One might be planning a romantic date or a dinner with friends over the weekend. In such scenarios, one may also want to eat something comforting and quick without having to order in. Preparing some pasta for everyone to enjoy is a great idea. Apart from being delicious, pasta is also easy to prepare. One can find various pasta recipes online to try out. After all, it’s the meals cooked from scratch that are truly enjoyable.

Baked Feta Pasta
The baked feta pasta recipe is easy to make in an oven. Keep feta cheese, pasta, tomatoes, seasoning, herbs, and a baking dish handy before you start cooking. To make this pasta, add the tomatoes to the baking tray. Mix them with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Next, add the feta block, and mix it in the baking dish. This will season the cheese well with olive oil. Bake it in the oven until the tomatoes burst, and the feta melts. Top it with cooked pasta, freshly minced garlic, and basil leaves. Serve hot!

Creamy Macaroni Pasta Salad
Combining different ingredients can render the perfect pasta recipe. This is true for creamy macaroni pasta salad. To create this easy pasta recipe, cook the macaroni and rinse it under cold water. As part of the pasta salad recipe, you will also have to make a potato salad dressing with mayonnaise and sour cream for a heavy texture. Other ingredients include salt and pepper, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, and colorful veggies to make the dish stand out. Mix the macaroni with this concoction, and you will have a creamy pasta salad.

Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti is a common and popular pasta recipe among many Italian food lovers. To make the Bolognese sauce, you will need whole plum tomato paste and fatty ground beef for added flavor. Add onions to the pan and sauté them till they turn golden. Throw in some diced garlic cloves too. After a minute, mix the ground beef and fry it till it is fully cooked. Next, add the tomato paste and oregano to the pan and mix it well. Add some salt to taste, pepper, tomatoes, and parsley, and simmer for 15 minutes. Finally, serve freshly cooked spaghetti on a plate and top it with the sauce. Rest assured, you and your friends will enjoy each bite.

Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta
Here’s a popular white sauce pasta recipe that works as comfort food and for celebrations on several occasions. You must make the white sauce to make the creamy garlic penne pasta. For this, melt butter in a saucepan, add garlic and cook for a minute. Then add milk and broth and simmer till the liquid thickens. Next, you must fuse parmesan cheese, salt, and parsley into the mix and stir till the cheese melts. Lastly, mix the pasta with the sauce and serve hot with a side of garlic bread. You can also introduce protein to the white pasta recipe by throwing in some grilled chicken, shrimp, or diced ham.

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
If you or your guest is vegan, cooking a vegan fettuccine alfredo pasta is a feasible idea. You need to boil cauliflowers and cashews until soft. Drain the excess water and blend them with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and half a cup of water. Blend till the sauce turns creamy and smooth. Simultaneously, cook a pound of fettuccine, drain it, and keep only a cup of starchy pasta water ready. Mix the pasta with the sauce and add the starchy water for a silky consistency.

Pasta All’Arrabbiata
A pound of pasta, a can of cherry tomatoes, half a cup of tomato paste, and two cloves of minced garlic are a few ingredients that go into making the pasta all’arrabbiata. Four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, about five basil leaves, half a teaspoon of crushed red peppers, shredded pecorino romano cheese, and salt also go into this mix. Sauté the garlic cloves in the oil until the aroma is released before removing and discarding the garlic. Follow up by adding tomato paste and crushed red peppers to the pan. Simmer the liquid for about eight minutes till it’s ready, and add cooked and drained pasta to complete the recipe. And before you serve the dish, top it with grated cheese and shredded basil to enhance its flavor.

Pasta side dishes
While the pasta you serve will be delicious, serve a side dish to complete the meal. A few options that go well with pasta are cheesy garlic bread, grilled Caesar salad, or Brussel sprouts dill salad. You can also serve a side of crusted no-knead bread, roasted peppers, zucchini, or parmesan-stuffed mushrooms. If you make vegan pasta, a side of vegan bruschetta is a perfect dish to complement the recipe.