12 Inventive Pasta Recipes to Upgrade Your Weeknight Dinner Routine
Dinner can be stressful. There are so many recipes, ingredients and cuisines to choose from. But one way to incorporate any and all of your bookmarked must-makes into every meal of the week without freaking out and tossing every ingredient in your kitchen in the air is pasta. Not only is pasta good for you — yeah, you’re eating carbs, but they’re good carbs — but it’s also a super versatile starter ingredient that’s quick and easy to prep. We teamed up with Passion for Pasta to discover the best pasta recipes on the Internet. Check out 12 of our favorite dishes below that are sure to go into heavy rotation in your weeknight dinner-making routine.
1. Moroccan Pasta: Trade in your usual beef pasta dish for one featuring lamb instead. Mix in a creative combo of zucchini, raisins and almonds to really impress your BFFs at your next potluck.
2. Argentinian Flank Steak With Pasta: Who doesn’t love the flavorful green sauce that is chimichurri?! Whip up a bowl, marinate some steak in it, then serve the combo accompanied by spaghetti for *the* perfect garlicky meal. Just make sure you’ve got gum for afterwards. ;)
3. Roasted Root Vegetables With Elbows: Vegetarians, look no further than this vibrant plate. This elbow pasta bowl is brought to life by blending a variety of veggies — carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, oh my! — with a Greek yogurt and mint chutney concoction. Yum!
4. Cider Mac + Cheese: Nothing is better for a meal with friends than boozy mac and cheese! Get creative with the classic cheesy bowl by adding a generous pour of hard cider over white cheddar cheese, Virginia ham and artichoke hearts. Beware — your crew may ask for this dish on a weekly basis.
5. Fettuccine a la Greek Isles: This one will have your meal mates feeling like they’ve been transported to a faraway vacation destination. Create this Greek-inspired fettuccine bowl with the help of EVOO, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, cucumbers and, of course, kalamata olives.
6. Amber Honey Linguini Fini: Go nuts with pasta by pairing it with walnuts. You really can’t go wrong when you’ve got crumbled Gorgonzola mixed in and amber honey drizzled on top.
7. Chicken Mole Casarecce: The secret ingredient to this fork-friendly meal is none other than semisweet chocolate chips. If that doesn’t sell you on preparing this recipe instantly, maybe the fact that it also includes an interesting assortment of other ingredients like toasted sesame seeds, almond butter and cilantro will.
8. Vegetarian Moussaka Stuffed Shells: Instead of meat, stuff these pasta shells with a fall fave: eggplant. Add Roma tomatoes, white wine, crumbled seitan, raisins and pine nuts into the mix and prep your taste buds for a festive feast.
9. Beer Mac + Cheese Soup: Cook up this hoppy treat for game day, or any day. Create a soup version of mac and cheese for your posse by cooking garlic, bock beer, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, white cheddar cheese and cauliflower in a pot. It’ll feel like happy hour even if you’re indulging way past the normal early evening drinking time.
10. Tortellini Chanterelle Soup: You know you (and your friends) love tortellini. So whip up this veg-heavy option that’s simmered in white wine. Cheers to alcohol-infused dishes!
11. Bacon + Roasted Brussels Sprouts Penne: This is the ultimate fall pasta dish. Toss fresh Brussels sprouts, chopped pecans, bacon and minced garlic together and mix it into penne for an unbelievable autumn option.
12. Ham + Brie Lasagna: Nothing suits brie better than ham. Combine the ideal duo with peas and shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano in this spin on the classic lasagna recipe.
Which pasta recipe will you be making for your family or inviting your friends over for? Let us know in the comments.
This post is a collaboration with Barilla’s Passion for Pasta initiative.
