Spaghetti with Mascarpone, Meyer Lemon, Spinach and Hazelnuts

Mascarpone is a soft sweet cheese. Not sugar sweet, but mild and milky with just the tiniest bit of tang. The Meyer lemon has that same quality. They make a great sauce together, lighter than a typical cream sauce but still silky and rich

Kale Pesto

Adapt the kale pesto recipe in spring with spinach, a mix of greens in summer and once fall and winter come around again try all those hearty greens like kale, chard, collards and rapin

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna

Sure, the slow cooker's great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot

Spaghetti with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Oregano

This is the sort of pasta recipe you can pull together without so much as going to the market. The only ingredients you might not have in your pantry are Italian parsley and oregano

Angel Hair Pasta with Heirloom Tomatoes, Garlic and Fresh Basil

Try substituting heirloom tomatoes for the usual kind in all kinds of fresh tomato recipes like the angel hair pasta recipe I share here

Gnocchi with Farmers Market Fresh Vegetables

Sauteing farmers' market vegetables creates the sauce. Toss in the cooked gnocchi and you're ready for a great meal. Perfect for a summertime lunch or dinner

Pici con Sugo d'Agnello (Pici with Lamb Sauce)

Much like fat spaghetti, this shape originates in the Tuscan hill town of Siena and is found throughout northern Italy. Traditionally, pici is an eggless pasta, made simply of semolina flour and water

Baked Pasta with Tomato Red Pepper and Sweet Sausage Sauce

Here I have made a flavorful sauce of sweet sausage, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and arugula, enriched with some cream. The sauce clings to the pasta and the arugula offers a pleasant slightly bitter counterpoint to the red pepper tomato sauce

Farfalle Abruzzese with Veal, Porcini and Spinach

This pasta dish is inspired by the region of Abruzzo, among the most mountainous regions in Italy and home of some of the country's most interesting cooking

Pork Ragu with Semolina Gnocchi

Always being fascinated with the similarities between Italian and Southern cuisine, I wanted to make a recipe using flavors more familiar to me, while still keeping it true to its roots

Panzerotti Pugliesi

Panzerotti are a stuffed pastry native to the southern Italian regions of Apulia (Puglia) and Campania. Think of them as large fried ravioli or a small calzone

Penne alla Vodka: This Pasta is a Carb-Lover's Dream

My memory may have gotten the best of me, and the tastes and colors of that childhood pasta have blurred. Just how similar this penne alla vodka recipe is, I will never know

The Joys of Homemade Pasta

Do you know how easy it is to make pasta at home? Really easy! Here's a great recipe for a basic egg pasta and a step-by-step guide through the entire process

Alpine-Style Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

If you had to pick just one dish that represents the category of comfort food better than any other, what would it be? My pick would be good old fashioned mac and cheese. My recipe combines the classic Alpine cheeses

Turkey Lasagna

One of my favorite inspirations is to feature turkey in lasagna. I chop up the turkey meat and moisten it with a good-quality tomato-based pasta sauce

Manicotti Baresi al Forno

Baked pasta is classic comfort food and easy to make. This recipe can be made just as easily with any shape of pasta. I start with a simple filling of veal, lamb and prosciutto cotto, egg and herbs

Pasta with Spicy Tomato and Sausage Sauce

Here's a pasta dish that is made ahead and only needs to be baked just before serving. This baked pasta is a fresh innovation on the heavy tomato and cheese casseroles of my childhood

Spicy Eggplant Fettuccine with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

When you toss pasta with a sauce featuring earthy vegetables along with creamy and tangy goat cheese, you have a main course that will be certain to sustain you. So, let me share with you my simple strategy for preparing such pasta dishes

Fresh Pasta Rounds with Spinach-Ricotta Mousse

My recipe for Fresh Pasta Rounds with Spinach-Ricotta Mousse will make any pasta lover look at the old favorite with fresh new interest

Springtime Soba with Miso Sauce

This soba noodle salad features seasonal gifts like tender asparagus and peppery radishes, watercress and chives. This one-dish vegetarian meal both satisfies and enlivens the palate

