Pasta & Noodles
1283 recipes found
Spaghetti Napolitan
Spaghetti Napolitan should be thought of as a yaki (“fried”) noodle dish more than an Italian-style pasta. This smart, effortlessly delicious version comes from ketchup lover Chiaki Ohara of Davelle, a Japanese café on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Frying the ketchupy noodles and vegetables over high heat, in a generous amount of oil, results in a deeply satisfying sauce, so don’t be afraid of a little fire (or oil, for that matter). This is Japan’s yoshoku (“Western-style”) interpretation of Italian tomato spaghetti, a dish that’s hard to get right, but Ms. Ohara’s Napolitan ratios are quietly precise and genius. If you can relish it, the soft fried egg on top adds so much.
Spicy Cucumber Noodle Salad With Clams
Based on the classic Korean banquet dish, golbaengi muchim (sea snail or whelk salad), this refreshing noodle salad makes use of lovely canned clams in place of the snails. When paired with chile, lemon and umami, the seafood in this recipe recalls shrimp cocktail at the Grand Central Oyster Bar and eating local conch in the Bahamas. In other words, it’s a party. The key to this recipe is using the liquid from the canned clams to both season and thin out the dressing so it can really coat the luscious, bouncy noodles. If you have fresh herbs like perilla or mint lying around, use them here with great abandon.
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Shrimp Scampi Meets Salsa Verde in This Weeknight-Friendly Pasta
Shrimp scampi meets salsa verde in this spicy, citrusy, cilantro-packed pasta dish.
Fideo Verde Seco (Garlic Shrimp and Cilantro Noodles)
Fideo, a staple comfort dish in Mexican home cooking, is prepared in two popular styles: sopa de fideo, a tomato-based broth soup typically served as a first course, and then there's fideo seco — the spoonable main course where pasta is toasted in olive oil until golden and nutty (just like a rice pilaf), then drowned in a bright-tasting, herby salsa verde made with whatever’s hanging around your fridge (cilantro! sad spinach! that half-used bunch of basil!). All the greens get blitzed with jalapeño for a subtle kick. Right before the pasta absorbs all that flavor, add thinly sliced asparagus or other quick-cooking vegetables, like peas, for a fresh summer moment. Finish with a drizzle of crema, a shower of crumbly salty cheese and more fresh herbs. Top it with garlicky shrimp and eat it with a fork, or stuff it into a tortilla.
Creamy Artichoke and Charred Scallion Pasta
For a comforting, veg-forward meal, this one-pot recipe transforms dozens and dozens of charred scallions into a cheesy pasta dish. Through charring, fresh scallions transition from sharp and savory to smoky, mild and sweet, creating the perfect flavor foundation for a pasta sauce. To speed up the charring process, start with a smoking-hot pan, oil-coated scallions and a grill press or skillet to weigh down the scallions and increase surface contact. For additional body and texture, meaty canned artichokes are stirred with the pasta, along with fresh lemon zest and juice to brighten. A shower of Parmesan at the end will lead to an irresistibly silky, creamy sauce.
Creamy Tomato Spaghetti With Preserved Lemon
Something magical happens when preserved lemon and tomato are cooked together. In this quick and simple pasta, fragrant lemon permeates the tomato paste, creating a beautifully aromatic (and pantry-friendly) sauce with the addition of heavy cream. Spaghetti is tossed with the sauce, which ends up subtly sweet and yet bright and tangy — a comforting weeknight twist on the always beloved tomato pasta.
Spiced Couscous With Fragrant Steamed Fish
Like any carb cooked in a tomato sauce, this dish is deeply comforting. Pearl couscous simmers in a spiced tomato base, absorbing its rich flavors while developing a lightly golden, crispy bottom, much like a tahdig. Just before the couscous finishes cooking, sea bass fillets are gently steamed on top, staying tender as they soak up the fragrant sauce. A final flourish of hot garlic oil, inspired by Cantonese steamed fish, adds warmth and depth. This meal is easy enough for a weeknight, but special enough for a celebration.
