Pasta recipes

Two-ingredient microwave cheese sauce with Velveeta and milk, melted together in under 5 minutes. The quickest cheese sauce for pasta, vegetables, or fish.

A fragrant homemade Chinese ten-spice blend with toasted star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, fennel, coriander, and cumin. Toast, grind, and store for marinades, stir-fries, sauces, and meat rubs.

Fragrant Asian pesto with peanuts, fresh basil, mint, cilantro, green chilies, and ginger. A bold, herbaceous sauce for noodles that's ready in 15 minutes. Vegetarian-friendly.

Applesauce cake waffles spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Fluffy from folded egg whites, these taste like fall in every crispy bite.

Large shrimp marinated in Caesar dressing and grated Parmesan, then broiled until firm and golden. A 4-ingredient shortcut scampi that's on the table in minutes over rice or angel hair pasta.

Warm tomato vinaigrette with passata, herbed white wine vinegar, olive oil, and fresh parsley. A 4-ingredient sauce for grilled fish, chicken, pasta, or salads.

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.

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.

Quick weeknight stroganoff with tender beef strips, canned mushrooms, and onion soup mix folded into tangy sour cream sauce: ready in 15 minutes over egg noodles.

Peachy salsa blended with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. A fruity, no-cook salsa that doubles as a fresh pasta sauce in 5 minutes.

Cold crab dip with cream cheese, mayonnaise, sharp aged cheddar, hard-boiled eggs and minced onion. Mixed in 10 minutes and refrigerated. Serve with crackers, toast points or crudites for parties.

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.

This creamy, low-fat dressing lends itself to salad greens, cooked or raw vegetable combinations, pasta and grain salads, or as a dipping sauce for crudites or steamed artichoke leaves.

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

Raw zucchini and yellow squash salad with Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, and apple cider vinegar. Low-fat, vegan, and versatile over pasta or rice.

Yogurt cucumber salad with dill, dry mustard, and white vinegar. A cool, creamy, low-fat vegetarian side dish that comes together in 10 minutes flat.