20 Pasta Recipes with Parmesan

Cheese is the soul of pasta, and parmesan is the soul of that cheese. There is a reason every grandmother on the planet has a parmesan pasta in her back pocket. The 10 recipes below are the ones I come back to when I need something that just works — tested, easy to follow, and built around the kind of Parmesan pasta that actually shows up on a Tuesday night. Pick the one that sounds like you, and you will have dinner on the table before anyone has a chance to ask what is for dinner.

What's Inside

1. Garlic Parmesan Shellbows
2. Parmesan Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce with Fettuccine
3. Creamy Penne Pasta
4. Pasta With Brown Butter, Whole Lemon, and Parmesan
5. Cacio e Pepe (Classic Roman Cheese and Pepper Pasta)
6. Garlic Mushroom Pasta
7. Ditalini and Peas in Parmesan Broth
8. BA’s Best Mac and Cheese
9. Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
10. Pasta With Creamy Mushroom Ragù

The 10 Parmesan Pasta Recipes

Each recipe links to the original source for full measurements, substitutions, and step-by-step photos. Most of these are weeknight-friendly and use ingredients you probably already have.

Garlic Parmesan Shellbows

Recipe from Pinch of Yum

There is a reason Garlic Parmesan Shellbows shows up on every best-of list for Parmesan pasta. It hits the right balance of effort and reward, and the leftovers reheat like a dream.

Parmesan Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce with Fettuccine

Recipe from The Cozy Apron

If you have been hunting for a Parmesan pasta that the whole family will eat without complaint, Parmesan Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce with Fettuccine is the answer. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is short, and the result is something you will want to photograph.

Creamy Penne Pasta

Recipe from Salt & Lavender

I keep coming back to Creamy Penne Pasta for one simple reason: it works. The flavors are layered, the method is simple, and the whole thing comes together in about the time it takes to set the table.

Pasta With Brown Butter, Whole Lemon, and Parmesan

Recipe from Bon Appétit

Pasta With Brown Butter, Whole Lemon, and Parmesan is a love letter to Parmesan pasta. It is rich where it needs to be, bright where it counts, and the kind of dish that turns a regular Wednesday into something worth remembering.

Cacio e Pepe (Classic Roman Cheese and Pepper Pasta)

Recipe from Bon Appétit

This is the Parmesan pasta that made me a believer. The technique is straightforward, the ingredient list is realistic, and the payoff is a bowl of pasta that tastes like it came from a much fancier kitchen.

Garlic Mushroom Pasta

Recipe from Salt & Lavender

Garlic Mushroom Pasta is one of those Parmesan pasta recipes that you make once and then wonder how you lived without it. It is forgiving, it is fast, and it is the kind of thing you can put on the table with total confidence.

Ditalini and Peas in Parmesan Broth

Recipe from Bon Appétit

Ditalini and Peas in Parmesan Broth is exactly the kind of Parmesan pasta that earns a permanent spot in the rotation — easy enough for a Tuesday and good enough to serve to people you actually like.

BA’s Best Mac and Cheese

Recipe from Bon Appétit

There is a reason BA’s Best Mac and Cheese shows up on every best-of list for Parmesan pasta. It hits the right balance of effort and reward, and the leftovers reheat like a dream.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Recipe from Pinch of Yum

If you have been hunting for a Parmesan pasta that the whole family will eat without complaint, Roasted Red Pepper Pasta is the answer. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is short, and the result is something you will want to photograph.

Pasta With Creamy Mushroom Ragù

Recipe from Bon Appétit

I keep coming back to Pasta With Creamy Mushroom Ragù for one simple reason: it works. The flavors are layered, the method is simple, and the whole thing comes together in about the time it takes to set the table.

That's a lot of pasta

Honestly, the hardest part of this roundup is picking which one to make first. I usually lean toward the Parmesan pasta that hits the table in under thirty minutes on a Tuesday, then save the longer ones for a Sunday when the kitchen is warm and the afternoon is open. Whatever you choose, dinner is going to feel easier, the kitchen is going to smell incredible, and the people at your table are going to ask for seconds. That is the whole point.

Happy cooking, friends.

—Elowen Thorn

Sources & Credits

Every recipe in this roundup is the work of a real home cook or test kitchen. I have linked to the original source for full measurements, substitutions, and step-by-step photos. If you make one of these, please leave a comment on the original post — it means more to those creators than you might think.

1. Garlic Parmesan Shellbows — Pinch of Yum
2. Parmesan Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce with Fettuccine — The Cozy Apron
3. Creamy Penne Pasta — Salt & Lavender
4. Pasta With Brown Butter, Whole Lemon, and Parmesan — Bon Appétit
5. Cacio e Pepe (Classic Roman Cheese and Pepper Pasta) — Bon Appétit
6. Garlic Mushroom Pasta — Salt & Lavender
7. Ditalini and Peas in Parmesan Broth — Bon Appétit
8. BA’s Best Mac and Cheese — Bon Appétit
9. Roasted Red Pepper Pasta — Pinch of Yum
10. Pasta With Creamy Mushroom Ragù — Bon Appétit