Recipes with pasta
25 easy recipes with pasta, our top pick and practical tips for cooking with pasta.
Cooking with pasta
Pasta is the quickest route to dinner in our recipe list: most pasta dishes here take 20 to 30 minutes, and many use a can of tomatoes or tuna from the cupboard.
This page has 25 recipes with pasta: 21 dinners and 4 lunches. 16 are ready in 30 minutes or less, and the quickest is Creamy Pesto Tortellini at 20 minutes. In these recipes, pasta most often goes with cheese, garlic and tomatoes.
Short on time? Try Creamy Pesto Tortellini (20 min), Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta (20 min) and Greek Pasta Salad (20 min).
Tomato Basil Pasta
It is the simplest pasta on the site and the one to master first: a can of chopped tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and dried basil, tossed with pasta and Parmesan in 25 minutes.
Tips for pasta
- Save a mug of the cooking water before you drain the pasta; a splash loosens the sauce and helps it coat the pasta.
- For baked pasta dishes, cook the pasta until just al dente because it keeps cooking in the oven.
- Season the cooking water with salt; it is the only chance to season the pasta itself.
- Short shapes such as penne hold chunky sauces; long spaghetti suits smooth sauces.
- Leftover cooked pasta makes a cold pasta salad, such as the Greek pasta salad.
All recipes with pasta
Tomato Basil Pasta
Tomato Basil Pasta recipe with pasta, tomatoes, and garlic. A simple 25-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta recipe with pasta, mushrooms, and garlic. A simple 30-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Chicken Tomato Pasta
Chicken Tomato Pasta recipe with pasta, chicken, and tomatoes. A simple 30-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Tuna Tomato Pasta
Tuna Tomato Pasta recipe with pasta, tuna, and tomatoes. A simple 20-minute lunch with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta recipe with pasta, shrimp, and butter. A simple 20-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo
Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo recipe with chicken, orzo, and onion. A simple 35-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Creamy Lemon Salmon Pasta
Creamy Lemon Salmon Pasta recipe with pasta, salmon, and olive oil. A simple 25-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Creamy Mushroom Orzo
Creamy Mushroom Orzo recipe with orzo, mushrooms, and garlic. A simple 25-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Creamy Pesto Tortellini
Creamy Pesto Tortellini recipe with tortellini, pasta, and pesto. A simple 20-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Creamy Tomato Chickpea Pasta
Creamy Tomato Chickpea Pasta recipe with pasta, chickpeas, and tomatoes. A simple 25-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta recipe with pasta, chicken, and garlic. A simple 30-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Garlic Prawn Tomato Orzo
Garlic Prawn Tomato Orzo recipe with orzo, prawns, and shrimp. A simple 25-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta
Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta recipe with pasta, chicken, and garlic. A simple 25-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Mushroom Pepper Stroganoff
Mushroom Pepper Stroganoff recipe with mushrooms, onion, and red pepper. A simple 30-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Roasted Vegetable Feta Pasta
Roasted Vegetable Feta Pasta recipe with pasta, zucchini, and red pepper. A simple 30-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells recipe with pasta, ricotta, and spinach. A simple 45-minute dinner with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Family-favourite spaghetti bolognese with beef mince, vegetables and tomatoes simmered into a rich sauce. A 45-minute dinner for 4.
Lentil Bolognese
Meat-free lentil bolognese with mushrooms, carrot and tomatoes, tossed with spaghetti. A budget-friendly 40-minute vegetarian dinner for 4.
Vegetable Lasagne
Hearty vegetable lasagne with courgette, aubergine, spinach and peppers in tomato and white sauce. A meat-free dinner for 6.
Greek Pasta Salad
Greek pasta salad with cucumber, tomatoes, olives, red onion and feta in an oregano dressing. A 20-minute vegetarian lunch for 4.
Creamy Chicken Pasta
Creamy chicken, mushroom and spinach pasta with Parmesan. Serves 4 in 30 minutes.
Tuna Pasta Bake
Cheesy tuna and sweetcorn pasta bake from pantry staples. Serves 4 in 40 minutes.
Mac and Cheese
Creamy baked mac and cheese with a crunchy golden top. Serves 6 in 40 minutes.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Comforting chicken noodle soup with carrots and celery. Serves 6 in 45 minutes.
Minestrone Soup
Hearty Italian minestrone with vegetables, beans and pasta. Serves 6 in 45 minutes.
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