40 Quick Pasta Recipes (Under 30 Minutes) – The Pasta Project

Each dish in this collection is a testament to the ease and speed of cooking without compromising on taste, a common feature of Italian cuisine! From the classic spaghetti aglio e olio to the bold flavors of pasta with nduja, there are recipes for everyone in this selection.

40 Quick Pasta Recipes (Under 30 Minutes)

1) Spaghetti aglio e olio

Spaghetti aglio e olio is a quick pasta recipe known for its simplicity and rich taste. It uses just a few easy-to-source ingredients and takes only 15 minutes to make. Despite its simplicity, it offers a lot of flavor, making it an ideal choice for a quick and easy meal.

2) Pasta Cacio e Pepe

This is an easy-to-make classic Roman dish requiring only three main ingredients: Pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper, and pasta.

The simplicity and flavor of the recipe makes it a perfect choice for a quick weeknight meal but special enough to serve to guests.

3) Pasta with Nduja

Originating from the Southern Italian region of Calabria, this spicy pasta recipe is simple yet so delicous. It’s made with nduja, a soft, spicy, spreadable salume, combined with tomato passata and onions.

The recipe highlights nduja’s unique, intense flavor and heat from Calabrian red chili peppers. It’s a must-try for those who enjoy bold, spicy flavors.

4) Pasta with Pancetta (fettuccine all’Abruzzese)

This pasta with pancetta recipe is a traditional dish from the Abruzzo region of Italy. It’s a simple yet flavorful recipe that combines pancetta, pecorino cheese, onion, parsley, and basil with fettuccine pasta.

Fettuccine all’Abruzzese is quick and easy to prepare, promising to deliver a delicious meal in less than 30 minutes.

5) Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Spaghetti alla Carbonara is a classic Roman dish renowned for its simplicity and rich flavors. This authentic recipe calls for no cream or vegetables, focusing on the quality of the few ingredients used. The dish combines guanciale or pancetta with lightly beaten eggs and cheese, mixed with the pasta to create a creamy, tasty sauce.

6) Sicilian Ricotta Pasta

This Sicilian ricotta and pistachio pasta recipe is a traditional dish from Sicily. It features a blend of creamy ricotta cheese and a homemade pistachio pesto combined with pasta tubes.

A simple yet flavorful dish that captures the essence of Sicilian cuisine. In fact, this quick pasta recipe is perfect for when you want a light and satisfying meal.

7) Pasta alla Gricia

Pasta alla Gricia is an ancient Roman recipe featuring simple yet flavorful ingredients. It includes guanciale (cured pork jowl), Pecorino Romano cheese, pasta, and black pepper.

This dish combines the rich flavor of guanciale with the sharp, salty taste of Pecorino Romano. In truth, it’s a testament to the delicious simplicity of traditional Roman cuisine.

8) Canned Tuna Pasta Recipe

This canned tuna pasta makes a quick and flavorful meal, ideal for busy weeknights. It has a no-cook sauce meaning only the pasta is cooked, making it incredibly easy to prepare.

The sauce is made with canned tuna, capers, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. It has a fabulous fresh and summery taste. This dish is reflective of the vibrant cuisine of the Aeolian Islands.

9) Lemon Ricotta Pasta (Pasta al Limone)

This pasta al limone is a delightful Italian pasta recipe with a fresh and intense lemon flavor. The sauce is made from fresh ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, organic lemon zest, and basil leaves. It comes from the Campania region and is perfect for a quick, light meal. Definitely, one to try during the summer!

10) Pasta all’arrabbiata

Pasta all’arrabbiata is a classic Roman dish characterized by its fiery and bold taste. The heat of Italian red chili peppers melds beautifully with the tang of tomatoes, creating a rich and spicy sauce.

11) Spaghetti alla Colatura

This unique dish celebrates the Amalfi Coast. It features spaghetti with colatura, an Italian fish sauce. The recipe balances the umami-rich colatura with garlic, olive oil, and parsley, creating a simple yet deeply flavorful pasta.

12) Pasta with truffles and mascarpone cream

This decadent pasta with truffles and mascarpone cream recipe marries the earthiness of black truffles with the velvety smoothness of mascarpone.

A gourmet delight, it’s surprisingly simple and quick to prepare, taking about 30 minutes to make. One to keep in mind for special occasions!

