noodles and pasta

Cheesy baked pasta made with Italian chicken sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, Pecorino Romano and spinach (but don't worry, no one will care about the green stuff). Perfect to feed a hungry family!

Manicotti shells stuffed with a rich blend of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, then baked with marinara. A gooey, cheesy classic perfect for Italian night or Sunday dinners.

This is a play on a classic: peas, prosciutto, cream and pasta. I make a pasta with jalapenos, cream and prosciutto, and so I built this sauce the same way but used peas instead of jalapenos. Fresh mint added at the end, along with the peas, gives the dish a light, springy flavor that pairs well with the cream, prosciutto and cheese. - lechef —lechef

If you have a colander, a spoon, and an hour, you can make spätzle -- these are the easiest homemade dumplings on the face of the earth.

I grew up going to my Italian grandmother's every Sunday for dinner. I have fond memories of handmade pasta drying on a rack, big pots of sauce simmering away on the stove and stinky hard Italian cheeses that I loved to snack on, even as a child. But my most favorite Sundays at Grandma's were the Sundays when she made her gnocchi.

Greens like kale, chard, and mustard are like a troublesome boyfriend. At the market, they look so appealing, so lush and irresistible. But as soon as I get them home, I find myself stressed out by how much room they take up in the fridge, and how quickly they begin to lose their lustre.

The recipe makes more pesto than you will need for several servings of pasta, but it keeps (and freezes!) well. Make a batch and you're only ever a few minutes away from dinner. Try leftover pesto as a sandwich/wrap/pita spread if your lunch is in need of a pick-me-up.

In the summertime, I like a bowl of spaghetti with clams for dinner. And I like the clams to bathe in a sauce of olive oil, parsley, enough garlic and red pepper flakes to get your attention, and a dousing of lemon juice so the flavors feel crisp.

This recipe enjoys a lot of latitude in the choice of vegetables. I used carrots, red bell pepper, cabbage, and scallions, but feel free to add green beans, mushrooms, green, yellow, or orange bell pepper, and zucchini and/or yellow squash.

This is a perfect throw-together dish and customizable using your favorite vegetables. —Rach Kim