Pasta/5 recipes

This golden, bubbling one-dish wonder transforms boneless chicken breasts into a creamy comfort feast with mushrooms, peas, and sweet red peppers beneath a crunchy saltine crust. Endlessly adaptable for busy weeknight dinners.

No-cook spinach pesto pasta sauce with fresh basil, parsley, pine nuts, ripe tomatoes, garlic, and Parmesan. Blender-quick, served at room temperature over hot pasta.

Vegan Mediterranean lasagna layers eggplant, tofu ricotta, and a hearty mashed kidney bean tomato sauce between noodles. A dairy-free, protein-packed plant-based lasagna with no meat or cheese.

Mexican spaghetti pie with a Parmesan-egg pasta crust topped with chili-spiced ground beef, kidney beans, cheese, olives, and crushed tortilla chips. A Tex-Mex casserole mashup.

Chunky veggie spaghetti sauce with pressed tofu, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, and sunflower seeds in a tomato-herb base. Meaty texture, fully plant-based.

Vegetarian pasta sauce with tomato paste, mushrooms, oregano, basil, and Parmesan. A simple from-scratch marinara for macaroni using pantry staples.

Italian wild mushroom topping with dried porcini, fresh portobello, tomatoes, rosemary, sage, and garlic marinated 24 hours in olive oil and lemon. Use on bruschetta or pasta.

Simple two-bean salad with great northern beans, red kidney beans, fresh tomatoes, and Swiss chard made in a pressure cooker. A wholesome plant-based meal served over rice or pasta.

Tofu with rice is a two-ingredient meal-prep staple: cooked rice and smoked tofu tossed together for an easy high-protein vegetarian lunch ready in 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.

Summer vegetable spaghetti tossed with zucchini, yellow squash and green beans in a light tomato sauce with a pinch of chili powder. Low in fat, no oil needed, and just as good served cold as a pasta salad.

Mexican mince from Marguerite Patten combines ground beef with kidney beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, and chili powder. A British wartime-era spin on chili served over rice or pasta.

Velveted chicken stir-fry seasoned with oregano, lemon pepper, and white wine instead of soy and ginger. The Greek-Chinese mashup that actually works. Two-serving size.

Cold buckwheat noodles tossed in a creamy peanut sauce made with brewed Chinese tea, chili oil, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. A nutty, spicy appetizer or side dish ready in 40 minutes.

Slow cooker mixed bean and vegetable stew with white wine, soy sauce, and vegetable juice. Vegan, customizable, and loaded with protein from 3-4 types of dried beans cooked low and slow.

Freezer-friendly chicken and noodle casserole in a red wine tomato-mushroom sauce with basil and garlic. Make it ahead, freeze in individual portions, and reheat on busy nights. Serves 4 to 6.