The 30 Best Pasta Recipes to Have in Your Arsenal

serving of World's Best Lasagna on a white plate with a fork
Photo: TheWickedNoodle

Allrecipes has more than 5,000 pasta and noodle recipes. Now, we're not mathematicians, but at the rate of one recipe a day, it would take someone around, oh, 14 years to try them all. But hey, you've got to start somewhere! Here are 30 top-rated dishes to get you going. And if you have a few years, we have a few more.

01 of 30

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta on a white plate
TTV78

Laissez le bon temp roulez! Chicken dredged in Cajun spices, sauteed with vegetables, and served in a basil-cream sauce over linguine is fit for Mardi Gras royalty.

02 of 30

Camp David Spaghetti With Italian Sausage

Camp David Spaghetti With Italian Sausage
CookinBug

"I was shown this recipe by a Navy chef who served this to presidents at Camp David. I have served it to my family many times, and it is certainly fit for a president. Best with a garden salad and crusty garlic bread." —hungryguy

03 of 30

Artichoke Spinach Lasagna

Artichoke Spinach Lasagna
DIZ♥

"It had to be hands down one of the best lasagnas I have ever made, meat or no meat. It came out picture perfect and tasted even better!" —Melissa

04 of 30

Creamy Pesto Shrimp

Creamy Pesto Shrimp
Dianne

"This was wonderful for a special dinner! Served with a crisp salad and warm Italian bread, this dish got great raves!"DELANEYSMAMA

05 of 30

World's Best Lasagna

serving of World's Best Lasagna on a white plate with a fork
TheWickedNoodle

"I am from the mother country Italy, and this is the recipe closest to ones from home I have found. If you want to try a real Italian lasagna, this is the one. The sauce is the key and would be great on anything." —ITALCOOK

06 of 30

Exchange Gang Pasta With Shrimp

Exchange Gang Pasta With Shrimp
naples34102

"This recipe has been on the radar, at least mine anyway, for a long time, and frankly, I don't know why I haven't tried it until now. And I regret it," writes naples34102. "I'm impressed."

07 of 30

Spinach Tomato Tortellini

Spinach Tomato Tortellini
Culinary HitMan

"This was awesome. I only did a minor change of adding chopped onion and garlic. The only danger with this recipe is of eating too much of it. Yesterday I had it for dinner, a snack, and then breakfast this morning," Jennifer says.

08 of 30

Lo Mein Noodles

Lo Mein Noodles
*Sherri*

"This is the best lo mein I've ever made. Some other reviewers said there was not enough sauce. Personally, I feel it was just enough. Any more sauce and it would have been too saucy. Lo mein isn't typically saucy like some other Chinese dishes," Teri says.

09 of 30

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Steve Potter

Chef John says the key to this classic sauce is slowly toasting the garlic slices to a perfect golden-brown in the olive oil. If it's too light, you don't get the full flavor and if it's too dark it gets bitter. His advice? "Do it perfectly."

10 of 30

Lasagna Roll Ups

Lasagna Roll Ups
Lara

"Wow! Very easy to put together and no one realized there was tofu in this. I made one batch for dinner and froze the rest individually so I could pull them out to thaw in the morning and have an easy dinner for a weeknight," Jen Reesman says.

11 of 30

Scrumptious Shrimp Scampi Linguine

Scrumptious Shrimp Scampi Linguine
Denisia Lys

"This recipe was fun to make and even better to share with my honey. The creamy sauce is absolutely to die for! It's one of my top 10 favorites. I can't wait to make it again." —MiCoAmazing

12 of 30

Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce

Penne With Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce
fabeverydayblog

"All the signs of greatness: Tastes really good, is fast and easy, and also pretty darn inexpensive! Serious yum, especially with a glass of red wine." —LISAKP71

13 of 30

Chef John's Turkey Manicotti

Turkey Manicotti on a white plate
Allrecipes Magazine

"Made this manicotti tonight and it was delish and so easy!" —SHRIEKINGVIOLET

14 of 30

Chef John's BLT Pasta

Chef John's BLT Pasta
fabeverydayblog

"If you can't decide whether to make a BLT sandwich or a pasta, now you can do both. The combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato has a proven track record of deliciousness!" —Chef John