Curried Red Bean Soup With Kale
This riff on classic Italian minestrone draws inspiration from rajma and maharage nu shaak, two red kidney bean curries with spiced, aromatic gravies, typically made with tomatoes (rajma is Hindi for kidney beans, and maharage is Swahili for beans). This version offers a perfect use case for black mustard seeds, which bloom in the oil to add a sharp, earthy flavor before the onions and garlic are added. This, along with a few other warming spices, helps create an aromatic tomato base for the kidney beans, pasta and greens. Using whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) is key to achieving a brothy soup that still has body, but crushed tomatoes will work in a pinch.
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Move Over Lasagna and Bolognese—This Persian Baked Pasta Is Crispy, Meaty, and Totally Weeknight-Friendly
This Persian baked pasta combines bucatini, a savory tomato-meat sauce, and a crispy tahdig crust for a deeply comforting one-pot meal.
Squid Ink Pasta
Stained a striking black hue from a dose of squid ink, squid ink pasta has a subtle briny flavor that pairs extremely well with seafood. This recipe coats the noodles in a garlicky, fresh tomato sauce infused with canned clam juice, which reinforces the flavors of the shrimp and calamari. Although shrimp does look nice whole, here it’s coarsely chopped to help it fold into the pasta for bites that include pasta, shrimp and calamari all at once. A good spritz of lemon juice brightens the briny dish.
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The Simple Lemony Pasta Salad You’ll Make on Repeat
This easy orzo pasta salad delivers bold flavor with minimal effort, thanks to a lemony vinaigrette, creamy chickpeas, and just the right amount of bitterness from radicchio.
Noodle Okonomiyaki (Cabbage and Egg Pancakes)
These hearty, vegetarian main-meal pancakes have it all: noodles, eggs and big umami flavors. Loosely inspired by Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, this weeknight-friendly recipe is a shortcut version, with cabbage and instant noodles tossed with seasoned eggs to make a thick, satisfying pancake. It provides a good chance to use up that leftover wedge of cabbage in your fridge, as a little cabbage goes a long way here. There’s room to experiment with other vegetables, too, such as carrots, bean sprouts, potato or broccoli. The egg seasonings — soy sauce, scallions and sesame oil — are also flexible: Try adding a dab of miso paste, a drizzle of chile crisp, Maggi seasoning or a spice paste like gochujang. For a gluten-free alternative, opt for glass noodles. This recipe shows that the best weeknight recipes are the ones that work with what’s available in your pantry.
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How to Make That Famous Amalfi Zucchini Pasta Beloved by Stanley Tucci
Fried zucchini turns into a creamy sauce for this iconic Amalfi Coast spaghetti dish.
Tuna Pasta Salad
A pasta for tuna salad lovers, this recipe combines elements of a classic deli-style tuna salad with pasta, peas and fresh green herbs. It makes for a hearty picnic side dish or lunch, and keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, making it ideal for start-of-the-week meal prep. Chopped celery and red onion add crunch and color, and the tangy Greek yogurt dressing, flavored with lemon juice, mustard and garlic, comes together right in the serving bowl. Any small pasta shape works well here; just be sure to run the cooked pasta under cold water to cool it down before tossing with the dressing.
Dill Pesto Pasta With Tuna
Tuna noodle casserole went on vacation to Italy and returned as this fresh weeknight pasta. The traditional egg noodles are swapped for chewy gemelli, with ridges that capture all the bright dill pesto that replaces the classic creamy sauce. Cubes of celery bring crunch, peas impart sweetness and the tuna positively melts into the pasta, giving it deep savoriness. Cheesy, buttery and spiked with smoked paprika, the crumbled cracker topping may be the true star of this recipe — and it’s equally delicious dusted on top of other pastas, braises and salads.
Chickpea Noodle Soup
With a golden broth, creamy chickpeas and bouncy angel hair noodles, this quick vegan soup will remind you of chicken noodle soup. To create a savory broth, sizzle carrots, celery and onion with nutritional yeast, turmeric and herbs in oil. A generous amount of oil adds silkiness to the broth and helps carry the flavor of the aromatics, while nutritional yeast gives the broth the soul-satisfying properties of chicken bouillon. While you can use broken pieces of any long noodle, angel hair is especially wonderful; delicate, soft and highly slurpable, they mimic the fine egg noodles found in many delis’ chicken noodle soup.
Vegetarian Pad Thai
When dining out or ordering in, a vegetarian pad Thai can be hard to come by, as fish sauce is often used to attain the signature salty, savory flavors of this popular dish. While the complex umami of fish sauce can be difficult to replicate, this combination of lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, miso and tamarind creates a comparable sauce that effectively delivers pad Thai’s balance of sour, sweet and salty notes. The seasoning sauce keeps well, too, so it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Soaking the noodles in boiling water softens them quickly, just enough to make them pliable enough to stir-fry without overcooking and breaking apart. The broccoli and snow peas, sugar snap peas or green beans can easily be replaced with whatever vegetables you have on hand. To make this dish vegan, simply omit the eggs.
Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta
Good cheese, good vegetables, good pasta. What more could you need? These quick creamy noodles rely on one thing: a stellar homemade Alfredo sauce. Butter, cream and cheese get you there, anchored by the musky aroma of nutmeg. Adding cauliflower to the boiling pasta in the last few minutes of cooking results in a lighter, glossier final sauce. Serve with an arugula salad, dressed simply with lemon juice, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, extra-virgin olive oil and more grated cheese.
Hoisin Garlic Noodles
Fans of garlic noodles and soy sauce noodles rejoice: Here is a new, weeknight-friendly noodle dish for your repertoire. A staple Cantonese ingredient, thick and fragrant hoisin sauce is often used as a glaze for meat, but also serves as a robust, sweet and salty seasoning for these noodles. The garlic is bloomed briefly in oil, which tames its pungency and unlocks a rich, nutty flavor. Allow the noodles to cook undisturbed for a few minutes to crisp underneath, adding texture and a hint of smokiness. This recipe calls for dried wheat or egg noodles, but if you don’t have Asian-style noodles on hand, you could substitute with spaghetti or linguine. Bulk up the noodles with tofu, eggs or whatever vegetables you have on hand; these noodles welcome toppings.
Pasta With Green Bean Ragù
This spoonable pasta, the result of smart home cooking, is a dance of sorts between two pots: Fresh green beans boil with the pasta in one pot to season the water with their gentle vegetal umami, while the quick sausage ragù simmers in another. That green-bean broth gets incorporated into the final dish, a rich, melting mix of Italian sausage, fennel seeds and crushed red pepper. A squeeze of lemon and a generous grating of Parmesan bring it all together.
Cheesy Baked Gnocchi With Spicy Tomato Sauce
A stellar weeknight meal starter, shelf-stable or refrigerated gnocchi is combined with a zippy tomato sauce to make this deeply comforting one-pot meal. Stir in as much crushed red pepper as your family and friends can handle, then top the whole thing with a blanket of melty mozzarella, umami-packed Parmesan and bright basil. If you keep Calabrian chile paste on hand, it makes a great substitute for the crushed red pepper, as does harissa.
Gnocchi Gratin
This speedy take on potato gratin uses store-bought potato gnocchi instead of sliced potatoes. Not only does the switch cut down on prep time, but the gnocchi get soft and luxurious as they warm in the heavy cream. A sprinkle of nutty Gruyere and salty Parmesan melts into the creamy sauce, which is also scented with garlic, sage and nutmeg — that is, except the layer of cheese on top, which browns and crisps. Serve this as a side to roasted cabbage, asparagus, chicken or another protein.
Skillet Gnocchi With Miso Butter and Asparagus
This skillet gnocchi recipe has a spring in its step: It takes just 10 minutes to cook and is loaded with sweet springtime asparagus and baby greens. But that doesn’t mean the flavor is fleeting: The combination of miso, butter and vinegar forms a silky, rich sauce that glosses the seared gnocchi and vegetables and anything else you wish to add. Perhaps that’s the crunch of sliced radishes or toasted pistachios, or the crispness of a fried egg or seared fish.
Spicy Shrimp Puttanesca
Puttanesca, the famous Neapolitan tomato sauce that’s briny and bold from olives, garlic, capers and anchovies, is pretty spectacular as is. This recipe leans into those intense flavors and adds shrimp for a complete dish that’s big on flavor and easy to pull off on a weeknight. Using tomato paste gives the sauce a deeper, more concentrated base that holds its own against the salty tang of olives and capers; it also helps the sauce cling beautifully to pasta and shrimp alike. A final dab of butter isn’t traditional, but it adds a glossy finish and pushes this pasta dish just over the edge of delicious.