13 Easy Pasta and Noodle Recipes Our Staff Cooks on Repeat

Shrimp pasta, Singapore noodles, one-pot wonders and more of our staff favorites.

Ali Slagle’s pasta with tomato-butter.Credit...Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

By Tanya Sichynsky

Tanya Sichynsky, a senior staff editor, loves paccheri and bucatini, and has way too much pasta in her pantry.

Published Oct. 14, 2022 Updated March 13, 2025

Ease is subjective, and its meaning can vary depending on who you ask. In this roundup of staff favorite recipes, easy can mean that your meal comes together in 15 minutes, or that it requires no more than six ingredients, or that you can pop a casserole dish of kitchen staples into the oven without firing many neurons.

1. Shrimp Scampi With Orzo

A skillet with a baby-blue handle wrapped in a dish cloth sits on a marble countertop. The skillet holds orzo, shrimp scampi and herbs, and a metal serving spoon is dug into the pasta. A partly eaten serving of orzo and shrimp sits on a plate to the left of the skillet. — Credit...Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Here’s a dirty secret: I sometimes have to pause and ask myself, wait … is orzo a pasta? (Yes, it really is.) And it shines in this Ali Slagle recipe. That tender little short-cut pasta (not a kind of rice!) cooks so quickly and so easily, as does the shrimp! So you can have a rich, flavorful, deeply delicious dinner on the table in no time. KRYSTEN CHAMBROT

Recipe: Shrimp Scampi With Orzo

2. Pasta With Spicy Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas

A large stainless-steel skillet holds sausage, chickpeas, broccoli rabe and button-shaped pasta. A wooden spoon is tucked among the noodles, and two plates sit stacked with forks on top next to the skillet. All rest on a white and gray marble countertop. — Credit...Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

My husband has been making his own version of this Lidey Heuck recipe at least every other week since 2010, but he uses cannellini beans instead of chickpeas. We like the way the beans nestle into the little divot of each orecchiette. MARGAUX LASKEY

Recipe: Pasta With Spicy Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas

3. One-Pan Feta Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes

A casserole dish of spiral pasta, cooked tomatoes, feta cheese and basil rests on a white and blue countertop. — Credit...Beatriz Da Costa for The New York Times

Feta pasta dominated social media and my stomach for what seemed like an eternity, and I can’t wait to make it again soon. The always-genius Melissa Clark streamlined the viral recipe so that, with minimal effort, you end up with a savory, mouthwatering comfort dish on the table in about an hour. The fact that you can easily substitute vegan feta with perfect results is a big-time bonus for any hot girls with lactose intolerance. KASIA PILAT

Recipe: One-Pan Feta Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes

4. Seared Scallop Pasta With Burst Tomatoes and Herbs

A large blue plate holds neat twisted nests of linguine wrapped around jammy sungold tomatoes and seared scallops. A mix of herbs garnishes the pasta, and a fork is tucked among the noodles. — Credit...Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

It might sound dramatic to say that my relationship is built upon this seafood pasta from Colu Henry, but it’s true. We’ve celebrated birthdays, Valentine’s Days and anniversaries with a big bowl of tomatoey, briny, herbaceous bucatini (our preferred noodle) at the center of our table. Over the years, we’ve made it with shrimp, inexpensive frozen seafood medleys and all manner of tender herbs and teeny tomatoes. On the fancy-to-fussy matrix, it is maximally occasion-worthy with exceptionally minimal effort. TANYA SICHYNSKY

Recipe: Seared Scallop Pasta With Burst Tomatoes and Herbs

5. Singapore Noodles With Charred Scallions

On a slate gray countertop are three white ceramic bowls and two sets of chopsticks. In the bowls are servings of rice noodles, egg and stir-fried vegetables. — Credit...Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

I grew up ordering these noodles at Hong Kong-style cafes in my Southern California hometown, but it didn’t occur to me that I could — should — cook them on my own until Hetty McKinnon created this perfect, simple recipe. Charred scallions and scrambled egg end up tangled with thin, tender rice vermicelli noodles coated in curry powder. They’re ingredients that I tend to keep in my pantry and fridge, and I sometimes throw in squid or shrimp thawed from the freezer along with the peppers. GENEVIEVE KO

Recipe: Singapore Noodles With Charred Scallions

6. Spaghetti With Clams

An image shows a bowl, shot from the side at an angle, filled with silky pasta, herbs and small open clams. A fork and a spoon rest on top of the spaghetti. — Credit...Michael Kraus for The New York Times