Mushroom Risotto with Caramelized Onions

Looking for something rich and satisfying for dinner tonight? Here's a creamy, thick, baked rice dish full of dark mushroom flavor

Tortellini Primavera

This creamy tortellini and vegetable pasta recipe is a real crowd-pleaser. To make it even quicker, you can use frozen chopped vegetables

Making 'Risotto' Without Rice: Sweet Potato Risotto

I'd like to share yet another risotto-style dish made with a naturally starchy ingredient: sweet potato

Transcendent Ragu: Sausage and Fennel Ragu

This ragu recipe, created to satisfy my husband's craving for a fennel-rich sauce (and mine too!), has a petite list of requirements. Sausage, onion, garlic, fennel. Some tomato.

Classic Chinese Noodle Dish with Half the Sodium

This Brothy Chinese Noodles recipe was inspired by Chinese Dan Dan noodles -- ground pork and noodles in a spicy broth. We use ground turkey and omit the traditional Sichuan peppercorns for convenience, but add hot sesame oil. Use toasted sesame oil instead if you want mild noodles

Tomato, Broccoli and Mozzarella Pasta Casserole

And just like that, summer has come to an end. Kids are back at school. And getting dinner on the table becomes a less of a leisurely affair and more dependent on thinking ahead. My own fallback in such times is the pasta casserole

Eleventh-Hour Freezer Pasta, Made Interesting

It's late and you're starving. That's when those packages of premade tortellini and ravioli from the freezer aisle come in mighty handy

Gnocchi With Pumpkin Rosemary Sauce

For a fast, easy and healthy dinner, turn to canned pumpkin and whole-wheat gnocchi to make this Gnocchi With Pumpkin Rosemary Sauce recipes

Fusilli Bucati with Soft-Shell Crabs and Hot Chilies

In this recipe, I pair soft-shell crabs with hot chilies and fusilli bucati. It's a supremely delicious, seasonal combination

Pesto Pasta with Lemon, Spinach, Edamame and Toasted Almonds

It won't be long before the season of picnics and outdoor dinners is upon us, and that calls for easy pasta recipes that everyone will enjoy. This dish is easy, healthy and very elegant.

Ravioli Gnudi

Do you ever find yourself wanting the taste of a pasta dish but not the bulk? Poached spinach-ricotta balls might be just what you're looking for. They are the gnudi ravioli -- the stuffing without the pasta

Orzo with Caramelized Vegetables and Ginger

A caramelized orzo dish that will satisfy vegans and carnivores alike

Healthy Macaroni and Cheese

Not only is this ultra-creamy version of mac and cheese nearly as fast as the boxed variety (you make it on the stovetop), but your family will be able to pronounce every ingredient. It's healthier, too

Chili, Lemon and Basil Shrimp with Israeli Couscous

The recipe calls for Israeli or 'pearl' couscous, which tastes more like barley than traditional couscous, with a large, pearly grain that pops in the mouth

Minestrone Soup with Clams and Saffron Pasta

I love good vegetable soup at any time of year. But spring feels especially perfect for making a soup full of all kinds of different vegetables. That's one of the best ways I know to welcome the season of rebirth. My recipe for Minestrone with Clams and Saffron Pasta is a fine example of just that sort of preparation

Rigatoni with Walnut, Parsley and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

The tiny pieces of rich olive oil-soaked sun-dried tomatoes and earthy walnuts make this a satisfyingly thick, knobby pesto that bursts with flavor in this Rigatoni with Walnut, Parsley and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto recipe

Curried Barley Pilaf

Quick-cooking barley is loaded with soluble fiber, the type that helps lower cholesterol and keeps your heart healthy. Turmeric gives this fast and colorful side dish its vibrant yellow hue. This recipe also contains curcumin, which has been the focus of numerous scientific studies suggesting it may inhibit the growth of cancer cells, reduce inflammation and maybe even safeguard our brain

Pad Thai: A Favorite Stir-Fried Noodle Dish

Pad Thai, which means 'Thai-style frying,' is one of my favorite fried noodle dishes. What distinguish these noodles are the garnishes that make it colorful as well as delicious

