27 Easy Pastas That Don't Use Sauce From A Jar, Because You Deserve Better

You want to make dinner with your eyes closed and both hands tied behind your back, right? It’s just a guess, based on the internet’s mass hysteria over sheet pan dinner recipes and 3-ingredient weeknight wonders.

There’s only one problem with recipes prepared by blindfolded, shackled cooks: They usually taste like they were prepared by blindfolded, shackled cooks. Recipes that are too easy can tend to be a bit of a letdown in the flavor department.

Take pasta, for instance. In the desperation of a busy weeknight, you’ve probably popped open a jar of red sauce and dumped it on some freshly boiled dried pasta. If you were feeling extra energetic, you might’ve sprinkled on some of that powdered “Parmesan” cheese stuff that’s not actually Parmesan, but smells like feet. It’s good enough, but you’re worth more.

We’re going to offer a compromise. We’ve picked 27 of our favorite pasta recipes that are low-maintenance but actually use real ingredients and lots of vegetables, meaning they taste like something you’ll look forward to eating. They all start off with dried pasta, which many chefs argue is better than fresh, but not a single one of these recipes call for a jar of sauce. Get that stuff out of here.

We’ve taken it easy on you and avoided any recipes that call for pesto, because no one wants to get out their food processor at night. There ARE are couple of recipes that require a sauce that can be made a day in advance, because they were just too delicious to leave off the list. And if you’re not in the mood for hot pasta, we’ve also got some pasta salad recipes for you too. They’re perfect for packing up for lunch the next day.

Get that water boiling (make sure you add plenty of salt, of course) and start cooking.

Spring Mafalda Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes and Eggs

Lemony Spinach and Artichoke Brie Penne Pasta

Lemon Pasta With Tomatoes And Basil

Quick and Simple Pasta "Risotto" With Herbed Roasted Chickpeas

Caramelized Shallot, Spinach And Goat Cheese Garlic Butter Pasta

Farmers Market Goat Cheese Pasta Primavera

Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

Simple Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts, Walnuts & Brown Butter

One-Pot Penne Pasta with Turkey and Spinach

Simple Buttery Spring Pea and Burrata Pasta With Prosciutto

30-Minute Artichoke And Pea Rigatoni Pasta

No-Guilt Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo

Spring Pasta with Shaved Asparagus

Spring Pea and Asparagus Pasta Shells

Creamy Mushroom Asparagus Pasta

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad

Garlic and White Wine Pasta with Brussels Sprouts

Garlic Chili Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower

Creamy Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus

Creamy Pea And Fresh Herb Fettuccine

Greek Pasta Salad

Browned Butter Scallop And Burst Tomato Basil Pasta

Summer Vegetable Pasta

Spinach And Artichoke Linguine

Five-Ingredient Spinach Parmesan Pasta

Cavatelli Pasta with Spring Vegetables

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.