Written by the queen herself — Nigella Lawson — this recipe reminds us that cooking food you love doesn’t always require company. This single-serving spaghetti and shellfish recipe is bright and briny, and it comes together in less than 15 minutes — the minimum amount of time you should spend celebrating yourself on a random weeknight. ELEANORE PARK

Recipe: Spaghetti With Clams

7. Pasta With Parsnips and Bacon

A black plate filled with curly pasta tossed in a creamy sauce with bacon, parsnips and herbs sits against a black background. To the top left is a crumpled pink napkin. To the top right is a mortar and pestle filled with peppercorns. — Credit...Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Parsnips are such an underrated root vegetable. It’s all “carrots this,” “potatoes that!” But I’m telling you that parsnips have the range, as proved in this Melissa Clark recipe, which involves roasting them until they’re super tender. The real aha moment is giving the entire dish the bacon-leek treatment, which complements parsnips’ earthy flavor so very well. NIKITA RICHARDSON

Recipe: Pasta With Parsnips and Bacon

8. Mushroom Ragù Pasta

Two light blue bowls filled with angel hair pasta in a creamy sauce and topped with chopped mushrooms and herbs sit against a gray background. — Credit...Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

This Alexa Weibel recipe gave me permission to cook dry pasta in something other than water — a brilliant move that adds flavor without adding time. Angel hair pasta boils in a lush cream sauce, and the finished dish is topped with a mound of garlicky sautéed mushrooms. Once you make this, it will be tough to return to plain-old water the next time noodles are needed for dinner. SARA BONISTEEL

Recipe: Mushroom Ragù Pasta

9. Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles

A white bowl filled with noodles, sticks of cucumber and nuts sits against a dark gray background. A pair of chopsticks sits atop the bowl. — Credit...Craig Lee for The New York Times

When I realized my pantry had everything I needed to make this takeout classic — adapted by Sam Sifton from Shorty Tang and Ed Schoenfeld — it was a game changer. Keep your pantry stocked, and treat yourself to a quality chile paste, crisp or oil, and you’re most of the way there on any night of the week. MARK JOSEPHSON

Recipe: Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles

10. Tomato-Butter Pasta

A tan bowl filled with short-cut pasta topped with tomatoes, cheese and basil sits against a light background. To the top right of the frame is a small plate with pepper flakes. — Credit...Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

At the drop of a hat, bucatini amatriciana is my default pasta. But then there is Ali Slagle’s tomato-butter pasta. Having picked up the butter thing from Marcella Hazan, this recipe has similar DNA but is simpler, and it’s not just for summer if you have slow-roasted tomatoes in your freezer. FLORENCE FABRICANT

Recipes: Pasta Amatriciana | Tomato-Butter Pasta

11. One-Pot Zucchini-Basil Pasta

Three white bowls with blue rims sit against a white marbled background. Each is filled with a creamy shell pasta, topped with herbs and nuts. To the left of the middle plate is a folded blue fabric napkin with three forks atop. — Credit...Jenny Huang for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Alexa Weibel’s one-pot zucchini-basil pasta is so quick to make and full of flavor. It’s creamy and comforting, and that gremolata adds such a nice burst of flavor and texture. I make extra gremolata because everyone always wants more! KIM GOUGENHEIM

Recipe: One-Pot Zucchini-Basil Pasta

12. Fettuccine With Asparagus and Smoked Salmon

A black plate filled with tangles of green fettuccine and pieces of asparagus and salmon sits against a dark background. To the top of the plate is a fork with a black handle. — Credit...Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

I quickly throw together dinner based on this very adaptable recipe from Florence Fabricant about 10 times a year. I don’t think I’ve ever actually used the green fettuccine, even though the photo of the noodles is what caught my eye in the first place. I often substitute frozen peas for asparagus, and it tastes delicious even if you don’t have dill. BRETT ANDERSON

Recipe: Fettuccine With Asparagus and Smoked Salmon

13. Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles With Bok Choy

A white bowl sits atop a table. Inside are pieces of pork, bok choy and ginger tangled among noodles. To the left is a set of wooden chopsticks. — Credit...Evan Sung for The New York Times

This brilliant Melissa Clark noodle recipe satisfies my frequent cravings for Chinese pork-and-chive dumplings, and it’s a full meal that’s ready in 30 minutes. JULIA MOSKIN

Recipe: Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles With Bok Choy