14 Pasta Recipes That Are Easy Enough for Weeknights
Your week has been rough (and it’s only Monday night). This calls for pasta, ASAP. But before you call for takeout again, check out one of these easy weeknight pasta recipes that will have you eating well until the weekend.
RELATED: 24 Old-School Recipes Your Italian Grandma Used to Make
One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
If you can throw five ingredients in a pot, plus spices, cheese and broth, you can enjoy homemade pasta pomodoro. (Bonus: There’s only one pot to wash at the end, and the leftovers hold up well for lunch.)
Cacio e Pepe
No time to run to the grocery store? This simple spaghetti dish is a fabulous treat for busy nights, and it takes only 15 minutes to prep. It’s grown-up mac-and-cheese go time.
15-Minute Lemony Broccolini Pasta
While the pasta is cooking, you’ll spend roughly five minutes sautéing the broccolini and sauce ingredients to toss the pasta in when it’s done boiling. The crispness and creaminess of the dish makes it feel much more sophisticated than your usual weeknight meal.
Pasta with Peas, Pancetta and Goat Cheese
Yes, when it’s this quick and easy, you can make béchamel sauce on a Monday. We believe in you.
Skillet Pasta with Summer Squash, Ricotta and Basil
One skillet, one box of rigatoni, a few fresh veggies and a dollop of cheese are all you need to make this entrée any night of the week. Effort is minimal, the rewards are large and yeah, a skillet full of veggies and pasta doesn’t make for a terrible Insta story...
Ten-Minute Macaroni and Cheese in a Mug
We know. It’s tempting to open up a blue box on a Monday. But in the same time it takes to prepare boxed mac and cheese, you can make a super-cheesy version in your favorite mug. (So cozy.)
Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Whip up this attractive weeknight pasta skillet in less time than it takes to stream an episode of Friends. This gnocchi is so good, you’ll want to invite last-minute guests over, but it’s also fantastically suited to a night of streaming and carbo-loading.
Instant Pot Ground Beef and Pasta
Beefaroni gets an adult upgrade with the super-simple Bolognese-like recipe that takes about ten minutes with your pressure cooker. Cue up Netflix because this dish will give all sorts of cuddle weeknight in feels.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
It’s no secret that pasta with garlic is maybe the best thing ever, and this legit Italian recipe for spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs and breadcrumbs is about to be your new weeknight go-to.
Simple Mushroom Penne With Walnut Pesto
All the elements in this restaurant-style recipe may seem complicated, but you can seriously make this vegetarian pasta entrée in minutes. While the pasta cooks and mushrooms and butter make a decadent sauce, you’ll simply toss the greens and pesto ingredients into a food processor. Boom, dinner is ready.
Easy One-Pan Baked Ziti
Prep for this gooey, saucy, meaty dish takes under ten minutes, and though it bakes for nearly an hour, that gives you plenty of time to shoot off your last emails of the day, enjoy a glass of wine in the bath or just unwind before dinnertime.
One-Pot Weeknight Lasagna Soup
Making an entire lasagna from scratch may be a little ambitious for a weeknight (but if you’re up for it, might we recommend a ravioli lasagna?). So keep it simple with this slurpable lasagna that delightfully combines your favorite pasta bake ingredients in one pot.
20-Minute Summer Squash Pasta with Brown Butter and Goat Cheese
Browning butter takes only a few minutes and adds serious depth of flavor and toasty notes to any recipe. This pasta dish comes together quickly, combining fresh vegetables and herbs for the ideal meatless Monday feast.
Pasta Puttanesca
This light pasta recipe uses chili flakes and olives for a pop of flavor, with the optional addition of anchovies for extra umami. Does it get better than puttanesca on a weeknight? (Nope, probably not.)
