95 pasta cheese recipes

Pasta with pesto and grilled chicken: linguine tossed with jarred or homemade pesto and charred chicken pieces. Quick 30-minute dinner, warm or room temperature.

Chicken tequila pasta with poached chicken in a tomato sauce spiked with half a cup of tequila, lime juice, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, tossed with noodles and topped with Parmesan.

Lasagna rolls with tomato-fennel sauce wrap mushroom-and-tofu filling inside lasagna noodles, then bake in a sweet fennel-spiked tomato sauce with mozzarella. A lighter, vegetarian take on baked pasta.

Vegetable lasagna layered with zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and a red wine tomato sauce. Make-ahead and lighter than meat lasagna, with cottage cheese standing in for ricotta.

Final assembly step for handmade pappardelle with rich duck ragù. Hand-cut egg pasta ribbons tossed with warm duck sauce and parmesan, served on heated plates with more cheese at the table.

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.

Cheesy eggplant pasta sauce with mushrooms, red pepper, and blended cottage cheese braised in dry sherry. A creamy, low-fat vegetarian sauce with nutritional yeast for extra savory depth.

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.

A lighter noodle casserole made with low-fat cottage cheese, skim milk, carrots, and mushrooms seasoned with basil and thyme. Diabetic-friendly and big enough to feed a crowd. Serves 12.

Chicken marinara made with a fast homemade tomato sauce of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, and basil spooned over cooked chicken pieces. A 25-minute weeknight Italian dinner with pantry staples.

Once upon a time I was reading a magazine article about good cooking. The journalist tried to convince me not to use some combinations of ingredients. One of the "banned" combinations mentioned was green and black olives. And so this soup was born to enjoy me.

Greek manestra cooked in lamb broth with tomato bits and topped with grated Romano cheese. A simple, traditional Greek pasta side dish with just four ingredients.

One-pot vegetarian noodles with broccoli, yams, and mushrooms tossed in melted mozzarella, soy sauce, and thyme. Everything cooks in the same pot of water.

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.

Homemade pepper vodka infused with hot chili peppers for at least a week, plus a creamy vodka pasta sauce recipe with tomatoes, butter, cream, and Parmesan.

Yogurt primavera tosses tender-crisp peas, carrots, zucchini, squash, and mushrooms in a low-fat yogurt-Parmesan sauce. A bright lighter-than-cream pasta for any weeknight.