By Quickly dress up your favorite staple. Pasta is probably the number one go-to meal. It's easy, delicious, and there are about 1.23 trillion ways to prepare it. Plus, making pasta for dinner is fast, like totally-awesome-dinner-in-less-than-30-minutes fast, which just might be the main reason it's what you turn to in a time crunch. Here are 20 ways to make it without just opening a jar of sauce.
1. Pasta with Cilantro Jalapeño Pasta
Make a bright pesto with cilantro and jalapeños for a fun pasta dish featuring corn and tomatoes.
Get the recipe from Oh My Veggies.
2. Brown Butter Parmesan Spaghetti
The only thing better than covering your pasta with butter and cheese is covering it with brown butter and snazzy cheese. You're sure to feel all fancy-like.
Get the recipe fromKitchen Treaty.
3. Cheater's Spaghetti Carbonara
This quick and easy version of carbonara doesn't have eggs but still has all the creamy flavor.
Get the recipe from This Week for Dinner.
4. Fried Tortellini
Ditch the sauce to make dinner prep even faster with this super quick tortellini recipe. Frying FTW!
Get the recipe from Oh, Sweet Basil.
5. Speedy Shrimp Pasta
You want shrimp? You want it fast? You got it!
Get the recipe from Dinners, Dishes & Desserts.
6. Tortellini with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Creamy Tomato Sauce
This pasta may have a boring name, but the flavor is anything but. Warning: You will want seconds … or fourths.
Get the recipe from This Week for Dinner.
7. Skillet Lasagna
The problem with lasagna is it takes basically forever to make. Not this time. Grab a skillet and you'll have rich, delicious lasagna in less than half an hour!
Get the recipe from Like Mother Like Daughter.
8. Soba Noodles with Leeks, Sweet Onions, and Egg
This filling vegetarian pasta dish has great flavor thanks to leeks and a sweet chili sauce, and protein thanks to the egg.
Get the recipe from Running to the Kitchen.
9. Pasta with Spicy Tuna Sauce
This is Italian fast food. And, in case you're wondering, Italian fast food is way better than regular fast food.
Get the recipe from Crumb.
10. Skillet Mac and Cheese
This recipe gives you the goodness of homemade mac and cheese in a fraction of the time. Plus, it's pizza-flavored. You're welcome.
Get the recipe from French Press.
11. Pasta with Arugula and White Beans
This may be a simple vegetarian dish, but it's big on flavor and will even please the meat lovers in your life.
Get the recipe from This Week for Dinner.
12. Skillet Cheesy Gnocchi
You will want to dive right in and swim through this cheesy pasta dish.
Get the recipe from Nutmeg Nanny.
13. Cajun Mac and Cheese
Spicy Cajun flavor gives mac and cheese a makeover in no time.
Get the recipe from Pass the Sushi.
14. Thai Chicken Noodle Bowls
This is a bowlful of total, absolute yumminess, and it's faster than ordering takeout.
Get the recipe from Yummy Healthy Easy.
15. Simple Cream Sauce and Pasta
This recipe for simple cream sauce is delectable but totally easy. Your roommate will suggest you become a chef after she tries it.
Get the recipe from This Week for Dinner.
16. Straw and Hay Pasta
Fettuccine and cream are made for each other, and adding sweet peas and salty prosciutto to the family doesn't hurt.
Get the recipe from That Skinny Chicken Can Bake.
17. Creamy Pasta Salad
You can make this pasta salad in 10 minutes, and it's awesome as lunch leftovers the next day too.
Get the recipe from An Edible Mosaic.
18. One Pot Spring Veggie Pasta
If you hate washing dishes (that's everyone, right?) then this one-pot pasta recipe is for you (so, for everyone).
Get the recipe from Chelsea's Messy Apron.
19. Creamy Bacon Pasta
Creamy + bacon + only 5 ingredients = Awesomest pasta recipe ever.
Get the recipe from Dessert for Two.
20. Gingered Sesame-Coconut Udon
This wonderfully flavored udon noodle dish is packed with healthy broccoli as well as total deliciousness.
Get the recipe from Spabettie.
This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com.
Jane Maynard is a food blogger at This Week for Dinner and Babble, a writer and designer, and a lover of all things chocolate.
Follow Jane on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
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