31 Fast and Easy Pastas to Add to Your Dinner Arsenal

It doesn't get much simpler or more speedy than this Italian classic, spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino. Even if your pantry is almost empty, you likely have all of its ingredients — spaghetti, garlic, chili flakes, and olive oil — on hand.

Relive your childhood with a homemade take on Hamburger Helper.

Basil, bell peppers, and tomatoes combine in this simple recipe to create a sweet, summery sauce that's perfect on pasta shells and in other dishes.

For a lighter option, choose this veggie-packed recipe; asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, peas, cherry tomatoes, and a variety of herbs lend their fresh flavor.

Nutty sautéed chickpeas and mildly bitter bites of kale bulk up garlicky linguine.

The "secret ingredients" in this macaroni and cheese dish ensure that it's the creamiest, most decadent pasta you'll ever taste. Is your curiosity getting the best of you?

Once you taste it, it might be hard to believe, but this creamy pink pasta sauce is 100 percent vegan.

For the best results allow this Mediterranean-influenced orzo pasta salad (and virtually all pasta salads) a few hours in the fridge to chill to let the flavors mingle and make friends. That said, it's still very tasty when eaten just after assembling, the prep time is minimal, and leftovers only improve overnight.

For something a little unexpected, try this pasta with nettles, almonds, feta, and sesame seeds. Nettles not in season? Substitute spinach.

Like a cross between pasta carbonara and mac and cheese, this creamy option is ultracomforting.

Layers of flavor — fennel sausage meatballs, brown butter, and crispy sage — make this option a winning choice.

We'd be remiss to leave off this lighter, brighter veggie-packed take on pasta carbonara.

Inspired by the island of Santorini, this Greek pasta dish only calls for a few fresh ingredients. It's hard to believe that a recipe so tasty can be so simple!

Even out-of-season cherry tomatoes will shine in this pesto-slicked option, as a brief trip to the oven concentrates their flavor. For a final flourish, toss the linguine with garlicky toasted breadcrumbs for crunch.

The saltiness of an anchovy-caper sauce adds the perfect touch to this rich pasta, but just wait until you taste the pièce de résistance: hard-boiled egg.

Macaroni and cheese might not seem like a speedy, weeknight-friendly affair, but when simmered on the stovetop (rather than baked) like this caprese-salad-inspired stunner, it's totally doable.

The pairing of butternut squash and sage is a classically delicious one, and this easy pasta recipe utilizes the flavor combination in a magically flavorful way.

Pockets of creamy ricotta and juicy burst cherry tomatoes punctuate this speedy pasta dish.

If you're not from Texas or the South, you may not be familiar with chicken spaghetti casserole, but boy, you should be! Think of it as Tex-Mex chicken mac and cheese; tomatoes and jalapeños are charred and chopped finely before being folded into a cheesy tangle of chicken and spaghetti and baked till bubbling.

Bring this bold, colorful pasta salad to a potluck dinner and prepare to get inquiries for the recipe.

The secret ingredient to this 10-minute pasta's success — fish sauce — might sound odd, but know that it adds a salty-savory punch, rather than an overwhelmingly fishy flavor.

Essentially a spin on pasta amatriciana, this hearty pasta dish packs in the bold flavors of bacon, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.

This eggy pasta dish is perfect for when you're craving pasta carbonara but also want to get your greens in (look at all that spinach!).

For a dish that sounds intimidatingly complicated, this flavorful orrechiette pasta recipe is surprisingly easy to prepare. With brussels sprouts at the top of the ingredients list, it makes a perfect cold-weather dish!

This sultry roasted garlic and parmesan pasta is a four-ingredient affair (excluding salt and pepper).

When a recipe only takes 30 minutes from preparation to cook time, you know you've found a keeper! You'll love this comforting combination of clams, garlic, and brown butter for any occasion.

Don't feel limited by the assortment of vegetables used in this colorful pasta dish; use pretty much whatever veggies that look good at market or that you have on hand.

A duet of fresh cherry tomatoes and their sweeter sun-dried sisters add bold flavor to this summery pasta salad.

Scaled down to serve two, this fast and easy pasta carbonara recipe is a must make.

No, this isn't a cousin to cauliflower rice; there's plenty of pasta at its base. This recipe from Michelle Obama employs pureed cauliflower to cleverly add body to the cheese sauce for a lighter version of the classic.

Like breakfast for dinner, except in reverse, this egg-topped pasta is a fun change-up from your morning routine.