20 Utterly Satisfying Spaghetti Recipes
Spaghetti: It's the noodle that's always there for you. Even on the most hectic weekdays, there's almost always a box of dried spaghetti noodles just waiting at home in the pantry, ready to be combined with whatever else you have on hand for a comforting, well-rounded meal. Whether you're craving a cozy classic like spaghetti and meatballs, or you want something a little lighter and brighter, such as spaghetti with clams, we've got you covered with our collection of favorite spaghetti recipes.
Spaghetti and Easy Meatballs
Spaghetti and Easy Meatballs Recipe
Serve a classic Italian-inspired dish for dinner. The easy meatball method will make you skip buying store-bought meatballs for good. Whether you're serving adults or a family-friendly crew, this dish is a pitch-perfect crowd pleaser.
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Spaghetti Carbonara
Our best spaghetti carbona recipe is silky with egg and melted cheese, freshened with parsley, and spiked with black pepper. We also love this dish for its short cooking time. The ingredients are things we tend to have always on hand, making it the ultimate weeknight-dinner solution. Just add a green salad or seasonal vegetable and the meal is complete. Also, we left out the cream that's often used in spaghetti carbonara in the United States, so it's both lighter and truer to the Italian original. And we've included some variations to keep the recipe interesting in case you find yourself making it over and over again.
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One-Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes
One-Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes Recipe
This pasta dinner is a game changer: You use just enough liquid to cook the pasta--no colander needed.
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Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
"When I cook at home, I use fish sauce in a lot of Italian food," Quealy Watson says. "I took Latin for four years and read most of Apicius [a collection of ancient Roman recipes]. After seeing the prevalence of garum, a fermented fish sauce, in ancient Roman cooking, using fish sauce in Italian food just made sense. It's essentially anchovy juice." Look for crispy fried garlic at your local Asian market.
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Spaghetti with Pistachio-Mint Pesto and Spinach
Spaghetti with Pistachio-Mint Pesto and Spinach Recipe
This meatless meal definitely doesn't skimp on flavor. With a bright and fresh spring pesto and lots of healthy spinach, getting your greens has never been so easy.
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Speedy Spaghetti with Chicken and Fresh Tomato
Speedy Spaghetti with Chicken and Fresh Tomato Recipe
To make this easy pasta recipe, simply combine cooked spaghetti noodles with chopped cooked chicken, fresh tomato, basil, and goat cheese and toss with olive oil. Serve with garlic bread for a simple dinner.
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Meatloaf Spaghetti
This hearty, family-friendly recipe marries two comfort food classics—meatloaf and spaghetti—for one epic rib-sticker of a dinner. The tangy-sweet, boldly beefy sauce delivers both surprising depth of flavor and a delicious sense of familiarity… consider it a bolognese inspired by the classic flavors of meatloaf.
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Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese
Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
While we love the images of a cook standing over the stove for hours, stirring the family's secret recipe for Bolognese until it is just right, we have simplified the technique so you can create a tasty meal in under 30 minutes. Create a satisfying meat sauce by cooking Italian sausage, peppers, sweet onions and garlic, then add a quality jarred pasta sauce, such as Barilla or Classico.
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Korean Spaghetti and Meatballs
Korean Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
Korean kimchi invigorates a standby weeknight dinner. Bring the pasta water to a boil while you make the meatballs.
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Sausage and Spinach Spaghetti Pie
Sausage and Spinach Spaghetti Pie Recipe
This budget-friendly dish (costing under $10) allows you to stretch a small amount of meat over several servings.
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Slow-Cooker Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Italian Sausage
Slow-Cooker Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Recipe
Switch up your go-to slow-cooker meals and go for a cheesy pasta dish that's loaded with hearty sausage. It's a great option for the entire family, and you can take the leftovers for lunch the next day.
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Spaghetti with Shrimp and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Spaghetti with Shrimp and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Recipe
You can make this without the shrimp. Sauté garlic in the skillet as directed, and add the pasta water and parsley, omitting shrimp. If you omit the shrimp, also toss in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese. Roasting cherry tomatoes intensifies their flavor without a lot of fuss to make this spaghetti easy and full of flavor.
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Spaghetti with Spinach-Avocado Sauce
Spaghetti with Spinach-Avocado Sauce Recipe
Move over, pesto: You're not the only sauce worth going green for. Pureed avocado makes this dish positively irresistible. Garnish with extra basil leaves, if desired.
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Chicken-Spaghetti Casserole
Chicken-Spaghetti Casserole Recipe
Casseroles are where you can see Southern ingenuity at its best, and the eighties had no shortage of inventive ideas. This particular Southern standard gave us all the warm and fuzzy memories we were craving.
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Family-Style Chicken Spaghetti
Family-Style Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
A family favorite swaps jarred sauce for fresh--which requires just a few ingredients and less than 10 minutes.
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Spaghetti and Meatballs in Tomato-Basil Sauce
Spaghetti and Meatballs in Tomato-Basil Sauce Recipe
Feed a crowd of 8 tonight, or cook 6 ounces pasta to serve 4 and freeze half the meatball mixture for later. Spoon into whole-wheat hoagie rolls instead of over pasta.
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Spaghetti with Anchovies, Garlic, and Red Pepper with Lemon-Caper Broccoli
Spaghetti with Anchovies, Garlic, and Red Pepper with Lemon-Caper Broccoli Recipe
Anchovies break down, or "melt," into the warm olive oil, adding savory depth to this simple pasta toss. For a vegetarian dish, substitute 3 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives for the anchovies. If you boil too much pasta tonight, set some aside before tossing with the olive oil mixture. Reheat on another night by dunking the cold noodles in boiling water for 30 seconds before tossing with your sauce.
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Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts
Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Brussels sprouts are the new kale! Here they're quickly browned and still slightly crunchy. To save time, slice them with a mandoline or a food processor fitted with the slicing blade attachment.
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Whole-Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
Start with a healthy, basic ingredient like whole-wheat spaghetti to whip up a new and improved classic--Whole-Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs. We mixed together ground flaxseed and Parmesan cheese with ground turkey for health--and tasty--meatballs.
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Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
We adapted our simple and delicious Pressure Cooker Chicken Spaghetti recipe to be a perfect fit for your Instant Pot. It's sure to become a new weeknight favorite.