Pasta is the ultimate beginner-friendly food. It's cheap, fast, forgiving, and almost impossible to mess up. If you can boil water and stir a pan, you can make restaurant-quality pasta at home. These 5 recipes are the foundation β€” master them and you'll have a weeknight dinner ready in 20 minutes or less.

Beautiful pasta dish with fresh ingredients
Homemade pasta is faster than delivery and 10x better

1. Aglio e Olio (Garlic and Oil Pasta)

The simplest pasta dish in existence β€” and one of the most delicious.

  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Parsley, chopped
  • Parmesan cheese

How: Cook pasta. In a large pan, slowly cook garlic slices in olive oil on low heat until golden (NOT brown β€” burnt garlic is bitter). Add red pepper flakes. Toss in drained pasta with a splash of pasta water. Top with parsley and parmesan.

Total time: 15 minutes. Total cost: about $3. Tastes like a $22 Italian restaurant dish.

2. Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta

  • 1 lb penne
  • 2 chicken breasts, sliced thin
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup parmesan
  • 3 cloves garlic

How: Season and cook chicken 6 min/side. Remove. In same pan, cook garlic 30 seconds, add cream and parmesan, stir until smooth. Add spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Add cooked pasta and chicken. Toss everything together.

πŸ’‘ Pro Tip: SAVE YOUR PASTA WATER. Before you drain the pasta, scoop out a cup of the starchy water. Adding 2-3 tablespoons to your sauce makes it silky and helps it cling to the pasta. This is what restaurants do.

Sources & Food Safety Note

Cooking times, ingredient brands, appliance power, and food sizes vary. Use a food thermometer for safety-critical recipes and follow official food safety guidance for storage, reheating, and minimum internal temperatures.