13) Easy Gorgonzola Pasta with Olives

A harmonious blend of creamy Gorgonzola and savory olives, this pasta dish has a rich and robust flavor. It makes a simple yet luxurious meal that is perfect for those who appreciate the depth of a blue cheese sauce.

14) Italian cold spaghetti salad with shrimp

This pasta salad is a refreshing combination of cold spaghetti, succulent shrimp, and fresh ingredients like arugula and cherry tomatoes. It’s an ideal summer meal, light yet satisfying, with a delightful balance of flavors.

15) Drunken Spaghetti Red Wine Pasta

This inventive dish infuses spaghetti with red wine, creating a visually striking and delicious meal. The wine imparts a rich, complex taste to the pasta, making it a unique and memorable meal. In fact, this dish is a great idea for special occasions like Valentine’s Day.

16) Anchovy pasta recipe from Naples

A traditional Neapolitan dish, this quick pasta recipe highlights the bold flavor of anchovies. It’s a simple yet deeply savory recipe that reflects Naples’ culinary heritage with seafood.

17) Pasta with breadcrumbs recipe from Basilicata

Originating from Basilicata, this recipe features pasta with crispy, seasoned breadcrumbs. It’s a rustic and comforting dish, showcasing how simple ingredients can be transformed into a satisfying meal.

18) Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta

Combining the delicate flavor of smoked salmon with a creamy sauce, this pasta is both luxurious and comforting. The smoked salmon adds a sophisticated touch, making it an ideal dish for special occasions or a gourmet weeknight dinner.

19) Italian Pasta with Peas (pasta e piselli)

This is a classic, comforting Italian dish that combines pasta with sweet peas in a light and flavorful sauce. Pasta with peas is a simple recipe that is perfect for a quick and satisfying meal.

20) Gnocchi with Gorgonzola

This dish highlights the bold taste of Gorgonzola cheese, which perfectly complements the soft and pillowy gnocchi, creating a harmonious blend of flavors.

Even though it packs so much flavor, gnocchi with gorgonzola is still incredibly quick to make and only uses a handful of ingredients. Pair it with speck, walnuts or figs, or even all three.

21) Pasta with tomato sauce allo scarpariello

A vibrant and hearty dish, this quick pasta recipe features a robust tomato sauce enriched with cheese, showing Italian comfort food at its finest. This makes a flavorful meal that’s both simple and satisfying.

22) Creamy Salmon Lemon Pasta

This creamy lemon salmon pasta is a divine combination of succulent salmon and creamy lemon sauce. This recipe uses easy-to-source ingredients and is ready in a mere 30 minutes.

Perfect for those busy evenings when you want a gourmet experience with minimal effort.

23) Pasta with Tropea onions

This flavorful elicoidali pasta recipe comes from Calabria in Southern Italy and is a must-try for those who love cheese and onion combinations.

It’s traditionally made with the region’s famous sweet red Tropea onions. But, you can also prepare it using other red onions.

24) Vermicelli di Positano

Vermicelli di Positano is a light and easy-to-make dish from the Amalfi Coast, ideal for summer. It involves cooking the pasta and marinating vegetables and herbs to create a fresh, vibrant meal.

Plus, it’s suitable for vegans and offers a delightful combination of flavor and nutrition.

25) Trofie with rocket (arugula) pesto

This healthy recipe combines trofie pasta with a fresh and peppery rocket pesto. The unique texture of trofie pairs well with the bold flavors of the arugula-based pesto, creating a delightful and aromatic dish.

26) Summer tagliolini pasta recipe with marinated raw vegetables

This summer tagliolini pasta recipe is a fresh and tasty dish, that’s perfect for hot days. Originating from a restaurant in Bologna, it has a no-cook sauce. So, you only need to cook the pasta.

This quick pasta recipe features a mix of marinated raw vegetables like cherry tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, celery, and red bell peppers, along with garlic, basil, and lemon juice. Undeniably, a healthy and tasty meal for those hot summer days!.

27) Creamy Sausage and Saffron Pasta alla Monzese

This easy pasta dish from Lombardy combines the rich flavors of sausage and saffron in a creamy sauce, offering a luxurious and hearty pasta experience. It’s also surprisingly simple to make and has just 4 main ingredients!

