15 Easy 15-Minute Pasta Recipes Slideshow
In Italian, "orecchiette" refers to the shape of the pasta, which look like "little ears." This classic, quick-cooking pasta dish uses broccoli rabe, a popular vegetable in Italy which has a slightly bitter flavor similar to Chinese gai lan that goes well with the combination of garlic, red pepper flakes, and a bit of anchovy.
Click here to see the Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe Recipe.
Spaghetti with Clams
Cesare Casella, dean of Italian studies at The International Culinary Center in New York City, offers his trusty version of white clam sauce in this simple recipe.
Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta with Dill
This fast pasta recipe is equally good with fresh grilled salmon.
Click here to see the Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta with Dill Recipe.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Do as the Romans do and make this tonight. A classic from Lazio, the region around Rome, the combination of pancetta, garlic, pecorino, black pepper, and lightly cooked egg is a simple one, but always delicious.
Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Salad
Looking for ideas on what to do with the bounty of summer produce? Try this recipe, then, which features zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, and basil. This pasta salad recipe is a complete and balanced meal in a bowl.
Click here to see the Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe.
Summertime Anytime Spaghetti
Matt Moore, author of the blog Have Her Over for Dinner, created a recipe that is evocative of summer with its tomato-and–fresh basil combination, but can be made any time of the year since it calls for canned tomatoes. Best of all this recipe requires very little in the way of ingredients — you may already have most of them in your kitchen. It's amazing how great olive oil, garlic, good tomatoes, basil, and feta can combine into a great topping for pasta.
Easy and Elegant Lemony Wild Mushroom Pasta
Busy with the kids? Debbie Koenig, author of Parents Need to Eat Too, knows what it's like. She created this recipe for the adults in the house while the kids were bouncing off the walls. In other words, it's really easy. When you start a dish by sautéing a bunch of mixed mushrooms, you really can't go wrong.
Click here to see the Easy and Elegant Lemony Wild Mushroom Pasta Recipe.
Swiss Chard Lemon Pasta
Amie Valpone, author of The Healthy Apple, has a flavorful vegan pasta recipe that's also gluten-free.
Perfect Peanut Whole-Wheat Pasta with Chicken and Vegetables
Here's a pasta recipe with a bit of Asian flair, which combines peanut butter, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic into a creamy sauce that coats the noodles perfectly.
Click here to see the Perfect Peanut Whole-Wheat Pasta with Chicken and Vegetables Recipe.
Gluten-Free Fiesta Pasta Salad
Valpone has another pasta recipe for you to try — this time a refreshing pasta salad recipe made with zucchini, mushrooms, corn, and spinach that's also gluten-free.
Click here to see the Gluten-Free Fiesta Pasta Salad Recipe.
No-Chop Spaghetti Puttanesca
This recipe is so simple, you could even make it while camping.
Linguine and Spinach Pesto
The spinach pesto for this recipe comes together in just minutes while the pasta cooks.
Angel Hair with Garlic and Lemon-Parmesan Breadcrumbs
Koenig's go-to recipe for busy weeknights is a simple yet reliable one. She says, "The brightness of the lemon makes this more than just a bowl of pasta and garlic." Sometimes, all you need is one magic ingredient.
Click here to see the Angel Hair with Garlic and Lemon-Parmesan Breadcrumbs Recipe.
12-Minute Pasta Salad
With just seven ingredients and 12 minutes of hands-on cooking time, this is one quick recipe.
Bucatini con le Sarde
This is a favorite dish of Vito Gnazzo, executive chef at The Leopard at Des Artistes in New York City.