Pasta/75 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.

Vegetarian bean pate purees a 7-bean and barley mix with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin into a thick Mediterranean-style spread. Serve chilled with whole wheat bread or crackers.

Vegetarian tamale pie with a golden cornmeal crust wrapped top and bottom around a spiced bean-and-barley filling loaded with corn, ripe olives, and sweet red pepper. A hearty meatless main baked until the cheese bubbles.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pasta shells stuffed with crumbled feta, black olives, red pepper, and walnuts. A Mediterranean-style finger food appetizer ready in 15 minutes.

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.