Some ingredients are worth a special trip — the good olive oil, the fancy cheese, the fresh seafood from the place that knows your name. These pasta recipes lean into the special, the imported, and the worth-the-detour. I rounded up the best of the best from trusted food bloggers — real recipes that real people make over and over again, and that I think you’re going to love too.
Each one of these is a little bit of a project, but every single one is worth the time and the splurge. Grab a fork and dig in.
What’s Inside
Here’s the full lineup — click any recipe to jump straight to it.
- Linguine and Clams
- Fresh Pasta with Buttered Tomatoes
- Gemelli Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Penne Pasta with Spinach Cream Sauce
- Mushroom Pasta with Sausage
- Pasta with Chicken, Shiitakes and Gorgonzola
- Creamy Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- Creamy Artichoke Spinach Pasta
- Ultimate Beef Ragu
- Pasta alla Norma
- Easy Greek Lemon Garlic Olive Oil Pasta
- Baked Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Olives
- Fettuccine al Greco (Greek Yogurt Pasta)
- Skordomakaronada (Crunchy Garlic-Rusk Pasta)
- Pasta with Tomatoes, Olives, Capers and Anchovies
- Greek Vegetarian Penne with Charred Eggplant
- Pasta with Tomatoes & Shiitakes
- Tagliatelle in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Basil
The 18 Recipes
From quick weeknight staples to the special-occasion showstoppers, here are the 18 pasta recipes that I think everyone should know how to make. Each one has been tested, loved, and made-on-repeat by home cooks all over the world.
Linguine and Clams
Briny clams, white wine, garlic, and olive oil. This is the Bon Appétit version that finally made me a believer in pasta with seafood.
Fresh Pasta with Buttered Tomatoes
Fresh egg pasta, butter, tomatoes, and basil. Bon Appétit’s version is what happens when you spend 20 minutes making pasta from scratch.
Gemelli Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Twisty gemelli tossed in a creamy roasted red pepper sauce. The Cozy Apron’s version is the colorful pasta I bring to dinner parties.
Penne Pasta with Spinach Cream Sauce
Creamy spinach and artichoke baked into pasta is comfort food at its best. The Cozy Apron’s take is the one I keep in regular rotation.
Mushroom Pasta with Sausage
Spicy Italian sausage brings big flavor with almost no effort. The Cozy Apron’s recipe is the kind of thing you’ll make twice in one week.
Pasta with Chicken, Shiitakes and Gorgonzola
Tender chicken, a rich sauce, and pasta in one pan. Daring Gourmet’s take is weeknight-comfort done right.
Creamy Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan blitzed into a bright green sauce. Daring Gourmet’s version is the kind of thing you put on everything.
Creamy Artichoke Spinach Pasta
Creamy spinach and artichoke baked into pasta is comfort food at its best. Daring Gourmet’s take is the one I keep in regular rotation.
Ultimate Beef Ragu
This is the long-simmered, deeply savory meat sauce that converts people into pasta people for life. Daring Gourmet takes the time it deserves.
Pasta alla Norma
Roasted eggplant, tomatoes, basil, and ricotta salata. Daring Gourmet’s version of this Sicilian classic is the most underrated pasta in Italy.
Easy Greek Lemon Garlic Olive Oil Pasta
Butter, cream, lemon zest, and parmesan — five minutes of cooking, a lifetime of cravings. Diane Kochilas’s take is bright, rich, and exactly what pasta was made for.
Baked Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Olives
Greek yogurt, fresh herbs, and good olive oil make a sauce that’s creamy without being heavy. Diane Kochilas’s version is bright, fresh, and a little bit different.
Fettuccine al Greco (Greek Yogurt Pasta)
Greek yogurt, fresh herbs, and good olive oil make a sauce that’s creamy without being heavy. Diane Kochilas’s version is bright, fresh, and a little bit different.
Skordomakaronada (Crunchy Garlic-Rusk Pasta)
Greek yogurt, fresh herbs, and good olive oil make a sauce that’s creamy without being heavy. Diane Kochilas’s version is bright, fresh, and a little bit different.
Pasta with Tomatoes, Olives, Capers and Anchovies
Greek yogurt, fresh herbs, and good olive oil make a sauce that’s creamy without being heavy. Diane Kochilas’s version is bright, fresh, and a little bit different.
Greek Vegetarian Penne with Charred Eggplant
Greek yogurt, fresh herbs, and good olive oil make a sauce that’s creamy without being heavy. Diane Kochilas’s version is bright, fresh, and a little bit different.
Pasta with Tomatoes & Shiitakes
Greek yogurt, fresh herbs, and good olive oil make a sauce that’s creamy without being heavy. Diane Kochilas’s version is bright, fresh, and a little bit different.
Tagliatelle in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Basil
Good tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and patience — that’s the whole game. Diane Kochilas’s version lets each ingredient shine.
That’s a lot of pasta (and I mean that as a compliment)
These are the pasta recipes that make you feel like you’re on vacation, even when you’re just standing in your own kitchen. My personal favorite from this list changes with my mood, but if I had to pick one right now, I’d go with the linguine and clams — it’s the one I make when I need a quick win on a Tuesday night.
If you try any of these, I’d love to hear which one becomes your go-to. Drop a comment and let me know — and happy cooking.
—Elowen Thorn
Sources & Credits
Every recipe in this roundup is the work of a talented food blogger. I’m just the messenger. If you love one of these dishes, please click through to the original source and leave a kind comment — these creators make the internet a more delicious place.
- Linguine and Clams — Bon Appétit
- Fresh Pasta with Buttered Tomatoes — Bon Appétit
- Gemelli Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce — The Cozy Apron
- Penne Pasta with Spinach Cream Sauce — The Cozy Apron
- Mushroom Pasta with Sausage — The Cozy Apron
- Pasta with Chicken, Shiitakes and Gorgonzola — Daring Gourmet
- Creamy Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto — Daring Gourmet
- Creamy Artichoke Spinach Pasta — Daring Gourmet
- Ultimate Beef Ragu — Daring Gourmet
- Pasta alla Norma — Daring Gourmet
- Easy Greek Lemon Garlic Olive Oil Pasta — Diane Kochilas
- Baked Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Olives — Diane Kochilas
- Fettuccine al Greco (Greek Yogurt Pasta) — Diane Kochilas
- Skordomakaronada (Crunchy Garlic-Rusk Pasta) — Diane Kochilas
- Pasta with Tomatoes, Olives, Capers and Anchovies — Diane Kochilas
- Greek Vegetarian Penne with Charred Eggplant — Diane Kochilas
- Pasta with Tomatoes & Shiitakes — Diane Kochilas
- Tagliatelle in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Basil — Diane Kochilas