15 of 30

Chicken With Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes

Chicken With Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes on a white plate
Allrecipes Magazine

"I made this tonight, as written, except used the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomato (rather than olive oil). It is full of flavor and delicious!" —KathyK

16 of 30

Udon Peanut Butter Noodles

Udon Peanut Butter Noodles
SunnyByrd

"I received rave reviews from family and friends, and it's so quick and easy to make!" —ANNALIE

17 of 30

Rich and Creamy Beef Stroganoff

Rich and Creamy Beef Stroganoff
Allrecipes

"I have never made Stroganoff before, but I was so pleased with the outcome of this recipe. My husband was full but kept eating. It was truly delightful!" —salewis

18 of 30

Baked Ziti I

a serving of mozzarella-topped baked ziti in a white bowl, garnished with a basil sprig
chibi chef

"Made as directed, it's absolutely delicious. Creamy, savory, and just perfect. If I could give this recipe more stars, I would, because it's also extremely flexible. I've made this with Italian sausage or ground turkey instead of the beef. I've also made a vegetarian version by substituting sliced zucchini and mushrooms for the meat." —Habeas Corpulent

19 of 30

Quick and Easy Pancit

Quick and Easy Pancit

"Wonderful! Tasted just like my mom's pancit! I used rice noodles, and soaking them for about 10 minutes did the trick. But make sure to break the noodles before soaking them or you'll have some really long noodles," Jeanne Cupertino says.

20 of 30

Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream
26257

"One of the best, most memorable recipes I've ever made. I use hot Italian sausage because we like spicy and cream cheese since I almost never have heavy cream in the house," Mary D. says. "Very forgiving and adaptable."

21 of 30

Classic Goulash

Classic Goulash
KGora

"This recipe is a classic Midwest version of goulash. I grew up on the Iowa-Illinois border, and this is how my entire family makes it." —Stace Sparks

22 of 30

Shrimp and Mushroom Linguini with Creamy Cheese Herb Sauce

Shrimp and Mushroom Linguini with Creamy Cheese Herb Sauce
naples34102

"Amazing dish, especially if you love mushrooms as much as I do! Worthy of any high-end restaurant. The sauce was excellent." —AliesRecipes

23 of 30

Spaghetti Carbonara II

closeup of creamy-looking spaghetti with bacon, garnished with parsley and served on a red plate
FoodFan

"This is a near-perfect and flawless recipe for the classic spaghetti alla carbonara," writes naples34102. "Traditionally, this is made with pancetta, an Italian-style bacon, but I actually prefer it this way, with regular ol' bacon! Just one suggestion. To ensure a creamy, silky sauce, mix the cheese and beaten eggs together before stirring into the pasta, off heat."

24 of 30

Portobello Penne Pasta Casserole

Portobello Penne Pasta Casserole
Brianna White

"A rare occasion that this gal will rave over a pasta dish, as I'm not a huge fan. However, this one deserves a big round of applause!" —LINDA MCLEAN

25 of 30

Yakisoba Chicken

Yakisoba Chicken
Chef'd

"This is the first yakisoba recipe I have ever tried to make, and it turned out exceptionally well! It easily compares with the teriyaki restaurant near my home that makes this dish," Maggie says.

26 of 30

Pasta Pomodoro

Pasta Pomodoro
MidwestMom

"I have made this recipes many times. I use fresh tomatoes in the summer and add red wine. I also use lots of fresh grated Romano cheese," Dawn Fronius says.

27 of 30

Clam Sauce with Linguine

linguine with clams on a white plate
JustBeachy07

"This recipe was delicious. Very classic and flavorful." —andrea2289

28 of 30

Stuffed Shells I

Stuffed Shells I
LYNNINMA

"This is awesome," writes lilpacsmom. "I did not make shells for years, thinking it would take so much time and mess, and now I have made this recipe three times in under 30 minutes. Delicious, too!"

29 of 30

Chef John's Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Chef John's Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Chef John

"This was amazing! I wouldn't change anything. I love the mixture of chives, tarragon, and thyme added to the sauce." —chefmom

30 of 30

Zucchini Alfredo

Zucchini Alfredo
gapch1026

Zucchini makes a seamless addition to Alfredo sauce in this top-rated recipe. "This was really different and so yummy," Olivia says. "Everyone loved it, even the three year old!"

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