Pasta Dinners For Busy Weeknights
Do you ever have those nights when you’re in the mood for a real home-cooked meal, but can’t bring yourself to dirty up a bunch of dishes to do it? It’s handy to have a go-to pasta dish on nights like that. If you don’t have one, luckily it’s easy to learn to cook online and you’ll never have to use a canned sauce again.
Tomato sauce:
Tomato Basil Pasta Bake: You have to love recipes that only cause you to dirty one pot. While this pasta bake uses tomato sauce, it’s made creamy by mixing cream, cream cheese and enchilada sauce as well. Hey, we never called this a light pasta, but it’s definitely satisfying.
Linguine Arrabbiata: In the mood for something with some bite? This spicy sauce is made up of tomato sauce, white wine, garlic and red pepper flakes, and is just as flavorful as it is hot. The sauce takes only about ten minutes to prepare.
Cream sauce:
Beef Stroganoff: While a classic beef stroganoff recipe is always good to have on hand, there’s no shame in using a quick, easy recipe once in a while. The creamy mushroom sauce used in this recipe only takes a half hour to throw together!
Pasta Primavera: This recipe is a great way to make dinner quickly, while still managing to get all of your vegetables in. The noodles take a backseat to all of the fresh, green veggies for a different pasta experience. Everything is cooked together in one pot, so cleanup is easy and cooking only takes ten minutes.
Salmon Pasta: Salmon always seems to be a standalone fish, but it actually makes a great addition to a pasta dish. The combination makes a perfectly seasoned, smoky and sweet dish that’ll be sure to become your new favorite way to prepare salmon.
Nontraditional pasta sauce:
Chicken Enchilada Pasta: Who says you can’t combine Mexican and Italian? This enchilada pasta mixes the best of both worlds and allows you to use up that leftover chicken you have in your fridge. Try this Southwest-inspired dish when you’re in the mood for something new.
Buffalo Chicken Penne: If you’re feeling a little wild, this buffalo chicken penne is the way to go. Buffalo sauce is used on everything form ribs to burgers, so why not pasta too? The sauce is made up of the favorite tangy sauce, blue cheese dressing, cream cheese and chicken broth. A classy meal for your Super Bowl party, perhaps?
Sauceless:
Cacio e Pepe: This pasta couldn’t be any simpler. It literally translates to cheese and pepper, and that’s basically all you need to make it – well, noodles and butter too. Feel free to toss any veggies or meat of your choice into the pasta as well.
Rosemary Shrimp Scampi: There isn’t much better than perfectly seasoned shrimp, especially when it’s served on a bed of pasta. This recipe only takes eight ingredients and a half hour of your time and you’ll be feasting on a dinner comparable to that of your favorite seafood restaurant.
