Everyday Cooking Quick and Easy Main Dishes Pasta 32 Lazy Pasta Recipes for the Unmotivated Cook Great food doesn't need to be hard. By Keaton Larson Keaton Larson Keaton Larson is a SEO writer for Allrecipes. He has worked in the front and back of house of many restaurants, doing everything for serving and hospitality to cooking, preparing pizza dough, or pressing tortillas. Keaton graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2021 with a bachelors degree in English and a minor in professional writing. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on October 25, 2024 Close Photo: Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Pasta is pretty much the perfect comfort food. Pasta recipes are so adaptable to your tastebuds, and some are far simpler than you might expect. If you have noodles, seasonings, and a few whole ingredients, odds are you can make something delicious. Here are 32 lazy pasta recipes to to inspire your next meal, from classic Alfredos to one-pot wonders. 01 of 32 Easy Chicken Alfredo fabeveryday "This chicken Alfredo recipe with jar sauce is a quick and easy dinner for those hectic nights," says recipe creator jojolyn. "For extra flavor, cook the chicken with lemon pepper and seasoning salt." View Recipe 02 of 32 Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe "This is so freaking good. It’s a great weeknight hack for when you don’t have time (or patience) to make mac n’ cheese," says reviewer rachelc. "Super easy to make and I always have the ingredients on hand. The garlic and olive oil really make this dish (and the cheese too, obviously.)" View Recipe 03 of 32 Buttered Noodles DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "Buttered noodles are simple to make with your favorite pasta, butter, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper for a quick and easy, kid-friendly dish," says recipe creator elohel. "Fresh herbs and a little lemon juice could be added to amp up the flavor. Perfect to serve either as-is or alongside steak, chicken, or meatballs. It's such a delicious recipe, yet I get many questions on how to make it." View Recipe 04 of 32 Mexican Mostaccioli "First time I made this exactly as written. Everyone loved it. Easy, lots of flavor, and a great fast meal," says reviewer Guminik. "I have made it several times since and sometimes mix it up with another ingredient or change out the meat and it always turns out great. I highly recommend it." View Recipe 05 of 32 Garlic-Herb Linguine "Make this linguine pasta recipe and pair it with any meat, poultry, or fish," says recipe creator Andrea Fahlor. "Add your favorite steamed, grilled, or sautéed veggies!" View Recipe 06 of 32 Creamy Garlic Pasta Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "As far as creamy pasta recipes, this is the best I have ever had," says recipe submitter Celestial. "Add prawns and/or scallops to make an amazing seafood Alfredo." View Recipe 07 of 32 Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "A classic chicken spaghetti with Rotel tomatoes and green chiles, tender cooked chicken, and pasta stirred into a creamy, cheesy sauce," says recipe creator bdld. "A great last-minute chicken recipe the whole family will enjoy!" View Recipe 08 of 32 Easy Pasta Bake with Mostaccioli and Meatballs LaDonna Langwell "This baked mostaccioli with meatballs is an incredibly easy dish to prepare for a potluck dinner, a football party, or just for your family at home," says recipe creator VIOLET2004. "It's easy on the wallet because it has few ingredients and is great when served with garlic bread." View Recipe 09 of 32 Eggplant Pasta "This is delicious. A nutritional and easy way to incorporate eggplant. The tomato and eggplant work so well the rigatoni," says one Allrecipes reviewer. "Introduce your children to this traditional Italian recipe," View Recipe 10 of 32 Easy Feta Tomato Pasta Grocery Addict "This feta tomato pasta dish is super easy to make in just 20 minutes—dinner doesn't get much quicker or tastier than this!" says Editorial Director Diana Moutsopoulos. "Boil any short pasta shape, and make the cheesy tomato sauce while the pasta boils. That's about it!" View Recipe 11 of 32 Creamy Pesto Penne with Sausage "This is such a simple recipe, but what great flavor," says reviewer Deb C. "Not to worry if you haven't seen that pesto packet before because I haven't. I used my homemade pesto and simply decreased the amount of olive oil." View Recipe 12 of 32 Bucatini Cacio e Pepe (Roman Sheep Herder's Pasta) Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "This peasant food comes from Roman sheep herders who had little time and money to spend on eating," says Allrecipes Allstar Buckwheat Queen. "They used their sheep's cheese and a bit of the water that cooked the pasta to create a cream, then added black pepper to give it some extra flavor. Cheap, easy, and fast: this was perfect for them and for us even today!" View Recipe 13 of 32 Grandma's Southern Mac and Cheese "This is my grandmother's macaroni and cheese recipe that we all crave and only get to have twice a year, if we play our cards right," says recipe submitter Rhett Towles. Fairly simple and straightforward. The key is cooking time more than anything." View Recipe 14 of 32 Spaghetti a la Philly Sasha "Your favorite spaghetti sauce gets a delicious make over when combined with cream cheese and cooked ground beef," says recipe creator Philadelphia. "It's mixed with hot cooked spaghetti for an easy supper." View Recipe 15 of 32 Hillshire Farm Sausage Alfredo "This recipe has been added to our regular rotation," says reviewer