drain the pasta and return to the hot pot over a low heat. Quickly pour the butter and broth mixture over the pasta, then add the grilled broccoli, scraping in all the delicious garlicky oil and charred broccoli bits that get left behind on the foil.

7. Gently stir broccoli and broth mixture through pasta, adding a few spoonfuls of the starchy reserved cooking water. Continue stirring gently until the liquid is absorbed and forms a glossy, fragrant sauce, adding an extra knob of butter if desired. Check for seasoning, adding a spritz more lemon to balance the richness.

8. To serve, scatter generously with shredded parmesan and toasted almond flakes for crunch.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

2. In a separate skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Gently sauté onion for 5 minutes, until translucent but not yet starting to brown. Add garlic, tomato paste and chili flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is fragrant and starting to thicken, around 4 minutes.

3. Pour over the vodka and deglaze the pan, stirring in any caramelized bits stuck to the bottom. Crank up the heat to medium-high and simmer for 3 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Once you can’t detect a strong vodka smell, turn off the heat while you prepare the pasta. 

4. Cook penne according to package directions, saving 1 ½ cups of the pasta cooking water before draining. Finally, return the tomato sauce to medium heat and stir in ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Pour in the heavy cream and parmesan and stir until combined, then turn off the heat.

5. Fold cooked penne through the creamy tomato sauce, adding more pasta water a tablespoon at a time to form a luscious, velvety sauce.

6. To serve, grate over more parmesan and scatter with torn basil leaves. Goes beautifully with a simple green salad! 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and toss in your quartered garlic cloves. Allow garlic to infuse into boiling water for 3 minutes.

2. Next, add the zucchini and asparagus along with the pasta.

3. Bring back to a rolling boil and cook until cavatappi is al dente and veggies are tender, around 11 minutes - adding the frozen baby peas for the final 1 minute of cooking time.

4. While the pasta is cooking, mix the parmesan, oil and lemon zest in a small bowl and season to taste. Set aside. 

5. Before draining the pasta and veggies, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Strain the water, and quickly return the cooked cavatappi and vegetables back into the pasta pot with ½ cup of the cooking water. 

6. Return pot to a low heat and pour the lemony parmesan dressing over the cooked veggies and pasta, stirring constantly for 1 minute until a glossy sauce forms.

7. Remove from heat promptly after 1 minute to avoid overcooking, adding an extra splash of cooking water if desired.

8. To serve, transfer pasta to a serving dish and scatter with generous dollops of creamy ricotta and handfuls of the torn fresh mint and basil. Drizzle lightly with oil and spritz with lemon juice, grating over more parmesan and lemon zest if desired. 

1. Fill a large pot with water and add a generous amount of salt, bring to the boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and set aside. Drain Pasta.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add shallot or onion and sauté for two minutes, then add the garlic and cook one minute longer, until fragrant. Add diced ham and frozen peas to the pan, stirring until peas begin to defrost. 

3. Next, add the cream, reserved cooking water, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined, then fold in the cooked rotini.

4. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and extra shredded parmesan cheese if desired.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, and heat a heavy-based frypan over medium heat.

2. Heat the olive oil in the frypan and sauté shallots for 5 minutes until translucent. Tumble the diced zucchini, thyme leaves, chili and garlic into the pan. Sauté until zucchinis are softened, around 15 minutes. Season to taste. 

3. While the zucchini cooks, boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and return to the pot, saving 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water. 

4. Roughly chop the parsley leaves and toss through the cooked penne with the butter and sautéed zucchini. Check the seasoning, adding some spoonfuls of the reserved pasta cooking water to create a luscious and velvety sauce.

5. Serve topped with plenty of cracked black pepper and parmesan.

1. Combine elbow macaroni and water in a large bowl. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.

2. Stir, then microwave on high for 3 more minutes. Continue stirring and cooking in short bursts until elbow macaroni is al dente, cooking time varies depending on your microwave strength.

3. Once cooked, add cheese and microwave for 30 more seconds.

4. Stir in milk and butter and enjoy!

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. 

2. Rinse chicken breast cutlets, pat dry with paper towels and transfer to a chopping board. If they’re on the thicker side, pound lightly with a meat mallet until thin, no more than ¼ inch thick to ensure fast and even cooking. Slice cutlets crosswise into bite-sized 2.5 inch pieces.

3. Combine flour, paprika, Italian seasoning and a good grinding of black pepper in a shallow dish, and dredge chicken pieces in the flour to evenly coat. 