28) Pasta with Tuna Carbonara

This pasta with tuna carbonara recipe is an innovative take on the classic carbonara, replacing traditional pork with tuna. This contemporary Italian twist on a beloved dish has a scrumptious seafood flavor. In addition, it is a quick family meal to make.

29) Black Olive Pesto with Pasta

This black olive pesto pasta recipe is a flavorful and easy summer dish from Calabria. It combines black olive pesto with tuna and fusilli pasta, creating a tasty mix of Mediterranean flavors.

Plus, this dish can be enjoyed warm or as a salad, making it versatile for various dining occasions.

30) Farfalle pasta with smoked salmon and zucchini

This farfalle pasta recipe is made with smoked salmon and zucchini flavored with garlic, fresh ginger and orange zest. It really is an effortless yet creamy pasta recipe that’s so worth making.

Perfect for special occasions like Mother’s Day or even just for a light lunch or dinner.

31) Pasta Salad Crudaiola Barese

Pasta salad crudaiola barese is a easy yet flavorful traditional dish from Bari, Puglia. This is a versatile pasta salad that can be enjoyed as a light meal, part of a cold buffet, or at a picnic.

32) Tagliolini au gratin with ham and cream

Inspired by a recipe from Cipriani’s Harry’s bar in Venice, this pasta au gratin recipe is a real gem. Its simple ingredients and quick 30-minute preparation make it a favorite of mine, when I want a quick ham pasta recipe. It’s also an excellent recipe for using leftover holiday ham!

33) Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

This orecchiette with broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, is one of the signature pasta dishes of Apulian cuisine. It uses mostly pantry-stable ingredients and creates a quick meal that’s really tasty and ready in just 30 minutes.

34) Penne Pasta alla Valdostana

This easy pasta alla Valdostana recipe originates from the Aosta Valley in Northern Italy. It is a creamy, cheese-infused delight. In fact, the Aosta Valley is renowned for its cheese production, particularly Fontina, a key ingredient in many ‘alla Valdostana’ recipes.

35) Olive and tuna spaghetti all’Ascolana

Spaghetti all’Ascolana is a quick yet delicious olive and tuna spaghetti recipe from the Ascoli Piceno province in Italy’s Marche region. The standout ingredient in this dish is the large green Ascolana olives, a specialty for which the province is well-known.

However, while Ascolana olives are preferred for their distinctive taste, you can use other varieties of large green olives to create this easy pasta dish.

36) Spaghetti alla Checca

Spaghetti alla checca is a delicious authentic vegetarian pasta recipe from Rome and is both simple and super tasty. This quick pasta recipe is ideal for warm-weather dining, and its fresh ingredients make it a delightful choice for a light meal.

37) Tagliatelle Pasta with Fresh Peas and Pancetta

Pasta with fresh peas, or ‘pasta coi bisi’ in the local dialect, is a traditional spring recipe from where I live in the Northern Italian region of Veneto. This simple combination of pasta, peas, and pancetta is full of flavors that are surprisingly rich and satisfying.

38) Creamy Ham and Tomato Penne al Baffo

Creamy ham and tomato penne al Baffo is an ideal choice for a weeknight pasta dish. It’s not just incredibly creamy and bursting with flavor but also quick and easy to make.

In fact, you can serve it up in the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta! This dish is also great for sing up holiday ham.

39) Tagliolini al prosciutto di San Daniele

Tagliolini al prosciutto di San Daniele is a sumptuous and elegant pasta dish from Friuli Venezia Giulia, renowned for its creamy richness.

The recipe features Italy’s exquisite melt-in-your-mouth San Daniele prosciutto crudo paired with cream, poppy seeds and delicate egg pasta ribbons. Of course, you can use other types of prosciutto crudo too!

40) Mezzi Paccheri with Mushrooms and Cream

This Neapolitan dish, known locally as ‘miezi paccheri alla capa’ e’ mbrello, is a true delight for mushroom enthusiasts.

This recipe features mezzi paccheri pasta with mushrooms and cream. It is an incredibly easy pasta recipe to prepare and outstandingly savory and creamy.

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If you make any of these Italian quick pasta recipes, I’d love to hear how it turned out and if you liked it. Please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Buon appetito!

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If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools?