Pasta recipes

Cold tortellini pesto salad with julienned zucchini and carrot, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, and toasted walnuts. A creamy mayo-based picnic pasta salad that holds up in the fridge.

Greek-style baked shrimp with feta (shrimp saganaki style): jumbo shrimp baked under crumbled feta and breadcrumbs, drenched in a garlic-rosemary-oregano scampi butter. Served over pasta or rice.

Hot and spicy rice noodles with carrot, broccoli, cabbage, and ginger in a cayenne-honey-hoisin sauce. A low-fat Asian-style stir-fry on the table in 20 minutes.

Quick Italian mushroom and tomato pasta sauce with garlic, parsley, and marjoram cooked in olive oil. A 20-minute vegetarian sauce with a full pound of mushrooms.

Classic beef lasagna with ricotta filling, bechamel sauce, and layers of mozzarella and Parmesan. A hybrid Italian-American recipe that uses both white and red sauces for creamy richness.

Classic Italian lasagna with homemade meat sauce from Italian sausage and ground beef, ricotta filling, mozzarella, and Parmesan. A from-scratch Sunday dinner.

Cincinnati-style chili over buttered spaghetti, topped with kidney beans, chopped onions, and a mountain of shredded cheddar. The classic 5-way Skyline-style chili from Ohio.

Goan ginger-scented tomato and cabbage soup is a light, vegetable-forward broth with fresh ginger, garlic, and a finish of torn mint leaves. Served ladled over alphabet pasta for a playful Indo-Portuguese coastal twist.

A tasty family meat sauce that is super flavorful.

Vegetarian mushroom and spinach lasagna with ricotta, Swiss, Parmesan, and a roasted red pepper sauce with balsamic vinegar. Lighter than traditional lasagna.

A rustic Italian stew where stale bread melts into garlicky Roma tomatoes, white wine, and fresh marjoram with tiny pastina stirred in at the end. Vegetarian comfort in 45 minutes.

Cincinnati chili: a thin, fragrant ground beef sauce spiced with cinnamon, allspice, and cumin, ladled over spaghetti and topped with shredded cheddar, raw onion, and oyster crackers. The Ohio classic.

Spaghetti in a fresh tomato sauce brightened with orange juice, garlic, basil, and a dash of hot sauce. A simple vegetarian pasta with an unexpected citrus twist.

Kasha varnishkes is the classic Jewish comfort dish: toasted buckwheat groats coated with egg, simmered with caramelized onions and porcini mushrooms, then tossed with bowtie pasta.

Winter pesto made with fresh parsley and dried basil when fresh basil is out of season. Pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and olive oil blended smooth for pasta, soups, or bread.

Thai tapioca soup with ground pork, crab meat, garlic, and fish sauce in a savory pork broth. Silky tapioca pearls thicken this fragrant bowl, served over lettuce with fresh cilantro.