4. Heat olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a heavy-based skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken pieces, working in batches if necessary, until lightly golden brown and no longer pink. (Avoid overcooking the chicken at this point as they will be simmered again in the sauce later.) Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate, covered with foil to keep warm.

5. Add the garlic to the hot pan, sizzle until fragrant and then pour over the wine. Crank up the heat and boil until the wine reduces by half and cooks off the alcohol, around 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the chicken stock, capers, and the zest and juice of the lemon. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add 2 tbsp butter before returning the chicken pieces to the pan, along with any resting juices that have accumulated. Simmer for 12-13 minutes until sauce has thickened and chicken pieces are cooked through.

6. Meanwhile, prepare pasta as directed and save 1 cup of cooking water before draining.

7. Remove cooked chicken pieces from the sauce and set aside, then tip the cooked penne into the skillet, stirring to coat penne with piccata sauce. Scatter in half the parsley, then loosen the sauce with a few spoonfuls of cooking water. Season to taste.

8. To serve, pour the lemony piccata pasta into a serving dish and arrange the golden chicken pieces on top. Drizzle any remaining sauce left in the pan over the dish and spritz with a little extra lemon juice. Sprinkle with parsley and black pepper, and enjoy at once.

1. Prepare penne pasta as directed and transfer to a large bowl, then set aside.

2. Place honey, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, shallot, garlic, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor.

3. Turn on and let run until shallot and garlic are minced. Turn off and scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

4. Add the vinegar and then turn back on, while running slowly stream in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over prepared pasta, add tomatoes and toss.

5. Plate and top with burrata cheese. Finish with torn basil leaves and balsamic glaze if desired. 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook rotini according to package directions. Scoop out 1 cup of the starchy pasta water just before draining.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté cannellini beans, garlic, tomatoes and red pepper for 2 minutes.

3. Crank up the heat and pour in the veggie stock. Bring to a rapid simmer for 5 minutes until the beans are tender and tomatoes collapse, then pop in your asparagus.

4. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently for 2 minutes, until asparagus turns bright green and tender-crisp.

5. Remove skillet from the heat and stir in lemon zest and juice, nutritional yeast, soy sauce and maple syrup.

6. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, stirring over a low heat with a few spoonfuls of reserved pasta cooking water to form a glossy sauce. Season to taste and fold through the arugula leaves.

7. To serve, pile into an elegant serving dish and scatter with toasted pine nuts. Tear over basil leaves and finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Grease a large non-stick baking sheet.

2. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, crushed garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika, and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine.

3. Arrange shrimp in a single layer on the baking sheet and drizzle over melted butter mixture, tossing gently to combine.

4. Bake shrimp for 8-10 minutes until they firm up, turn pink, and are cooked through.

5. Meanwhile, cook the penne pasta according to package directions,  setting aside half a cup of cooking water before draining.

6. Remove cooked shrimp from the oven and toss through pasta immediately. Stir through a couple of spoons of reserved pasta cooking water, along with the chopped parsley.

7. Pile into a pretty serving dish, scatter with extra parsley sprigs and serve with lemon slices on the side.

1. Cook pasta according to back of box. Salt the boiling water like the sea! This provides a lot of flavor for the pasta.

2. Strain pasta, and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.

3. Place pasta back on stovetop and stir in mascarpone cheese and lemon juice.

4. Stir until cheese is melted and everything combined. Add a tbsp of pasta water until desired thickness has been achieved.

5. Sprinkle parsley on top to serve. Enjoy!

1. Cook cavatappi to al dente, according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl, then set aside while you make the sauces.

2. Make Bolognese Sauce: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan on low-medium heat, and sauté the chopped onion until soft and translucent.

3. Turn up the heat and crumble in ground beef, stirring and breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon. Cook for 7-10 minutes until thoroughly browned with no pink remaining. 

4. Add crushed garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant. 

5. Pour in canned crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, bay leaves and broth, and bring to just below boiling point. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 mins.

6. While the Bolognese is simmering, mix together ricotta and parmesan in a small bowl, and season with salt and pepper.

7. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

8. To assemble, spread ⅓ of the Bolognese sauce on the base of a large greased baking dish. Pour over half your cooked cavatappi,  then another ⅓ layer of Bolognese sauce. Spread half the ricotta mixture over, then repeat layers, finishing with the ricotta layer on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for 20 mins until golden and bubbly.

To serve, sprinkle top with chopped parsley and serve with garlic bread for the ultimate comfort food feast.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 

2. Grease a high-sided 10x15 inch baking dish and pop the block of feta in the center. Bake for 15 minutes until softened and lightly golden. 

