Pasta recipes

Dad's linguine with white clam sauce keeps it light and simple: canned clams and their briny liquid simmered with onion, garlic, and parsley, then tossed with linguine and parmesan. A pantry-friendly weeknight clam pasta.

Vermicelli tossed with toasted walnuts, garlic-infused olive oil, pecorino cheese, and fresh parsley. A rustic Italian pantry pasta that comes together while the water boils.

Elbow macaroni bakes with tomato sauce, sharp cheddar, and chicken broth in this Southern-style casserole. The standing time lets the broth soak into the pasta for creamy texture without a béchamel.

In my opinion, this is the most decadent, rich and scrumptious pasta dish and one of my all-time favorites (I originally got this recipe from a Bon Appetit magazine many, many years ago). Very easy to prepare and always a hit.

Salmon asparagus manicotti: pasta tubes stuffed with ricotta, poached salmon, and fresh asparagus, baked in cream of asparagus sauce. A comforting seafood pasta dinner.

Spinach fettuccine in a quick Romano cheese cream sauce with garlic and white wine. A simple Italian pasta dish ready in 20 minutes for two.

Orzo with spinach and toasted pine nuts, cooked risotto-style in garlic-infused water with Parmesan. A 15-minute Mediterranean side dish or light vegetarian dinner.

Oxtail is one of the most economical and most flavorful cuts of meat, and one that takes well to marinating for days in a hearty mixture of red wine, herbs, and vegetables. The longer you marinate the mixture, the more flavorful it will be, but be sure it marinates at least 3 days. Oxtail is also a fatty cut -- give yourself plenty of time to allow the stew to cook and then cool, so all the fat can be skimmed off. Serve this with thick noodles in warmed soup bowls, accompanied by a tossed salad, and of course, a robust red wine.

Chicken and zucchini soup built from scratch: a whole chicken simmered with parsnip, turnip, and lemon, then enriched with browned Italian sausage, pasta shells, and grated zucchini stirred in at the end.

Grilled portobello mushrooms over angel hair: meaty grilled portobello caps sliced over fresh angel hair pasta in a quick garlic cream sauce. A vegetarian main in about 45 minutes.

Greek macaronada with nutty browned butter and grated cheese coats every strand of tender elbow pasta. A six-ingredient traditional dish that proves simple Greek cooking delivers bold flavor.

Only 5 ingredients and very quick and easy to prepare chicken soup that's suitable for chicken dinner.

OK Corral salad, a hearty cold pasta-and-tuna toss with pasta wheels, canned tuna, crisp radishes, and green bell pepper. Make-ahead potluck friendly.

Mac and cheese loaded with chopped ham, crushed pineapple, green bell pepper, and onion in a creamy American cheese sauce. Hawaiian pizza flavors in pasta form.

Pistachio-lime chicken linguine: pan-seared chicken strips tossed with toasted pistachios, fresh lime juice, and butter, served over linguine with grated lime zest. Bistro-style 30-minute dinner.

Rich fettuccine Alfredo with lump backfin crabmeat folded into a butter, cream, and Parmesan sauce. A luxurious Chesapeake-meets-Italian pasta in just five core ingredients.