Fettuccine with Ramp Pesto

With the arrival of spring comes the short-lived season of ramps. Ramps have purple stems and broad green leaves. Check out my Fettuccine with Ramp Pesto recipe

Trenette with Jalapeno Pesto

This Trenette with Jalapeno Pesto pasta recipe serves eight to 10 as a first course, all'italiano, or six as a main. Use any leftover pesto to top cooked vegetables or as a spread for crostini

Apple-Pork Ragu with Papardelle

This recipe for Apple-Pork Ragu with Pappardelle exemplifies Top Chef Stephanie Izard's clever way of mixing classic dishes into fresh reinterpretations

Brown Rice: Right Rice for Nutrients, Fiber, Flavor

Brown rice is a whole grain, with the nutrient-dense germ and fiber-filled bran intact (they are both removed to make white rice). Both brown and white rice are very low in fat and sodium and are good sources of carbohydrates, but brown beats white rice in B vitamins, several minerals and fiber. In fact, brown rice provides many other health and nutrition benefits

Crispy Shrimp with Chinese Noodles And Spicy Garlic-Soy Sauce

We try to include ingredients that are considered to bring good fortune to those who eat them. And two of the most important of those ingredients are featured in the recipe I share with you here for Crispy Shrimp with Chinese Noodles and Spicy Garlic-Soy Sauce

One-Pot Pasta e Fagioli

Let this dish simmer and bubble all afternoon. That gives the beans plenty of time to become soft and creamy while the sweet, caramelized onions melt into the rich bean broth. Your reward is a stew so thick you could stand a spoon in it and so hearty that the dreariest winter day will feel cozy

Angel Hair Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Golden Caviar

I always think about cooking something simple that will go perfectly with whatever kind of sparkling wine you pour. A long time ago, for one of the first such celebrations we ever held at Spago in the years before we moved it from the Sunset Strip to Beverly Hills, I came up with what still seems to me a perfect recipe: pasta tossed with smoked salmon and caviar in a cream sauce

Simple Dishes with Wild Rice

Turn your stash of wild rice into soup, pancakes or an almost instant main-course salad. Here are two recipes for two -- Wild Rice and Turkey Soup; Wild Rice and Ham Salad -- to get you started

Swiss Chard Risotto

Because long slow cooking improves the texture and flavor of most dark leafy greens (spinach being a notable exception), the vegetables are a fine addition to risotto. Start by cooking a flavor base of pancetta, garlic and Swiss chard. Add Arborio rice and finish with a flavorful hard cheese

20-Minute Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Whether you're cooking from a box or from scratch, most of the time spent making macaroni and cheese goes into bringing water to boil and cooking the pasta. This is time that can be put to good use. A cheesy sauce for homemade mac 'n' cheese is totally doable in 20 minutes or less.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Have fun creating something wonderful with squash this fall. You'll enjoy the results, and you might just help the next generation look more kindly on this sweet treat. This Butternut Squash Ravioli recipe looks more complicated than it is, and it's my favorite way to use squash

Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Soup Recipe

I make this Vietnamese Beef and Noodle soup for lunch or dinner when I want a one-dish meal with some exotic flavor. If you have the broth cooked ahead, it takes little time to put this together and will be a welcome surprise to your family and friends

Risottos: Perfect for Fall

When the evenings start getting dark and chilly, nothing tastes better than a warm bowl of risotto. This Italian classic features grains of rice cooked slowly in a fragrant broth, helped along by a healthy handful of cheese and other flavorful ingredients. The finished dish is a creamy, oozy, luxurious ode to satisfaction. Here's two risotto recipes

Butternut Squash Risotto with Rosemary, Walnuts and Blue Cheese

After a killer leg workout at the gym recently, we wanted to treat ourselves to a mega-carb meal. Since I had a butternut squash saved and had just purchased some fresh rosemary, I decided to make the following butternut squash risotto recipe

Pasta Caprese Salad Recipe

America's fascination with pasta salads has taken us a long way from the original macaroni salad. This vegetarian summer pasta salad is a welcome treat as the summer winds down. Fresh ripe tomatoes, fragrant fresh basil and mozzarella cheese are added to cooked pasta, an adaptation of the classic caprese salad

Penne With Peppers And Eggplant-Tomato Sauce

The sauce for this Italian pasta dish contains grilled eggplant, which blends into the tomato sauce and lends an intriguing flavor. If the eggplant skin is charred only in a few bits, you can leave most of its peel on for more of a grilled taste

Soba Noodle Salad

Being able to toss together an almost instant meal using odds and ends of cooked foods is a great relief when you're tired or rushed. Soba noodles are perfect for such a situation. The buckwheat-based noodles are just as appealing served hot or cold and don't lose their flavor or texture if made in advance as is the case with this quick soba noodle salad recipe

If You Can't Stand the Heat, Turn That Entree into a Salad

Harvest Vegetables and Spaghetti Pasta Dinner

Eggplant, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions make the following Harvest Vegetables and Spaghetti Dinner recipe special, but feel free to add even more vegetables. Select ingredients, such as bell peppers or leeks, with similar quick cooking times.

Penne and Asparagus with Gorgonzola Sauce

The possibilities are endless, but a mixture of vegetables, pasta and cheese sauce, is especially delightful, being both luscious and easy to prepare as in this Penne and Asparagus with Gorgonzola Sauce recipe

Whole-grain Macaroni and Cheese

It takes a few extra minutes to make macaroni and cheese from scratch instead of a box. Whole-wheat macaroni boosts protein, fiber and whole-grain nutrients. Cut the total fat and saturated fat slightly by using a reduced-fat version of sharp cheddar and 1% low-fat milk. Just one cup of this scrumptious and comforting side dish contains over one-third of your daily value for calcium

Pasta with Mushroom Sauce

Whichever mushroom type you use, the most important factor in making the sauce is to saute them in a hot pan large enough to prevent overcrowding, so they'll color a bit and develop their flavor before they start giving up their moisture. As for the pasta, that's really a matter of your choice. Fresh or dried varieties work equally well

Three Cheese Macaroni with Caramelized Leeks, Prosciutto and Peas

Simple Pasta Recipe to Celebrate Spring

When I think of spring the first thing that comes to my mind is the season's tender fresh vegetables. These new seasonal vegetables are at their best when you prepare and eat them in the simplest of ways. That's why I like to serve them tossed with pasta, as I do in my recipe for Bow Ties with Spring Vegetables and Roasted Garlic.

Roasted Pepper Linguini with Arugula and Prosciutto Recipe

When the days grow longer and the unmistakable smell of spring fills the air, gardeners and foodies alike rejoice; fresh ingredients are right around the corner. The first crops in the ground are greens. They thrive in cool weather, grow quickly and offer the fresh taste of the season we all long for.

Lamb and Apricots over Orzo Recipe

The following dish of ground lamb with cinnamon, tomatoes and apricots, which is inspired by Middle Eastern cooking, is sweet with a piquant hint. Serve it over orzo or rice.

Seafood and Angel Hair Pasta

Author Jesse Ziff showcases organic, seasonal and local produce in easy recipes that are both flavorful and visually satisfying. This adaptation of her seafood pasta recipe is a perfect example of her recipe style. Tender chunks of seafood marry beautifully with thin strands of pasta, leafy chard and a creamy tomato sauce.

Rice Cooker Macaroni And Cheese With Wild Mushrooms

The humble rice cooker -- a staple in almost every Japanese home -- produces perfectly cooked rice every time. More and more of us on this side of the Pacific are using rice cookers, too, including me. What most people don't know, however, is that you can use your rice cooker to cook other delicious dishes. One of my favorite rice cooker dishes is the macaroni and cheese recipe I share here

Shrimp and Leeks with Angel Hair

Before someone can get to your door with pizza delivery you can prepare a delicious meal -- that is, if you have a few staples in the kitchen. The recipe given here for shrimp and leeks with Angel Hair Pasta takes about 20 minutes start to finish.

Linguine & Roasted Garlic Cream

Most cooks are kitchen-weary and looking for dishes that are simple and fast to prepare. Linguine with Roasted Garlic Cream gets A-ratings on both these fronts. It's made with fresh pasta -- linguine or spaghetti are the best choices -- tossed with a delectable mixture of roasted garlic, butter, creme fraiche and Parmesan cheese.

Pasta with Sage and Chocolate

Most of us think of chocolate as something just for dessert, but the Italians have been adding it to pasta, risotto, polenta and meat dishes for centuries. Among the most classic and simplest uses of chocolate in savory food is as a topping to certain pasta dishes.

Scallops and Green Beans with Capellini

If you'd like to loosen up your cooking style, a few tricks can help. These are especially easy to incorporate when you're cooking for two and not facing a mound of ingredients. Follow the recipe for Scallops and Green Beans with Capellini, or guesstimate. You can't go wrong.

Fettuccine with Roasted Red Peppers

My recipe for Fettuccine with Roasted Red Peppers will show you just how easy it can be to serve pasta whenever you like -- even at every meal! It's a very simple recipe, true to the way so many Italians like their pasta. And it's quick.

Emily's Tomato Risotto

When a talented assistant of mine returned from a walking tour through the English countryside, she couldn't wait to tell me about a luncheon dish -- a tomato risotto -- she had devoured at a small inn. Not expecting to find an Italian specialty on the British menu, she was stunned by the delectable creativity of this entree and was anxious to try duplicating it at home.

Pappardelle Topped with Veal Ragout

Pappardelle is a funny name for a wide noodle. The word comes from an Italian verb that means 'to gobble up,' which may be exactly what you want to do after you make this veal dish. In Italy the noodle is often paired with wild boar or hare sauces. This recipe, a lighter take on that Italian classic, is robust and satisfying yet lighter than game-based sauces

An Asian Twist on Pasta Salad

This spicy yet slightly sweet vegetarian noodle salad is a welcome treat. Dark sesame oil is enriched with rich and nutty peanut butter as the base of the Asian-style dressing. Fresh lime and spicy chili paste enliven the dressing further

Linguine with Zucchini, Garlic and Capers

How to use those ubiquitous summer zucchini creatively is every cook's dilemma at this time of the year. The popular vegetable grows with abandon in home gardens, makes star appearances in all shapes and sizes at local farmers' markets, and is a perennial item at roadside farm stands.

Savory Chicken with Asian Noodles Recipe

The following recipe for chicken and vegetables offers a choice of soba or udon noodles. Make Savory Chicken with Asian Noodles either way; serve hot or tepid and expand your pasta palate.

Pressure Cooker Jambalaya Recipe

A popular one-pot meal featuring rice, bell peppers, onion, garlic, okra, tomato, a touch of hot chilies, and any combination of meat, poultry, or seafood, jambalaya is one of the mainstays of the New Orleans kitchen. Yet, it's really global in its appeal, with similar dishes found around the world, only the seasonings and proteins changing.

Grandma's Italian Ravioli Austrian Style

If you know anything at all about history and geography, you realize that those sorts of national distinctions are flexible, and not just when it comes to food.

Saffron Risotto with Shrimp

Years ago, nobody would have thought to cook risotto at home, enjoying it only when they dined at upscale Italian restaurants. The chewy short-grain rice suspended in a creamy sauce seemed almost magical, a world removed from steamed rice. These days, risotto at home seems almost as common as pasta.

Mediterranean Shrimp & Pasta Salad

In the 1980s, pasta salads were all the rage. Today, pasta salads can seem like a bit of an afterthought. Well, I'm here to tell you, without hesitation, that I still love pasta salads.

Spaetzle with Gruyere and Caramelized Onions

So many people still seem to believe that pasta is strictly Italian. Yes, they know that central Europeans and Asians eat all kinds of noodles. But noodles are noodles, they think, and pasta is pasta.

Wolfgang Puck's Fettuccine with Clams Recipe

Fortunately for me, we lived in southern Austria, not far from Italy. So, when I did eat shellfish, I got to know one of the world's best ways to prepare them: as the Italians do, quickly cooked with olive oil and butter, white wine, lots of garlic, and a pinch of hot pepper flakes, then tossed with pasta.