3. Next, tear up the spinach leaves into a large bowl. Add the quartered artichoke hearts along with 4 tbsp of their marinating oil from the jar. Then add garlic, chili, dill, cream cheese and soured cream. Massage everything together using your hands, squeezing the spinach leaves until compacted and thoroughly combined. Season to taste.

4. Once the feta has baked for 15 minutes, remove from the oven then add the pasta and spinach mixture to the baking dish.

5. Pour 3 cups boiling water over the lot, stirring gently to distribute the melted feta. The pasta will absorb the liquid as it cooks, so don’t panic if it looks very wet at this point!

6. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake until pasta is tender, around 20-25 minutes total. Check after 15 minutes, giving it a good stir and adding more boiling water if the pasta starts to look dry. Re-cover with foil, then return to the oven until pasta is done and sauce has thickened.

7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing the foil, then stir and serve.

1. Squeeze the sausage filling out of the casings, and using wet hands, pinch off ¼ inch pieces of the sausagemeat and roll into little meatballs. Set aside on a plate while you preheat your frypan. 

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy-based pan and fry the sausage meatballs over medium heat until browned on all sides. Add the chopped pancetta or prosciutto to the pan and continue cooking until crispy and golden. 

3. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook penne according to package directions. 

4. While the pasta cooks, combine the cream, egg yolks, parmesan and lemon zest in a small bowl. 

5. Drain the cooked penne, reserving a cup of the starchy cooking water to stir through the sauce. 

6. Return the pasta to the pot, but be sure to keep the pan off the stove from this point - you don’t want to end up with scrambled eggs! Immediately pour over the egg mixture, quickly stirring it through with a splash of pasta cooking water. The residual heat from the pasta will gently cook the egg into a silky, thickened sauce as you stir.

7. Next, add the hot sausage meatballs and pancetta to the pot, and toss it all together. Check that the carbonara sauce is smooth and creamy, adding a few more spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water if required. 

8. Serve immediately, topped with extra parmesan and chopped parsley for a decadent and delicious pasta dish sure to impress. 

1. Prepare pasta as directed, reserving 1 cup of the starchy cooking water before draining. Transfer penne to a large greased baking dish and set aside. 

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sizzle prosciutto slices until crisp, about 1 minute per side. Set aside on paper towels. In the same pan, sauté the sliced mushrooms in the prosciutto-infused oil until golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. Add garlic for the final minute and cook until fragrant.

4. Remove skillet from heat and stir through mascarpone and spinach leaves. Pour over hot chicken broth to wilt the spinach, and loosen sauce with a few spoonfuls of pasta water. Crumble in half the crispy prosciutto pieces and stir to combine. Sprinkle in nutmeg and season to taste. 

5. Pour the creamy mushroom sauce over the pasta waiting in the baking dish, and sprinkle top with Parmesan. Bake for 10-15 minutes until bubbly and golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

6. To serve, crumble the rest of the prosciutto over the dish and scatter generously with parsley, and extra parmesan on the side.

1. Husk corn cobs and remove the silk, then spritz each lightly with olive oil spray. Grill or broil the cobs of corn on high until lightly charred in places, turning frequently. Allow to cool slightly before slicing off the kernels and popping them into a large serving bowl.

2. Cook pasta as directed and rinse under cool water, then drain well and transfer to the bowl with the grilled corn. Refrigerate while you make the dressing. 

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour light cream, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and the lime juice and zest. Season to taste, adding a pinch of cayenne and more chili powder if you like things hot! 

4. Pour dressing over the cooled rotini and corn mixture, reserving a couple of tablespoons to drizzle over the top when serving.

5. Add the drained black beans, and most of the chopped green onions, cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese to the pasta and stir gently to combine.

6. If you’re making this pasta dish ahead of time, it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, allowing the flavors to improve. Or you can serve it immediately if you just can’t wait! 

7. To serve, give everything one last stir and pile onto a big serving platter. Garnish with remaining green onions, cilantro and cotija cheese, and arrange chopped avocado on top. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with extra lime wedges on the side.

1. Preheat the broiler on high and bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

2. Arrange the fresh tomatoes in a single layer in a high-sided glass baking dish, then drizzle over 2 tbsp oil and the balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle over the brown sugar and season with salt and pepper, then place under the broiler while you make the pesto.

3. In the bowl of a food processor (or a large mortar and pestle, if you have one) add the basil leaves, half the pine nuts, half the olive oil, and grated garlic. Using quick bursts, whiz until just starting to come together, scraping down the sides frequently.

