Pasta recipes

Easy, and quick and impresses the heck out of your guests! I sometimes add thyme, or oregano to my dough when mixing (about 2 teaspoons) and this adds nicely to the taste of the dough.

Cheese tortellini tossed in homemade spinach-basil pesto with sauteed shrimp, toasted almonds, and blistered cherry tomatoes. A restaurant-quality pasta dinner ready in about an hour.

Classic homemade lasagne layered with seasoned ground beef, tomato sauce, ricotta, cottage cheese, mozzarella, and Parmesan. A family-sized Italian comfort dish that's worth every minute of the build.

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.

Restaurant-style spaghetti and meatballs inspired by Little Joe's in L.A. Three-meat meatballs in a simmered tomato sauce with red wine, basil, and oregano. Worth every minute.

Jumbo homemade ravioli with fresh basil-infused pasta dough and a ground veal filling. Giant 4-inch squares served with homemade tomato sauce. A from-scratch Italian pasta project worth the effort.

An easy yet delicious recipe. I followed the recipe, and used whatever I had on hand. Then just mixed them up, and baked in the oven until the cheese was nicely browned. I let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes, then served it. Overall a great dish.

Artichoke Hearts, Carrot and Tortellini Salad recipe

Cajun-spiced shrimp sautéed with white wine and smothered in a warm homemade remoulade loaded with horseradish, whole-grain mustard, and lemon juice. Served over angel hair pasta, this Louisiana-inspired dish brings the bayou to your table.

An exotically spiced spaghetti sauce with meat -- This is a very adaptable sauce which can be used in any recipe requiring tomato sauces.

Forest fettucine with morels and breast of pheasant: handmade morel-powder pasta tossed in a morel cream sauce, topped with seared pheasant breast and buttered fiddlehead ferns. Spring foraging season on a plate, fine-dining style.

Spinach ricotta gnocchi tossed in a simple butter-cream Parmesan sauce. Handmade Italian green gnocchi that are light, pillowy, and freezer-friendly.

Italian-American spaghetti and meatballs with a three-meat blend (beef, pork, veal), a slow-simmered tomato sauce with red wine, and parmesan-bread crumb meatballs browned then finished in sauce.

Pizza Carciofi with marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and fontina cheese over a homemade tomato sauce on crispy pizza dough.

Mediterranean stuffed meatballs hide blanched vegetables inside seasoned beef with Parmesan and nutmeg, breaded and deep-fried, served over spaghetti with ratatouille sauce.

From McCall's Great American recipe card collection, Our Italian Heritage 5e, a baked meatball lasagna.