15 Retro Cheesy Pasta Dishes Just Like Grandma Makes
Grandma was right all along: When cheesy, creamy sauces meet pasta, *magical* things happen. Think of avocado and toast or chocolate and peanut butter. That’s the level of delicious combinations we’re talking about, except this time it’s all about the retro spin on everyone’s favorite easy weeknight dish. One of the best things about pasta is there are SO many different kinds, and you can add any ingredients you want. But since cheese is our number one add-in, of course, we invite you to come and carb load with us while we share 15 of the best retro pasta dishes that would make any grandma proud.
1. Skinny Shrimp Alfredo Pasta Bake: We didn’t know it was possible to see the words “skinny” and “Alfredo” in the same sentence, but we’ll take it! Shrimp is the perfect twist to lighten up this classic dish. (via Damn Delicious)
2. Creamy Four Cheese Garlic Spaghetti Sauce: Garlic is a pasta must. It might linger with you for the rest of the night, but paired with all the cheesiness of this dish, it’s *totally* worth it. (via Julia’s Album)
3. Cheesy Spaghetti Bake: Aah, the oh-so-classic red sauce spaghetti. This time it’s topped with a mound of mozzarella cheese, giving Alfredo a serious run for its money. We think we’ll need a second bowl of each to decide the winner. (via Lil Luna)
4. Beefy Cheesy Tortellini Bake: The love we have in our hearts for tortellini runs so deep that we can taste it even when we’re not eating it. A noodle stuffed with cheese that gets baked and covered in even MORE cheese is the epitome of cheesy pastas, right? (via Five Heart Home)
5. Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti: Baked pasta just has that extra special crunch we’re constantly craving from the crispy cheese. It’s on a totally different wavelength than stove-top pasta, but equally (if not more) delicious. (via Gimme Some Oven)
6. Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe: We couldn’t give you our favorite pasta recipes without including a classic baked macaroni and cheese. It’s all cheddar and Colby Jack, and *seriously* OH SO GOOD. (via Latin Meets Lagniappe)
7. Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta: Anything with buffalo in the name, and we already know we’re going to want two servings. When it’s as easy to make as throwing everything in a crock pot, that’s an even bigger home run for us, obvi. (via Slow Cooker Gourmet)
8. Easy Cheesy Manicotti: Stuffed pasta is taken to a new level with this cheesy manicotti. Forget slurping long, dangly noodles — we want to take a big bite out of these super-sized shells. (via Homemade Hooplah)
9. Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine: This dish has a ton of Parmesan cheese, but we mainly love it because of its creamy sauce (insert mouth-watering emoji). Mix these two ingredients together and WOO! You get something sooo “damn delicious.” (via Damn Delicious)
10. Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo: Remember when we mentioned all the great add-ins you could put in pasta? Broccoli is one of our faves when it’s lightly sautéed. See, we can be healthy (kind of). (via Damn Delicious)
11. One Pot Cajun Chicken and Sausage Alfredo: Two meats, everybody! TWO meats. With Cajun spices and a creamy sauce, this penne pasta is a *must-eat-now* kind of meal. (via No. 2 Pencil)
12. One Pot Cheesy Pumpkin Pasta: Say it with us: cheesy pumpkin pasta. One more time for clarity: cheesy pumpkin pasta. We’re CRAZY for pumpkin anything, just like the rest of the world. Also, the cheese in this pasta is cream cheese. Major *swoon.* (via Domestic Superhero)
13. Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo: It’s the original, the grandaddy of them all — it’s classic Alfredo. With the only ingredients being butter, cream and Parmesan (plus yummy, carb-y noodles), this recipe gets five stars for simplicity. (via The Gracious Wife)
14. Three Cheese Pasta Bake: You really can’t go wrong when you mix noodles and three different cheeses (including ricotta!) together and bake them. If you need us, we’ll be over here eating the whole pan… (via Lil Luna)
15. Cheesy Tortellini Spinach Bake: Even though we’re all about the tortellini, this bake has bacon in it, and that might be the star of this dish after all. We’d still classify this recipe in the healthy pasta category though, because everyone knows anything with spinach in it has to be healthy… right? (via Lil Luna)
Do you melt over cheesy pasta dishes just like us? Follow us on Pinterest for more.
