Pasta recipes

This is great spread across the top of broiled salmon or halibut fillets. You can also toss it with pasta as a simple side dish, or add broiled or steamed slices of chicken, seafood, or vegetables to make a main dish.

Leftover turkey makes this delicious and creamy dish, and it is such an easy and simple recipe to make as well.

Spicy cold peanut noodles with soy sauce, hot bean sauce, garlic, and sesame oil tossed with chow mein noodles. Ready in 25 minutes for a quick Chinese-inspired weeknight dinner.

Ramen noodles upgraded with cubed chicken, broccoli florets, and cream of mushroom soup for a 30-minute pantry dinner. Cheap, filling, and way better than the packet alone.

Low-carb lasagna swapping noodles for sliced zucchini, layered with a slow-simmered beef and red wine meat sauce, creamy ricotta, melted mozzarella, and Parmesan. All the comfort, none of the pasta.

Italian garden lasagna layers a rainbow of sauteed vegetables (peppers, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, spinach) with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan in a no-boil lasagna. Vegetarian comfort that uses up the garden haul.

Ratatouille spaghetti pie turns a pressed spaghetti crust into the base for a chunky eggplant, zucchini, and pepper ratatouille, topped with pepperoni and a Parmesan-breadcrumb crust. A veg-packed pasta bake.

Low-fat spaghetti Napoli loaded with bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil. A colorful vegetarian pasta dinner that's on the table in just 20 minutes.

One-pot vegetarian noodles with broccoli, yams, and mushrooms tossed in melted mozzarella, soy sauce, and thyme. Everything cooks in the same pot of water.

Mee Krob: Thai crisp-fried rice noodles tossed in a sweet-sour-salty sauce with pork, chicken, or shrimp, topped with lacy fried egg nets. Crunchy, tangy, showstopping.

Cincinnati 5-way chili: cinnamon and allspice-spiced beef chili ladled over vermicelli, then crowned with beans, onions, and cheddar. Greek-influenced Midwestern original.

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.

Asian-inspired sesame dressing with toasted sesame seeds, peanut butter, roasted garlic, dry mustard, and a sweet-tangy vinaigrette base. Ready in 5 minutes.

Thai kanom jin nam prik curry noodles built on a fragrant coconut-moong bean sauce with red curry paste, tamarind, and crispy fried shallots and garlic. Rich, tangy, and earthy, served over soft rice noodles with long beans and sprouts.

Chicken marinara made with a fast homemade tomato sauce of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, and basil spooned over cooked chicken pieces. A 25-minute weeknight Italian dinner with pantry staples.

Green tomato puree simmered two hours with just water and sugar, then blended smooth. A tangy pasta sauce that turns unripe end-of-season tomatoes into something worth keeping. Freezes beautifully.