Recipe Collection
Great pasta doesn't need a long simmer — the best weeknight pasta recipes come together in the time it takes to boil the water. From pantry-staple aglio e olio to creamy one-pot bakes, these quick pasta recipes use everyday ingredients so you're always cooking from what you have.
Pro Tip
Save a mug of pasta cooking water before you drain. That starchy water is the secret to silky, restaurant-style sauces — just splash some in while you toss to emulsify everything.
The Roman pantry classic — just spaghetti, pecorino romano, parmesan, and loads of freshly cracked black pepper. Technique matters more than ingredients here: add starchy water slowly while tossing to get a creamy sauce with zero dairy.
Orzo cooked risotto-style with vegetable broth, finished with fresh lemon zest, wilted spinach, and crumbled feta. Light, bright, and endlessly adaptable — add white beans for protein.
Italian sausage browned with garlic and tomatoes, then pasta cooked directly in the sauce with just enough broth added to finish it. One pot, maximum flavour, minimal cleanup.
Thinly sliced garlic blistered in olive oil with red pepper flakes, tossed with spaghetti and topped with golden panko breadcrumbs for crunch. The ultimate pantry pasta.
Rigatoni tossed with marinara, whole-milk ricotta, mozzarella, and wilted spinach, then baked until bubbly and golden. A crowd-pleasing bake that doubles as meal prep.
A Sicilian classic: tube pasta with roasted eggplant, rich tomato sauce, fresh basil, and grated ricotta salata. Salt the eggplant first for the crispiest result.
Tagliatelle in a light cream sauce with smoked salmon, briny capers, lemon juice, and fresh dill. A restaurant-calibre dinner using nothing but fridge staples.
The Italian 'pasta and beans' soup — cannellini beans, ditalini, crushed tomatoes, rosemary, and parmesan rind simmered together. Thick, hearty, and built almost entirely from pantry staples.
Fresh tagliatelle tossed with sautéed chicken, wild mushrooms, a splash of white wine, and cream, finished with a drizzle of truffle oil. Dinner-party food on a Tuesday.
Soba noodles tossed in a deeply savoury sauce of tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chilli oil, topped with julienned cucumber and sliced scallions. Serve chilled — perfect for meal prep.
A light, creamy pasta where whole-milk ricotta is loosened with starchy pasta water and brightened with lemon zest and fresh basil. Elegant, fast, and pantry-friendly.
Seasonal vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, cherry tomatoes) sautéed in olive oil and tossed with pasta, starchy cooking water, and freshly grated Parmesan.
The Roman three-ingredient classic: spaghetti, Pecorino Romano, and coarsely cracked black pepper — no cream, no butter. Technique makes the difference between grainy and silky.
Ziti tossed with ricotta, mozzarella, and marinara sauce, baked until bubbly and golden. A crowd-pleasing pasta bake that's even better the next day and freezes perfectly.
Save a mug of pasta cooking water before you drain. That starchy water is the secret to silky, restaurant-style sauces — just splash some in while you toss to emulsify everything.
Season your pasta water generously — it should taste noticeably salty, like sea water. This is the only chance to season the pasta itself, not just the sauce.
Finish pasta in the pan with the sauce over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, adding pasta water as needed — this step is what makes restaurant pasta cling to sauce instead of sitting in a puddle.
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View guide →Aglio e olio or cacio e pepe are the gold standards — you need nothing more than pasta, olive oil, garlic, parmesan, and pepper, all things most kitchens always have. Pasta e fagioli is another great pantry option if you have canned beans and crushed tomatoes on hand.
Starchy pasta water is the real secret — it contains dissolved starch that emulsifies olive oil and cheese into a silky coating. For a dairy-free creaminess, blend some of the cooked beans from a pasta e fagioli directly into the broth. Ricotta stirred into hot pasta also gives incredible creaminess without heavy cream.
Yes, but cook the pasta slightly al dente and toss it lightly with olive oil before storing — this prevents clumping. Baked pastas like rigatoni with ricotta hold up best in the fridge (4-5 days) and actually reheat well. Avoid meal-prepping delicate cream sauces — they tend to separate on reheating.
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