Easy Pasta Recipes- It's impossible to think of Italian food without a warm plate of pasta and some great wine. Made with flour, pasta can be formed into sheets, strips or any other shape. In fact, you'll find over 600 pasta shapes across the globe. The famous Italian dish - pasta is one of the best comfort meals. It is a no-fuss dish that can be ready in minutes and does not require genius cooking skills. This simple dish offers a lot of room for creativity. You can experiment with pasta recipes using different kinds of pastas like fusilli, penne or spaghetti, different sauces such as tomato sauce, creamy white sauce or the meaty bolognese and a huge variety of ingredients ranging from herbs to veggies and cheese.
Pasta dishes are an easy way to please even the most finicky eaters. We've got you some great pasta recipes - from easy ones to those that will leave everyone impressed. You'll find everything that you can imagine, right here.
How To Cook Pasta | Easy Ways To Make Pasta
This may seem fairly simple, but sometimes it may leave you with lumpy and limp results. To avoid it, cling to these tips. Use adequate amount of water and a large vessel to avoid sticking. Wait for the water to boil and then add the pasta. As soon as you place it in water, the starch granules on the pasta swell up and the surface become sticky.
To keep pasta from sticking, stir it gently in the beginning. You can also add a pinch of salt. Salt helps in making the surface rough so that it doesn't stick. It is suggested to cook your pasta just a tad more than al dente (bite-like). Avoid rinsing the pasta, after it is cooked. Place it in a colander and let the excess water drain. Rinsing may wash away all the flavour. You can even make pasta from scratch. Here's a simple recipe - Pasta Dough.
Tips to make the sauce | Tips & Tricks For A Delicious Pasta
Behind every perfect plate of pasta is a great sauce.There's nothing better than a homemade pasta sauce. The sauce is the most important aspect of the recipe and it differs from region to region. Recipes from North Italy use white sauce while sauces like tomato, arrabbiata and carbonara are popular down south. Also, you must know that tomato based sauces stick better to round pastas while flat pasta is better with a cream based sauce. You must use a bit of olive oil in tomato-based sauces to add a rich texture. If your sauce becomes too sour, adding a pinch of baking soda may help. Stir the sauce often to avoid sticking.
One thing that you must always keep in mind is to add pasta to the sauce and not the other way round. You can also add some leftover pasta water to the sauce to enhance the flavour. The starchiness will also help in binding the sauce. Make the sauce first and let it simmer. You pasta should be added to the sauce as soon as it is cooked. The sauce should be just enough to coat the pasta. A traditional Italian pasta is never too saucy. You can even hide pureed vegetables in the sauce for those picky eaters. Learn how to make the basic tomato sauce with this recipe - Tomato & Basil Sauce.
Bookmark our 13 best pasta recipes to try on a busy weekday or for when you are planning an Italian feast with your friends.
1. Four Cheese Pasta
Pasta made with four different types of cheese - Parmesan, Cheddar, Brie and Emmental. This easy pasta recipe is as cheesy as it can get. A veg pasta recipe that is exactly what a foodie's dream is made of!
Italian pasta made with four different types of cheese. Image credits: iStock
2. Pasta Carbonara
This easy pasta recipe derives its name from 'carbone' meaning coal and is a quick and easy recipe to make. Image credits: iStock
3. Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
Gnocchi is a type of pasta in the form of dumplings which are usually made with wheat flour, potato, semolina, egg and breadcrumbs. They can be served with various sauces, this easy pasta recipe uses a freshly-made tangy tomato sauce.
Gnocchi is a type of pasta in the form of dumplings. This pasta recipe can be served with various types of sauces. Image credits: iStock
4. Pasta Con Pomodoro E Basilico
Pasta with the quintessential tomato and basil sauce. This is the most basic and simplest cooked pasta sauce, hence it is the benchmark of a good Italian home cook. One of the best in Italian pasta recipes, this will leave you asking for more.
Pasta with the quintessential tomato and basil sauce. Image credits: iStock
5. Home-Style Baked Pasta
You can never go wrong with this home-style baked pasta. Pasta, layers of cheese, veggies and a tangy tomato sauce, all baked till golden and glorious. This extremely easy pasta recipe is all you need after work to fill you up.(Pasta Recipe Video)
You can never go wrong with this easy and quick home-style baked pasta. Image credits: iStock6. Ravioli with Coconut Milk & Lemongrass
With this recipe you learn the art of making ravioli. Ravioli is type of pasta where sheets of dough are filled with a mixture. In this recipe, ravioli is stuffed with a veggie mix and then drizzled with a smooth sauce made with coconut milk, spring onions and fragrant lemongrass. An easy pasta recipe which kids and adults will love alike. (Pasta Recipe Video)
With this recipe you learn the art of making ravioli. Image credits: iStock
7. Whole Wheat Pasta in Mushroom Sauce
For all those fungi lovers, this recipe is just the ticket! This easy veg pasta recipe calls for shells made with whole wheat flour laced with a mushroom and white wine sauce. One of the healthiest pasta recipes you can come across.
For all those fungi lovers, this pasta recipe is just the ticket! Image credits: iStock8. Spaghetti Bolognese
Bolognese sauce is a meat-based sauce for pasta which originated from Bologna, Italy. This easy pasta recipe uses minced lamb meat, onions, tomato, lots of Parmesan and the warmth of nutmeg.
(Pasta Recipe Video)
Bolognese sauce is a meat-based sauce for pasta. Image credits: iStock
9. Lasagna
Layer after layer of cheesy explosion and delicious meat, this comes quite close to heaven. Lasagna is known to be one of the oldest types of pastas which originated in Naples, Italy. Try this amazing and unbelievably easy pasta recipe at home for a quiet, delicious dinner.
This easy pasta recipe has layer after layer of cheesy explosion and delicious meat. Image credits: iStock
10. Penne Ala Vodka
A recipe that has always been a crowd pleaser! A palatable pasta tossed with tomatoes, cream, cheese and a splash of vodka. Do not worry about the vodka as most of the alcohol burns out in the cooking process. An innovative yet easy pasta recipe to try at home.
11. Chicken Pasta
Just 30 minutes and you'll have a thick white sauce chicken pasta to relish! Photo credits: NDTV BEEPS.12. Butter Chicken Pasta
This butter chicken pasta brings the best of both worlds, the spicy and aromatic flavours of Indian with the deliciousness of the Italian. It will leave you drooling.
13. Sicilian Spicy Pasta
Broccoli, garlic and chilli flakes give this pasta a spicy and rich flavour. Top it with a a generous amount of parmesan cheese and indulge in its goodness. This Sicilian spicy pasta is extremely satisfying.
With these great pasta recipe and easy tricks, we're sure you'll get the perfect plate of pasta each time.