46 cheesy pasta sauce recipes

This is a fantastic recipe my mom taught me when I was 9 or 10, because it's so easy to make, and makes plenty to feed everyone.

Pasta with black beans and spinach in jarred pasta sauce, topped with Parmesan. A protein-packed vegetarian dinner using pantry staples and frozen spinach, ready in 25 minutes.

Four cheese rotini with fresh asparagus in a creamy primavera sauce made with crumbled goat cheese and tarragon. A quick vegetarian pasta dinner ready in 35 minutes.

Baked penne casserole layered with stir-fried vegetables, spicy pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Fennel seeds and red pepper flakes add warmth to this make-ahead vegetarian bake.

Penne with eggplant, mushrooms, and red wine tomato sauce finished with melted mozzarella. A hearty Italian pasta ready in 45 minutes.

Rigatoni alla vodka with flambed vodka, heavy cream, tomato sauce, prosciutto, and Asiago cheese. A rich, spicy pink sauce tossed with fresh basil and parsley.

Pasta pizza with a crispy angel hair crust pan-fried in olive oil, topped with sauce, peppers, olives, and melted mozzarella. A fun skillet dinner that's lighter than traditional pizza.

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, Parmesan, and egg, baked in a homemade basil tomato sauce and topped with melted mozzarella. Classic Italian comfort food.

Creepy cheese-stuffed rigatoni shaped into slithering snakes with BBQ sauce markings and peppercorn eyes. A kid-friendly Halloween party snack that's equal parts gross and genius.

Upside-down deep dish pizza layers seasoned beef, marinara, broccoli and mozzarella in a baking dish, then caps it with pizza dough that bakes into a golden crust on top. An easy family dinner.

Macaroni souffle with ground beef, Gouda cheese, tomato puree, and bechamel sauce layered and baked. A European-style baked pasta casserole with a creamy, golden top.

Freezer manicotti: a make-ahead Italian pasta dinner with ricotta-stuffed tubes, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella. Pipe, assemble, freeze, and bake straight from the freezer on a busy night.

Create-a-casserole: a customizable baked pasta with your choice of meat, tomato sauce, and cheese. A flexible pantry dinner that uses up leftover cooked beef or chicken in 30 minutes of oven time.

"Easy, fast and delicious! I created this recipe so I could feed a crowd on a moments notice and still expect raves. Make the sauce a day ahead and the flavor even improves. This way you can spend time with your guests, not slaving in the kitchen."

Low-fat pasta with dry-sauteed vegetables in fat-free spaghetti sauce. Chunky onion, pepper, mushrooms, and zucchini over pasta with Parmesan. A quick vegetarian weeknight dinner.

Vegetable spaghetti with sauteed bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, and onion in jarred marinara over thin pasta. A 30-minute weeknight pasta the whole family will eat.