pasta recipes

Use your Noodle

• Match the pasta with the sauce—a hearty sauce, like meat sauce, pairs well with sturdy pasta, like ziti or penne.  A delicate pasta, like angel hair, is best for a less-heavy sauce like what is used in our Shrimp  Pasta  Formaggio.
• Remember to use a large pot filled with plenty of water when cooking pasta.  Not only will the pasta be less likely to stick together but the pasta will also cook more evenly.
• So many shapes and sizes!  Our Pasta  Glossary will remove the mystery from the many varieties of pastas now available.
• For perfectly cooked pasta, test it by tasting the pasta a minute or two before the low end of the recommended cooking time.  The pasta should be slightly chewy, not mushy.
• Each pasta shape cooks differently and yields a different volume.  Our Pasta  Measuring  Chart will help you plan the right amount needed for your recipe.
• When preparing a hot pasta dish, don’t rinse the drained pasta.  The starch left on the hot pasta will help the sauce to stick.  When using cooked pasta to prepare a cold pasta recipe, such as a pasta salad, rinse the cooked pasta to cool it quickly and help prevent it from sticking together.
• For a fun kid-friendly dish, substitute 2 cups wagon wheel pasta for the elbow macaroni in Down Home Macaroni & Cheese.

All about Sauce

• Jazz up a jar of pasta sauce with the addition of PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese. Our satisfying Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta with Beans) is delicious!
• Save some of the starchy water from the drained cooked pasta and use it to thin out your pasta sauce, if needed.
• Double the sauce for Spaghetti with Zesty Bolognese, and freeze half to have on hand for preparing a last-minute supper another night.

Tips and Twists

• The perfect pasta deserves perfect Meatballs.  Follow our step-by-step Meatball  guide and watch our ’Best Meatballs’ cooking video to learn more.
• If your usual lasagna recipe needs a new twist, visit our Lasagna Recipes page.  You may even find a new favorite, such as Mac and Cheese Lasagna.
• Let the slow cooker do the work for you with our Slow Cooker Saucy Meatballs.
• Get the whole family involved!  Our Cheesy Volcano Meatballs are a great way to get kids into the kitchen.  Follow our easy step-by-step instructions.