4. Season with salt, plenty of freshly-cracked black pepper, and a spritz of lemon juice. Add the grated parmesan and whiz until just combined, pouring the remaining oil into the blender in a steady stream with the motor running. Add the remaining pine nuts and whiz briefly to retain some texture. 

5. Taste and season the pesto, adding a little more lemon, salt or parmesan to balance out the flavors. You should have a loose, fragrant pesto sauce that spoons easily - add a splash of water if needed. 

6. Meanwhile, carefully take the tomatoes out from under the broiler. You’ll notice they will have released a fair bit of juice, but don’t panic - this cooks down into a sweet and tangy sauce with the balsamic. Using a spoon, baste tomatoes with the vinegar and return to the broiler under high heat. 

7. Continue checking and basting the tomatoes until liquid reduces by half and the skins are starting to blister in places, around 20 minutes. Allow to cool before serving, any excess liquid will thicken upon standing. 

8. Next, prepare pasta as directed, saving 1 cup of the cooking water before draining. 

9. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return it to the warm pot, off the stove. Working quickly, stir through about 1 cup of the basil pesto with ¼ cup of the starchy cooking water. Continue stirring until the residual heat from the pasta melts the cheese, adding more dollops of pesto and pasta cooking water until the penne is glistening and evenly coated.

10. To serve, grate over some extra parmesan and scatter with remaining pine nuts for crunch. Spoon over the roasted tomatoes and their delicious balsamic sauce, and enjoy at once. 

1. Boil pasta as directed and transfer to a large bowl.

2. While pasta is still hot, sprinkle over the vinegar, grated onion and shredded carrot (along with the celery, if using). Toss to combine and set aside in the refrigerator to chill while you make the dressing. 

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, sugar and sliced green onions. Pour over the cooled pasta mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently stir to combine. Taste to check the balance of creamy, sharp, and sweet, adjusting with a little more vinegar, sugar or salt as necessary. You’ll know you’ve got it right when you can’t stop your fork from digging into the bowl for another taste!

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to let the flavors mingle, preferably overnight.

5. Before serving, give everything another good stir, adding an extra splash of milk if the pasta looks a bit dry. Top with extra green onion slices and dig in! 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the cubed squash in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle generously with oil, season with salt and pepper, then toss until cubes are glistening and evenly coated with oil. Spread out the pieces on the tray with a little space between each - this ensures each cube will caramelize nicely in the oven.

2. Transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the squash is tender and golden brown. For best results, gently turn over cubes after 20 minutes to ensure even browning on all sides.

3. While the squash is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and prepare the walnut pesto.

4. To make the creamy pesto, pour the toasted walnuts and garlic into a small food processor or blender. Whiz in quick pulses until very finely chopped, being sure to stop before the walnuts are ground into a paste. Alternatively, pound to a fine rubble in a mortar and pestle.

5. Meanwhile, cook cavatappi according to package directions, reserving 1 cup of starchy cooking water before draining. 

6. In a separate frypan, heat 1 tbsp oil over low heat. Gently sauté walnut-garlic mixture for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the cream and bring to a slow simmer, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened, around 3 minutes. Stir through parmesan and season to taste.

7. While the sauce and pasta finish cooking, remove the roasted butternut squash from the oven and season to taste.

8. Finally, return the drained pasta to the pot and pour over the creamy walnut pesto. Stir until combined, adding spoonfuls of reserved cooking water until a loose, velvety sauce forms and clings to the pasta surface.

9. Pour pasta into a serving dish and top with the golden cubes of roasted butternut squash. Scatter handfuls of arugula over the top, sprinkle on some more parmesan and enjoy!

1. Cook rotini according to package directions, adding the chickpeas into the pasta pot for the final 2 minutes of cooking time. Once pasta and chickpeas are tender, drain and rinse under cool water.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked rotini and chickpeas with the sliced cherry tomatoes & 1/2 cup of the sliced semi-dried tomatoes. Stir, cover and allow to chill in the fridge while you make the pesto dressing. 

3. Make the dressing: In a blender, whiz the remaining 1 cup of semi-dried tomatoes with 1/2 cup parmesan, the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and brown sugar. Add a pinch of salt & pepper, and blend until combined. Check the seasoning, adding more sugar, salt or vinegar to taste. Pour over pasta, mix well & refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Once pasta salad is well chilled, gently stir in the remaining 1/4 cup shredded parmesan (sub 1 tbsp nutritional yeast for vegan option), toasted pine nuts, torn basil leaves & kalamata olives, if using.

5. Season to taste, drizzle with 1 tbsp Balsamic Glaze & serve. (For best results, allow flavors to mingle and improve overnight in the fridge - if you can resist that long!)