Pasta recipes

Pepper-crusted veal loin chops simmered in a gutsy double tomato sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, red wine, and a kick of Tabasco. Served over pasta with grated Romano.

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.

A scrumptious lasagna made with ground beef, ricotta cheese and red pepper flakes.

Cavatelli tossed in a spicy tomato sauce loaded with crumbled hot Italian sausage and fresh basil, topped with cool dollops of ricotta cheese. A hearty, make-ahead Italian pasta dinner ready in 30 minutes.

Chicken livers browned in bacon drippings, simmered in dry sherry and tomato sauce with mushrooms, onions, and herbs. Served over rice, polenta, or pasta with grated Parmesan. Ready in 20 minutes.

Spaghetti with a rich simmered ground beef sauce loaded with mushrooms, scallions, garlic, and tomatoes. Inspired by the Italian port city of Brindisi, ready in 45 minutes.

Peppery arugula wilted in the pasta water and tossed with a quick tomato sauce made with shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes. A bright vegetarian spaghetti dinner in 30 minutes.

Meat spagetti sauce that uses whisky. The best pasta sauce I have ever had. With a bushel of fresh in-season plum tomatoes I made enough for the winter. It was worth it! This is a reguler large size version.

Sauteed crawfish tails with honey in a fresh tomato-dill sauce, served over rice or pasta. A Southern-meets-Mediterranean crawfish dish with a sweet-savory twist.

This Tex-Mex chicken spaghetti bake layers pasta in a smoky chili-spiced tomato sauce with melted cheddar, olives, and tender shredded chicken. A crowd-pleasing casserole ready in 2 hours.

Spicy spaghetti salad tosses kamut pasta with navy beans, tomatoes with green chilies, bell pepper, scallions, cilantro, and cumin. A vegetarian, no-cook-after-boiling dinner.

Vegetable lasagna roll-ups: noodles wrapped around a three-cheese, spinach, eggplant, and white bean filling, baked in a robust red wine tomato sauce. Individual vegetarian lasagna portions, no layering.

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.

Handmade tortelloni stuffed with acorn squash, escarole, ham, and ricotta, finished in a buttery pecorino-tomato cream sauce. An Italian masterclass worth every minute.

Navy minced beef: classic US Navy galley dish of ground beef simmered with onions, tomatoes, and a pinch of mace, served over toast, biscuits, rice, or pasta. Pantry-friendly comfort in 30 minutes.

Italian meat sauce built on a proper soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery with ground beef, mushrooms, red wine, and beef stock. A slow-simmered Bolognese-style ragù.