Pasta recipes

Spinach linguine tossed in a rich four-cheese sauce made with ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, and Parmesan. A lighter take on classic Italian quattro formaggi pasta.

Hunter's minestrone with cubed beef, kidney beans, pasta shells, and red wine simmered for four hours in three stages. A hearty, meaty Italian soup built for cold weather.

Note: red wine broth can be used in place of chicken

Gnocchi with chickpeas, butternut squash, and greens pan-sears pillowy gnocchi, then tosses them into a skillet of sage-scented squash, currants, garlic, and wilted spinach. A hearty vegetarian one-pan meal.

Seared chicken breasts nestled over penne in a garlicky white wine tomato sauce, blanketed with mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmesan and baked until golden and bubbly. One dish, one hour, six happy plates.

Gulf-style shrimp and crab spaghetti simmered in a rich tomato sauce with chili powder, basil, butter, and garlic. Whole crabs in the sauce make this a messy, hands-on feast.

Crawfish Kowalski tosses wagon wheel pasta with crawfish tails, kielbasa, and a beer-spiked cream sauce with cayenne. A bold Cajun-Polish mashup ready in 40 minutes.

Knoepfle- Oder Spaetzleteig (Basic Spaetzle Dough) recipe

Three-cheese tortellini filling with ricotta, mozzarella, and cottage cheese, seasoned with mace, thyme, and garlic. Makes 6 cups and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.

A tasty Italian casserole made with ground beef, spinach and a variety of spices and cheeses.

Manicotti stuffed with ricotta, diced mozzarella, and prosciutto, baked under tomato sauce and Parmesan. Italian comfort food that earns rave reviews every time.

Melrose plates: chicken and pasta salad with mandarin oranges, water chestnuts and a honey-mustard poppy seed yogurt dressing. A lighter chicken-pasta luncheon salad served on lettuce.

Eggplant manicotti stuffs pasta shells with garlic-roasted eggplant, charred red pepper, and tomato, then tops them with a creamy spinach-cottage cheese sauce. A lighter take on the Italian classic.

Classic Italian spaghetti carbonara with pancetta, eggs, cream, Parmesan, and white wine. The hot pasta cooks the silky egg sauce right in a warmed bowl for a rich, glossy coating on every strand.

Smoky chipotle-ancho chili pesto with roasted red bell pepper, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil. A bold, vegan Mexican-inspired sauce for pasta, grilled meats, or sandwiches.

Karrysalat is the Danish curry herring salad with pickled herring, macaroni, cucumber, and mushrooms in a curried sour cream and mayonnaise dressing. A traditional Scandinavian smorrebrod topping with a unique East-meets-North flavor.