Pasta recipes

Veggie-loaded Thai stir-fry noodles tossed with black bean sauce, fish sauce, crushed peanuts, and fresh mint. A colorful one-skillet meal in under 30 minutes that serves 8.

English muffin with ham, tomato, and basil pesto baked under a garlic cream cheese topping. An open-face brunch bite with crisped edges and a fresh homemade pesto drizzle.

Potato garbanzo gnocchi: instant mashed potatoes bound with chickpea and rice flour, deep fried into crispy fritter-style dumplings with garlic and cayenne. Naturally vegan, ready in 15 minutes.

Potato waffles made from mashed russet potatoes, eggs, and flour cooked crisp on a waffle iron. Savory, golden, and perfect for brunch or as a side dish with rosemary-garlic oil.

German egg-dough drop soup with breadcrumbs, butter, eggs, and nutmeg in warm beef broth. A simple, warming Central European soup ready in under 25 minutes.

Chicken breast sauteed with garlic, onions, and bell peppers, tossed with thin spaghetti in a quick crushed tomato sauce with basil and oregano. Light, lean, and done in 35 minutes.

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.

Lemon herbed chicken made in a pressure cooker with parsley, oregano, basil, celery leaves, and black olives. Tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken in just 8 minutes under pressure.

Spinach lasagna layered with sauteed mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, cottage cheese, Parmesan, and bubbly mozzarella. Inspired by Frances Moore Lappe's wholesome, vegetarian approach.

Zlicni rezanci are traditional Croatian drop noodles made from a simple egg batter spooned into boiling broth. Just four ingredients, 15 minutes, and you have tender homemade noodles for soup or a buttery side dish.

Light lasagna roll-ups filled with part-skim ricotta, broccoli, spinach, and scallions, topped with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. A low-fat vegetarian twist.

Mexican-style lasagna with ground beef, green chilies, corn, and cheddar cheese layered in a cumin-spiced picante tomato sauce. Topped with sour cream and olives.

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.

Egg noodles with pork, eggplant, and oyster sauce is a wok stir-fry layering pork strips, potato, carrot, eggplant, and straw mushrooms over noodles in a honey-sweetened oyster sauce glaze.

White sauce lasagna layered with chicken, ham, asparagus, mushrooms, mozzarella, and Parmesan. A make-ahead twist on classic lasagna that skips the red sauce entirely.

Homemade egg pasta layered with ricotta-spinach filling, fresh tomato-red wine sauce, mozzarella, and silky bechamel. A from-scratch vegetarian lasagna worth every minute.