Pasta recipes

Deep-fried garbanzo parsnip gnocchi made with chickpea flour, parsnips, and gluten flour. Vegetarian gnocchi with a crispy shell, served with homemade tomato sauce.

Lean chicken tetrazzini using melted cottage cheese instead of cream sauce, with spaghetti, mushrooms, dry sherry, and a Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Lower fat, full flavor.

Cajun-style fish seared in a fiery pecan butter sauce with three kinds of pepper, garlic, and hot sauce. Inspired by K-Paul's in New Orleans, this works best with firm fish like swordfish, tuna, or sturgeon.

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.

Turkey breast rubbed with a fiery Cajun spice blend of three peppers, cumin, garlic, and paprika, marinated for two days, then smoked for seven hours. Homemade tasso that brings authentic Louisiana heat to gumbo, red beans, and pasta.

Creamy vodka spaghetti with vermouth, lime, jalapeno, and fresh cilantro. A cocktail-inspired twist on vodka pasta that's equal parts bold and luxurious, ready in 35 minutes.

Cannelloni stuffed with crawfish, crab, Italian sausage, and a four-cheese ricotta blend, baked under a slow-simmered tomato sauce with jalapeños. Where Cajun meets Italian and everybody wins.

Golden chicken, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and mostaccioli pasta tossed in a velvety homemade bechamel sauce with a pinch of cayenne. An Italian-American comfort bowl ready in 30 minutes.

Nothing is more fascinating and delicious than eating at the open- air street hawker centers in Asia, particularly in Singapore. Each stall serves a specialty, typically an honest, unpretentious, home-style dish for $1 to $3 a plate. This rice noodle dish is hawker food at its best. If done right, its fragrance will tell you how good it's going to be as soon as it arrives at your table.

Salsa pesto blends fresh basil, garlic, and onion with butter, olive oil, Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts for a richer, creamier spin on classic Genovese pesto. Toss with pasta, spread on grilled bread, or spoon over roast chicken.

Plump shrimp in a velvety cream sauce made with tri-color sweet peppers, apple juice, and a custom seasoning blend. Lightened up with evaporated skim milk and cream cheese, served over rice or pasta.

Butter, cream, and two cheeses melt together in this thick, silky Alfredo sauce that coats every strand of pasta with the kind of indulgence that makes Italian restaurants nervous.

SPAM strips sautéed with carrots, zucchini, onion, and garlic, then tossed with linguine, Parmesan, and a bright squeeze of lemon juice. A light, veggie-packed 30-minute pasta dinner for eight.

Macaroni and cheese soup with melted American cheese, elbow macaroni, corn, peas, carrots, and celery. A creamy, kid-friendly comfort soup ready in 30 minutes.

Don's Turkey Mystery: a one-skillet dish with leftover turkey, soy sauce, stewed tomatoes, raisins, and pineapple over vermicelli. Sweet, savory, and ready in 30 minutes.

This well endowed cheesy macaroni salad recipe is packed with flavor and sized to feed a crowd.