Pasta/55 recipes

Note: 15 bean mixtures are available packaged in supermarkets and health food stores. If you prefer, make your own by combining equal amounts of dried blackeyed peas, red kidney beans, white kidney beans (cannellini), green lentils, split peas, black beans, yellow split peas, navy beans, cranberry (Roman, shell, or shell out) beans, great Northern beans, pinto beans, small white limas, red lentils, cow peas (field peas), and pink beans. Avoid using beans such as garbanzos and large lima beans, as these take longer to cook than other varities.

Two-ingredient pasta salad with ratatouille stirred into cold cooked pasta. A no-fuss meal ready in 15 minutes when you need something fast.

Bagna Cauda pasta sauce with 15 garlic cloves, anchovies, roasted garlic, and cream, reduced and tossed with ziti and carrot matchsticks. A rich Piedmontese-inspired pasta in 40 minutes.

Mexican spaghetti tossed with a chipotle tomato sauce and topped with diced fresh avocado. A 15-minute weeknight pasta where smoky chipotle meets cool, creamy avocado.

15-minute fettuccine Alfredo with cream cheese, parmesan, butter, and heavy cream finished with fresh nutmeg. The decadent restaurant-style pasta ready faster than ordering takeout.

Cilantro pesto pasta with macadamia nuts, ginger, lime, and chile. A punchy 15-minute Thai-leaning pasta that swaps the basil-pine-nut combo for something brighter and hotter.

Sear jumbo shrimp in olive oil, deglaze with white wine, and toss with butter and pasta for a restaurant-worthy dinner that's done in 15 minutes flat.

Make-ahead spaghetti and meatball casserole that assembles in 15 minutes with uncooked pasta. Refrigerate overnight, bake the next day, and enjoy bubbly, cheesy comfort food.

Rotini pasta tossed with canned tuna, crisp cucumber, tomato, celery, and green pepper in a creamy Italian-dill dressing. This no-cook tuna pasta salad is the ultimate potluck crowd-pleaser and ready in 15 minutes.

Ranch noodles with turkey tosses buttered pasta, ranch seasoning, peas, carrots, and leftover turkey into a 15-minute weeknight dinner. A kid-friendly use for Thanksgiving leftovers.

Layered turkey pasta salad: a 15-minute glass-bowl showpiece with mixed greens, tomatoes, turkey, cheddar, and creamy pasta salad. A Thanksgiving-leftover makeover worth showing off.

Fettuccine with prosciutto, peas, carrots, and fresh tomato tossed in a light chicken broth sauce with Parmesan. A quick, lighter pasta dinner ready in 15 minutes.

Light pasta in chicken broth with wilted spinach chiffonade, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan. A brothy, clean-flavored Italian dish ready in under 15 minutes.

Quick rotini pasta salad tossed with mozzarella, mixed vegetables, and a herbed mayo dressing scented with oregano and basil. A 15-minute lunchbox-friendly side that holds up cold.

Hungarian sweet noodles tossed in margarine and topped with sugar-coated poppy seeds or chopped walnuts. A traditional Central European dessert pasta that's on the table in 15 minutes flat.

Buttery angel hair pasta with broccoli, browned garlic, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan. A 15-minute Italian-style weeknight dinner with big flavor.