CookToave."It's the first time I've added Cajun seasoning to a dish and we LOVE it! That, with the sausage, makes for an amazing flavor combination." View Recipe 16 of 32 Balsamic Ravioli Allrecipes Magazine "Excellent, tasty dish!" says reviewer Paula Viccaro. "Really something different and interesting to eat! Like something you would order at a fine restaurant!" View Recipe 17 of 32 Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo with Fettuccine "I made this dish for the first time, and my family and I loved it," says reviewer Esmer76. "I had never tried chicken & broccoli Alfredo. I will definitely be making it again." View Recipe 18 of 32 Spamaroni and Cheese "This Spam mac and cheese is an easy, economical comfort food, that combines childhood favorites," says recipe creator DustyRider. "My kids loved this when they were growing up." View Recipe 19 of 32 Linguine with Clam Sauce Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "This linguine with clam sauce is an easy, inexpensive meal. Try the clam sauce over any pasta; lemon-pepper linguine is especially tasty," says recipe creator Dorothy Rinaldi. "You can stretch the sauce for larger portions by adding 1/2 cup of chicken broth." View Recipe 20 of 32 One Pan Orecchiette Pasta AllRecipes/Qi Ai This delicious orecchiette pasta recipe only has a handful of ingredients, is very cheap to make, and most importantly, only uses one pan or pot for the entire procedure," says Chef John. "Every year when it's time to go back to school I get inundated with requests from students to post recipes that are super-easy, cost pennies, and require a bare minimum of kitchen equipment—this is one of them!" View Recipe 21 of 32 Easy Pasta Fagioli Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "This hearty pasta fagioli recipe with cannellini beans and ditalini pasta is a classic and deliciously comforting Italian soup," says recipe creator Cindy. "Serve with a grating of Parmesan cheese and crusty bread." View Recipe 22 of 32 Parmesan Garlic Orzo Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "As far as orzo recipes go, this is an easy, delicious one that even my son enjoys making," says recipe creator Colleen Volcjak. View Recipe 23 of 32 Taco Pasta Ramona Cruz-Peters "This is an easy taco pasta dish to make with ground beef, your favorite taco seasoning, tomatoes, pasta, and two types of cheese for a quick and delicious dinner that hits the spot every time!" says recipe creator Allrecipes Allstar Yolanda Gutierrez. View Recipe 24 of 32 Lemon Butter Herb Pasta Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "A quick, delicious, and light pasta sauce with a zesty flavor!" says recipe creator Elizabeth Sanford. "You can easily add chicken, shrimp, or your favorite veggies to personalize this basic lemon-butter sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese." View Recipe 25 of 32 Five Cheese Ziti al Forno Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "Five cheese ziti al forno is a delicious pasta bake made with ready-made marinara and alfredo sauces, Italian cheese blend, ricotta, ziti, and topped with panko bread crumbs and Parmesan," says recipe developer Juliana Hale. View Recipe 26 of 32 Broccoli Garlic Angel Hair Pasta "This pasta with broccoli and garlic makes a beautiful side dish or vegetarian main course. If you've got to eat your broccoli, this is a great way to do it!" says Chef John. "Garnish each serving with a dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano and more red pepper flakes if desired." View Recipe 27 of 32 Lemon Asparagus Pasta France C "This appetizing asparagus pasta dish is flavored with lemon zest and lemon juice," says recipe creator Chop Suey. "It's easy to make and can sit out during warm weather. Can be served hot, warm, or cold." View Recipe 28 of 32 3-Ingredient Boursin Cheese Pasta "This is a quick and easy side pasta dish with only 3 ingredients!" says Allrecipes Allstar TheDailyGourmet. "Add a protein like grilled chicken breast to turn it from a tasty side dish to a main course—or it can be a vegetarian main." View Recipe 29 of 32 Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella "Known as 'gnocchi alla sorrentina,' this classic Italian pasta dish that uses simple ingredients and tastes delicious," says recipe creator Alemarsi. "Use homemade or store-bought gnocchi." View Recipe 30 of 32 Polish Noodles (Cottage Cheese and Noodles) LandOfOzzie "This simple recipe for pasta with cottage cheese came from the Polish side of my family. We call it 'cottage cheese and noodles' or 'lazy man pierogies,'" says recipe creator Brandi Rose. "It's a great comfort food and can be made with any kind of noodle. You can serve it as a side dish, but we always enjoy it as a main course." View Recipe 31 of 32 Easy Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "This delicious tomato sauce for spaghetti simmers over low heat for a rich and meaty homemade taste," says recipe creator Sammye. View Recipe 32 of 32 Easy One-Pot Ground Turkey Pasta Easy One-Pot Ground Turkey Pasta. Kim's Cooking Now "This ground turkey pasta dish is a quick and easy one-pot main meal. Substitute your favorite ground meat, broth, spices, and pasta shape. For those who want an easy meal or those beginning to cook, this is for you," says recipe creator FrackFamily5 CACT. View Recipe More Inspiration DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS 20 Best Mushroom Pasta Recipes The 30 Best Pasta Recipes to Have in Your Arsenal 35 Cheesy Pasta Recipes for When You’re Craving Comfort Food Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit