Looking for the Perfect Weeknight Meal? Try One of Our 47 Favorite Pasta Recipes

Pasta is one of the most versatile meals you can make. It’s got something for everyone, and it comes in every possible combination you could dream up. Just choose your pasta shape, your fave sauce, your go-to veggies and add in some seasoning to make a well-rounded, incredibly hearty dish in no time at all. And it’s completely customizable, even down to the very noodles you use. Pasta can be plant-based and low-carb, or rich and topped with a thick red sauce and a sprinkling to cheese. It can be loaded up with protein or lightened up with just a bit of olive oil and your favorite fresh or dried herbs. Honestly, what can’t pasta do?

Classic pasta recipes

Bolognese, marinara, white wine sauces - these go-to pasta sauces are staples, and for good reason. They’re absolutely delicious. We’ve taken all of your go-to pasta dishes and cleaned them up, providing you with simple recipes that offer a whole lot of nutrients in every bite alongside the flavors you know so well. Add these pastas into your repertoire, and you’ll have a better-for-you version of your longtime favorites you can make any time. And don’t forget: They’re all customizable so you can tweak them to your liking.

Lightened up and lightly sauced pastas

Sure, pastas are often heavy and oh-so-filling - but they can be just as delicious when they’re light on the sauce and the calories. From peppery olive oil sauces to slightly sweet, somewhat tangy lemon sauces, we’ve got an array of ideas that won’t leave you feeling overstuffed. Each one of our lightened-up pastas features a sauce that just barely coats your noodles, yet still delivers an impressive punch of flavor to please your palate. When you’re looking for something that’s all about highlighting the ingredients over the sauce itself, try one of these lightly-sauced recipes.

Meatless pasta dishes

Love all of the staples of your traditional pastas, but want to make your version meatless? Then you’re going to love these veggie-forward recipes. We’ve created plenty of pasta dishes that highlight in-season vegetables, giving you a different option for every season of the year. Plus, what’s a better accompaniment for a creamy, cheesy sauce or a bright marinara than a few of your favorite fresh veggies? Whether you’ve got garden-fresh produce to put to use or are headed to the farmer’s market for special seasonal finds, these meat-free pasta recipes will give you great inspiration.

Plant-based pasta recipes

Sure, pasta is classically a dish made with wheat-based noodles and meaty sauces. But it’s also a meal you can tweak, customize and adapt to make vegetarian, vegan or simply more abundant in plant-based ingredients.

The following pasta dishes are plant-forward and made with alternative noodles - “zoodles”, if you will - that come from different varieties of squash as well as other veggies you can spiralize to create spaghetti-like strands that pair perfectly with your fave ingredients, sauces and toppings. Plants are the star of these dishes, and while some do include animal products and extras like meat or cheese, you can always swap out those ingredients for vegetarian- and vegan-friendly alternatives, if that’s your style.

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