Pasta Recipes

Marachichi pasta with anchovies, black and green olives, tomato, and a heavy hand of Italian herbs. Sicilian-style puttanesca riff with bold, salty Mediterranean flavor.

Homemade marinara sauce with crushed plum tomatoes, mushrooms, and a secret trio of steak sauce, barbecue sauce, and ketchup for unexpected depth. Vegetarian and ready in 45 minutes.

Stir-fried beef strips marinated in red wine vinegar with broccoli, mushrooms, and linguine, finished with Parmesan. A fast Mediterranean-style weeknight dinner.

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.

Mexi corn lasagna layers seasoned ground beef, corn, and picante sauce between corn tortillas with a cottage cheese and Parmesan filling, topped with melted cheddar.

Mexicali pasta salad: tricolor pasta tossed with tart tomatillos, sweet pineapple chunks, jalapeño, cilantro, and a lime-zest dressing made from the reserved pineapple juice. Sweet, tangy, fiery summer side.

Minestrone Parmesan: Italian vegetable and pasta soup loaded with smoked ham, chickpeas, spinach, and garden vegetables in a rich beef broth. Finished with grated Parmesan.

My family's go to pasta sauce. It is great on spaghetti or folded into mostaccoli.

Mom's minestrone soup with crushed tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, kidney beans, carrots, and small pasta shells in a savory chicken broth. A vegetable-packed Italian classic ready in under 30 minutes.

Old-school Italian tomato sauce simmered with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and basil, then strained smooth through a food mill. The Sunday-gravy base every cook should know.

Mushroom Bolognese with finely chopped shiitake and button mushrooms in a thick tomato sauce. A hearty, low-fat vegetarian pasta sauce with deep umami flavor and meaty texture.

Mushroom noodle casserole layers whole-wheat pasta, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and a blended tofu cottage cheese topped with toasted bread crumbs. A dairy-free vegan main that bakes in 20 minutes after assembly.

Mushroom and dried tomato pasta sauce with porcini, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, and garlic sauteed in white wine. Deep umami flavor without cream or meat.

Cincinnati five-way chili over spaghetti, layered with kidney beans, raw onions, and a heavy snowfall of shredded cheddar. The Ohio classic with cinnamon, cocoa, and a touch of vinegar in the simmer.

My hearty soup starts with a homemade stock simmered low for hours, then strained and skimmed clean before a load of vegetables, pasta, and pulled meat go in. A from-scratch, stick-to-your-ribs bowl made the old-fashioned way.

Pasta rabe with steamed broccoli rabe tossed with fresh linguine, sauteed garlic, mushrooms, onion, olive oil, and grated Parmesan. A simple Italian weeknight pasta in 30 minutes.