Pasta recipes

Pasta Mexicali is a cold penne salad loaded with black beans, cannellini, corn, red pepper, and cilantro in a cumin-cayenne vinaigrette. Vegetarian, protein-packed potluck stunner.

Turkey pasta salad with corn, zucchini, and picante-creamy garlic dressing. A Tex-Mex spin on leftover turkey, ready in 20 minutes and better after a chill in the fridge.

Szechuan pasta chicken salad: a cold noodle salad with poached chicken, crunchy snow peas, bamboo shoots, peppers, and a creamy soy-sesame-chili dressing. Make-ahead party platter that improves overnight.

Latin-inspired pasta salad with a blended feta-cilantro-lime dressing, diced ham, colorful bell peppers, jicama, and olives. Bright, crunchy, and totally make-ahead friendly.

Plump shrimp tossed with pasta in a curry-tomato sauce spiked with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and a splash of orange liqueur. A Caribbean-meets-Asian fusion dinner ready in 45 minutes.

Chilled pasta salad with flaked salmon, avocado, red bell pepper, cilantro, and lime-mayonnaise dressing: creamy, fresh, served on lettuce with paprika garnish.

Fat-free fiesta pasta salad tosses rotelle with red onion, corn, green chiles, jalapeño, and cilantro in a chili-cumin Italian dressing. A potluck-ready Tex-Mex side that gets better as it sits.

Angel hair pasta tossed in a chili-spiced cream sauce and topped with sautéed SPAM, corn, red and green bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, and cilantro. A colorful 30-minute weeknight dinner bursting with Southwestern flair.

Cilantro pesto pasta with macadamia nuts, ginger, lime, and chile. A punchy 15-minute Thai-leaning pasta that swaps the basil-pine-nut combo for something brighter and hotter.

Ginger chicken broth soup with vermicelli, cilantro, and scallions finished with fresh lemon. A light, aromatic bowl ready in 20 minutes.

Cajun-blackened sea scallops over farfalle tossed in cilantro walnut pesto, drizzled with roasted red pepper sauce. A showstopper seafood pasta with bold layered flavors.

Carbonara-style pasta with ground beef, mushrooms, and parmesan in a silky egg-coated sauce. No tomato, no cream, just pantry ingredients and a quick stir at the end.

Vanilla is the secret ingredient in this cross-cultural sauce, which is also delicious served with grilled or roasted meats, poultry or seafood.

Farfalle tossed in a creamy cilantro pesto made with cottage cheese and yogurt, finished with garlic and red pepper flakes. Light, fresh, and easily made vegan.

Amazing taco pasta salad loaded with black beans, corn, tomatoes, Mexican-blend cheese, and olives in a cumin-lime dressing, finished with cilantro and avocado. A zesty, vegetarian Tex-Mex potluck salad.

"'With fresh mushrooms, plum tomatoes and herbs to spice up its flavor, this dish tastes like summertime to me,' says Jacqueline Graves of Lawrenceville, Georgia. Chock-full of garden goodness, the chunky sauce cooks up quickly, too."