Pasta recipes

Prosciutto di Parma with warm fig tartlets drapes salty-sweet prosciutto over individual pastry rounds baked with fresh fig halves. A stunning Italian appetizer for summer or early fall entertaining.

Saffron-laced pastina salad with pine nuts, currants, fresh mint, and orange blossom water. A fragrant Middle Eastern-inspired room temperature pasta side dish with turmeric and cumin.

Ba mee nam: Thai egg noodle soup with ground pork, dried shrimp, crispy fried garlic, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts in a savory chicken broth. Comforting and ready in 40 minutes.

Hearty Italian spaghetti with ground beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste, black olives, and green peppers simmered 90 minutes. A slow-cooked Sunday sauce topped with Parmesan cheese.

Louisiana-style shrimp and crab spaghetti with hard-shell crabs simmered in a chili-spiked tomato sauce. Pasta cooks straight in the sauce, soaking up every drop of seafood flavor.

Authentic biscotti di Prato from Tuscany. Twice-baked Italian almond cookies with toasted almonds, a pinch of saffron, and the traditional pasta-board well method. Crisp, dunkable, and built to keep.

Homemade cannoli from scratch with Marsala wine shells and sweet ricotta filling studded with chocolate chips and candied citron. Crispy, creamy, and worth every minute of effort.

Microwave spinach lasagna layered with cottage cheese, fresh spinach, mozzarella, and Parmesan in a herb-spiked tomato sauce. Vegetarian lasagna on the table in 70 minutes, no oven required.

Easy, spicy-hot cold noodles for summer -- This recipe is an easy prepare-ahead dish for a hot summer day. It makes a good barbecue side dish for all of us who are tired of potato salads.

Creamy dairy noodle kugel with sour cream, cottage cheese, eggs, and golden raisins baked until set and golden. A forgiving Jewish comfort food classic that feeds a crowd.

Crockpot jambalaya layered with chicken, smoked sausage, and shrimp in a Creole-spiced tomato base. Orzo cooks right in the pot, and the shrimp goes in last so it stays plump.

Stir-fried rice noodles tossed in a ginger-garlic curry sauce with shredded vegetables, fresh chili, and silky scrambled egg. A quick weeknight noodle dish ready in under 45 minutes.

Long, slow simmering of meat and herbs produces the base for this incomparable sauce.

Eingemachtes Kalbsfleisch, traditional German veal in a creamy lemon-and-egg-yolk-thickened gravy. A classic Swabian comfort dish served over potato dumplings or pasta.

Green goddess-style salad dressing blends mayonnaise, yogurt, mixed greens, lemon juice, and optional anchovy into a creamy, herb-packed dressing. Ready in 10 minutes.

Ground beef spaghetti Parmigiana with corn, tomato sauce, and a pinch of cinnamon over butter-Parmesan tossed pasta. A unique weeknight comfort dinner ready in under an hour.