5 Must-Know Pasta Recipes

The classic of all classics,  is a fantastic go-to pasta dish for any dinner occasion, whether it's a dinner for friends or a party of one. Even the meatballs are easy to make in this recipe; they only take a few minutes of mixing, rolling, and heating. Make more than the recipe calls for so you can reheat the leftovers the next day for meatball subs.

If you've ever made this dish before and followed a recipe that asked you to use any sort of milk or cream, you were deceived! The ingredients for  are few, so if a tight budget is the issue, this is right up your alley. If you're a carbonara novice, it's egg yolk that makes this pasta dish so creamy, not cream.

One pot, one pan, a bottle of vodka, a box of pasta, and you're well on your way to making . Serve it with an extra garlicky crusty baguette to sop up the leftover sauce, if there is any!

 is one of those sauces that can easily adapt to the ingredients you have on hand. If you don't have pine nuts, try almonds, cashews, or walnuts for an equally delicious sauce with a completely different flavor profile. However you plan to create your pesto, your prep will always be the same; throw everything into a food processor or blender, blend until smooth, mix into freshly boiled pasta, and enjoy.

 can be intimidating for some people, but if you are on the hunt for a simple pasta dish that is ready in minutes, this is the one to make. Make sure you give your sauce a little bit of time to reduce and thicken up; otherwise your final product will be too watery to properly cling to the noodles.

Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal's Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook.