Our best pasta recipes for dinner: easy and comforting
Cozy, comforting, and quick, our best easy pasta recipes include Elizabeth Hewson’s slow-cooked ragu, Manu Feildel’s spag bol and easy tray bakes to savour.
Cozy, comforting, and quick, these pasta dishes — courtesy of chefs Maria Pasquele, Manu Feildel, David Herbert, Johnny Di Francesco, Elizabeth Hewson and more — are the perfect recipes to make any old weeknight.
Our top pasta recipes
To save you time, we've collected our favourite pasta recipes and put them all in one spot. Whether you're craving a classic spaghetti bolognese, a fresh pasta salad for summer nights or an easy pasta bake, these go-to pasta recipes prove that you don't need a lot of time to whip up something delicious for dinner.
Want to try your hand at making pasta at home? Try this step by step pasta guide by Elizabeth Hewson.
Maria Pasquele’s cacio e pepe
Guest chef Maria Pasquele says that the key to making this deceptively simple dish work is to keep the cheese at room temperature, and to mix it well with the right amount of boiled pasta water.
“Every time I explain cacio e pepe to visitors dining with me in Rome, I find myself trying to convince them it isn’t boring. Pasta with cacio (Roman dialect for ‘cheese’ – in this case, Pecorino Romano) and pepe (pepper) doesn’t sound all that inviting, but a cacio e pepe done well will seduce you with its sharp and salty creaminess.
Alba adds Parmigiano Reggiano to her dish, but if you prefer, sticking with the traditional Pecorino Romano is totally fine.
Read the full recipe here.
David Herbert’s linguine with roast cauliflower
Based on a recipe from Italian cooking writer Marcella Hazan that David Herbert has been riffing off for two decades. “Cauliflower is finally and deservedly hip,” says Herbert. “The linguine is based on a recipe from Marcella Hazan that I’ve been varying for 20 years. Roasted cauliflower makes a great side dish; you can use whole smaller varieties (about 45 minutes’ cooking time) or individual baby cauliflowers (about 35 minutes).”
Read the full recipe here.
Manu Feildel’s spaghetti bolognese
Guest chef Manu Feildel has some advice for achieving the perfect spag bol: “The secret to the recipe’s success is that the longer you cook the sauce, the better it will taste.” He usually makes a big batch of this perennially popular pasta sauce and freezes the leftovers for an easy weeknight meal.
Read the full recipe here.
Elizabeth Hewson’s roasted tomato sauce with pasta
You’ll often find guest chef Elizabeth Hewson donning her “nonna apron,” doubling this recipe to preserve that summer feeling. Make the most of the last days of dwindling tomato season with this sumptuous sauce.
“Slow roasting tomatoes concentrates their sweetness and intensifies their flavour. All types of tomatoes are embraced for this recipe. I like roasting a melody of varieties and sizes – the flavours and varieties change dramatically through the season. I’m on the hunt for the sweetest. You will grab great deals on tomatoes at this time of year.”
Read the full recipe here.
Frutti di mare pasta, your way
Is there anything quite as magnificent as a big bowl of garlicky, tomatoey, seafood-laden pasta? In Italy, this dish is called frutti di mare, which translate to “fruits of the sea”, The Weekend Australian Magazine’s recipe writer Elizabeth Hewson writes.
This recipe is highly customisable. You can use shellfish, mussels, clams, pipis, prawns, squid, crabs, firm-fleshed white fish or even lobster in this dish. But if you’re pressed for time, keep it simple and stick to one favourite.
The choose-your-own-adventure doesn’t stop there. Hewson’s recipe encourages you to choose your own pasta, so you can use whatever is already in the pantry.
Read the full recipe here (there’s a bonus garlic and herb bread recipe in here).
David Herbert’s spaghetti with lemon
Warm weather calls for fresh pasta with simple, fresh, uncooked ingredients, according to Herbert.
Herbert’s recipe is adapted from one by London’s River Café, and requires just five ingredients. Couldn’t be easier!
Read the full recipe here.
Alice Zaslavsky’s pumpkin, spinach and ricotta pasta bake
Ricotta is a wonderfully versatile ingredient, says Zaslavsky.
“My preference is for the hunks of hefty wheel you can pick up from the deli counter by weight, rather than most of those you’ll find in a tub.
Add blobs to hotcakes for pillowy pops, or use to fill scoopy pastas like conchiglioni (the biggest shells you can find).
Read the full recipe here.
Lucy Tweed’s cauli corn mac ‘n’ cheese
The beauty of this dish is that if you have a fussy bunch, you can put bigger chunks of cauliflower on one side, or cut the cauli superfine and they won’t be able to pick it out.
Says guest chef Tweed: “Serve with inactivewear, TV remote… you know the drill.”
The creamy sauce is easier to loosen than it is to thicken, so go slow with this one.
Elizabeth Hewson’s light and summery, easy pasta salad recipe
Pasta salads have a bad name and I have a lot of prejudice against them. But this one has a lot going for it.
Read the full recipe for Elizabeth Hewson’s easy pasta salad.
Easy pasta alla norma recipe
Eggplant is the star in this celebration of late summer. Sicily’s iconic pasta dish is deliciously simple and requires only a handful of ingredients.
Read the full recipe for pasta alla norma.
A garlic and prawn pasta recipe
In the heat of summer, crafting the perfect pasta dish demands a trifecta: simplicity, speed, lightness.
Read the full recipe for Elizabeth Hewson’s garlic and prawn pasta.
Charred broccoli and pea pasta salad
This recipe pairs perfectly with the contrasting textures of orecchiette, peas and crispy pangratatto, and a creamy, tangy flavour-bomb dressing which elevates it all, bringing you a pasta salad that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
Read the full recipe for Jessica Prescott’s charred broccoli and pea pasta salad.
Fresh tomato pasta recipe
Straight from Sydney dining institution and wine bar Paski, this fresh and umami rich pasta is a classic. It's also a perfect fit for both red or white wines.
Read the full recipe for Enrico Tomelleri’s fresh tomato pasta recipe.
Antipasti pasta salad
This salad is a flavour bomb of everyone’s favourite antipasti ingredients, and is a great recipe to have up your sleeve if you don’t love to cook. If you can boil a pot of pasta, you can make this salad.
Read the full recipe for Jessica Prescott’s antipasti pasta salad.
Elizabeth Hewson’s ragù recipes
Few sights lift the spirits like a pot of slowly cooked ragu, especially the way it blips away on the stove, filling the house with an aroma to make your mouth water. Here Elizabeth Hewson shares two recipes for the perfect slow-cooked meal - one vegetarian and one with pork.
Read the full recipe for Elizabeth Hewson’s ragù recipes.
Lemon and ricotta pasta salad
A simple yet flavourful affair that’s lifted by a classic and dependable balsamic dressing. This is a minimalist’s dream.
Read the full recipe for Jessica Prescott’s lemon and ricotta pasta salad.
Olive oil, garlic and cheese spaghetti
Every family in Italy probably eats this, or a variation of it, a couple of times per week for lunch. You should add it into your rota of weeknight dinners too.
Read the full recipe for Andreas Papadakis olive oil, garlic, cheese, spaghetti.
Crab and zucchini tagliolini
This is an elegant, ingredient-based dish with a subtle level of flavour that doesn’t overpower the delicate crab meat.
Read the full recipe for Andreas Papadakis crab and zucchini tagliolini.
Rigatoni pomodoro
This is a quick and light dish that has become Tipo 00 chef and owner Andreas Papadakis's go-to when hungover, as it’s so easily pulled together. It’s also a meal he swears the kids are always happy to eat.
Read the full recipe for Andreas Papadakis's rigatoni pomodoro.
Clam, lemon and fennel pasta
The South of France in the late summer might be the perfect time and place to enjoy this seasonal clam, lemon and fennel pasta, but it's just as good any time of year - especially when you need to be reminded of warmer times.
Read the full recipe for Rebekah Peppler’s lemon and fennel pasta.
Spaghetti with creamy lemon sauce recipe
This pasta is a great vegetarian option for lunch. Prepare the sauce in advance and leave it covered on the stove; while the pasta is bubbling, slice the lemon, shuffle everyone to the table and assemble the dish once they are sitting down.
Read the full recipe for Skye McAlpine’s spaghetti with creamy lemon sauce recipe.
Want more weeknight dinner ideas? Check out these easy Sunday roast recipes or try your hand at these healthy and nutritious weeknight recipes. For more food ideas, go to theaustralian.com.au/life/food-drink. For weekly recipes, sign up to our weekly food and wine newsletter.
