Quick, Easy, and Delicious Pasta Recipes Ideal for Weeknight Dinners Quick, easy, and delicious—you're welcome! Close Credit: Marcus Nilsson Pasta is possibly the world's most perfect comfort food. It's also possibly one of the world's greatest convenience foods. Pasta is quick to cook and can serve as the base of a million and one quick and easy dinners. Just add a bit of protein (leftover chicken, diced ham, a can of chickpeas, or olive oil-packed tuna), some vegetables (frozen ones work great here), and a little bit of sauce, and dinner is done. Without further ado, let's get a pot of water boiling and whip up something delicious for dinner! These quick and easy pasta recipes are guaranteed to inspire many incredible meals. I’ve Been Making Martha’s One-Pan Pasta for Years—Here's Why It's So Good 01 of 18 Spaghetti With Spinach, Peas, and Herbed Ricotta Credit: Ryan Liebe Here's a 30-minute vegetarian pasta dinner you'll want to make on the regular. It's packed with vegetables but tastes like comfort. View Recipe 02 of 18 Penne With Garlicky Tomatoes and Salmon Credit: Ryan Liebe While the penne cooks in its own pot, sauté juicy cherry tomatoes with garlic and then steam the salmon right in the same pan. The result is a fresh and flavorful seafood pasta dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. View Recipe 03 of 18 Brothy Orzo and Pork Meatballs Credit: Ryan Liebe A one-pot meatball and pasta dinner in just 35 minutes? Sign us up! These easy pork meatballs come together fast; once you've formed them, they'll cook in chicken broth along with the orzo. View Recipe 04 of 18 Baked Broccoli-and-Artichoke Shells Credit: Ryan Liebe Any night can be a pasta bake dinner night with this cozy recipe! There's cheese sauce, bacon, and vegetables in this crowd-pleasing recipe. Best of all, it takes just 45 minutes to prepare. View Recipe 05 of 18 Prosciutto Carbonara With Spinach Credit: Kate Sears What's not to like about a dairy-free take on carbonara that creates a luscious sauce from egg yolk, eggs, Parmesan, and that magical ingredient, pasta water? This lighter take on a pasta classic is on the table in just 30 minutes. View Recipe 06 of 18 Test Kitchen's Favorite Mac and Cheese Credit: Armando Rafael You can stop searching: You've finally found the ultimate macaroni and cheese recipe. A simple cream sauce blends with three kinds of cheese—sharp cheddar, Parmesan, and American cheese for unparalleled creaminess. View Recipe 07 of 18 Ravioli With Roasted Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Capers Credit: Kate Sears Upgrade store-bought cheese ravioli with this tasty combination of roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes, capers, and shallots, which make a luscious sauce for this easy vegetarian pasta dinner. View Recipe 08 of 18 Pasta With Peppers, Squash, and Tomatoes Credit: Johnny Miller This dish capitalizes on the flavors of cherry tomatoes and sausage for a hearty dinner. The best part? It comes together in a snap, and grown-ups and children alike will love how tasty it is. View Recipe 09 of 18 One-Pot Pasta With Broccoli and Lemon Credit: Bryan Gardner Super simple, this penne dish is also a real crowd-pleaser: tender steamed broccoli florets are brightened with lemon, garlic, and plenty of Parmesan. Mix things up by adding a little shredded roast chicken or crisped bacon. View Recipe 10 of 18 Thai-Curry Shrimp Linguine Credit: Kate Sears For this easy and different shrimp linguine, we use Thai green curry paste and light coconut milk to create a creamy but dairy-free sauce that's finished with lime juice and cilantro. View Recipe 11 of 18 Herbed Spaghetti With Tomatoes and White Beans Credit: Sharon Radisch Perfect for Meatless Monday—or any day at all—this quick and easy vegetarian spaghetti dish will become one of your go-to dinners. View Recipe 12 of 18 Bacon Pasta With Cheese Sauce and Thyme Credit: Linda Pugliese How can you possibly improve cheesy pasta? With bacon, of course. This is a lighter take on a classic Carbonara. Rather than a sauce made with eggs and cheese, our pasta has a basic béchamel sauce with cheese (also known as a Mornay sauce), which coats every strand of spaghetti deliciously. View Recipe 13 of 18 Creamy Lemon Pasta With Pistachios Credit: Johnny Miller The rich crunch of pistachios and butter-crisped breadcrumbs stands in for bacon in this vegetarian twist on spaghetti Carbonara. View Recipe 14 of 18 Bucatini With Cauliflower, Capers, and Lemon Credit: James Ransom This boldly flavored one-pot pasta dinner starts on the stovetop and finishes under the broiler to achieve a toasty topping. View Recipe 15 of 18 Greek-Chicken One-Pan Pasta Credit: Yunhee Kim A heartier, fusilli-based riff on the classic Greek soup avgolemono, this easy one-pan chicken pasta dish gets its bright, fresh flavors from lemon and dill. View Recipe 16 of 18 Spaghetti With Sicilian Pesto Credit: Bryan Gardner Perk up your pesto game by switching typical ingredients for the classic flavors of Sicily like raisins, anchovies, and capers; while almonds, Parmesan, and olive oil step in to create a delightfully sweet-and-sour flavor profile in this speedy weeknight dinner. View Recipe 17 of 18 Pasta With No-Cook Puttanesca Sauce Credit: Marcus Nilsson This quick, fresh take on traditional pasta puttanesca is based on fresh, juicy tomatoes that marinate in olive oil with capers, garlic, and green olives. View Recipe 18 of 18 Pasta With Preserved Lemon and Anchovies Credit: Marcus Nilsson Almost as good as a direct flight to the Mediterranean, this quick pasta dinner is painted in bold strokes of anchovy, preserved lemon, garlic, parsley, and Parmesan. View Recipe Explore more: Recipes Ingredients Pasta and Grains Quick & Easy Pasta Recipes