Need a quick and easy dinner recipe for your busy night family meal? These easy pasta recipes are perfect because you likely have almost everything you need in your pantry right now.
My kids, and probably every other kid on the planet, could likely survive on buttered noodles for dinner every single night.
Unfortunately, that isn't the healthiest approach to meal planning. Right??
Pasta is wonderful for an emergency pantry dinner because it lasts so long. If you need an easy pasta recipe to help you get a main meal or side dish on the table, these are our favorite ways to prepare pasta using pantry ingredients you likely already have on hand.
As you restock your pantry, always be sure to grab a variety of pasta shapes. It's an easy way to add a new twist to a recipe you've made countless times.
My girls are especially fond of:
- farfalle
- penne
- medium shells
- linguine
Pasta is easy enough for the kids to cook, too. Get them in the kitchen with you!
Easy Pasta Recipes for Busy Families
Nothing is easier than adding a prepared jar of spaghetti sauce to boiled pasta but with just a couple minutes of extra effort, you can have this amazingly delicious penne rosa recipe made with sausage ready to go even on the busiest weeknight.
Homemade alfredo sauce with cream cheese is one of my daughter's all-time favorite dinners. This recipe is so easy and makes a big batch of sauce so you can split it and use it for more than one recipe.
If you have a lemon and/or a bottle of grated parmesan, you can make my favorite spin on buttered noodles. Ideally, you'd add fresh chives, but if you're out of those a simple sprinkle of whatever dried herbs you love would work. Basil, thyme, or parsley would be perfect.
This is the best-ever baked mac and cheese because it takes almost as little time as the boxed kind. It tastes so good, we love to save it as a holiday side dish but my girls have even requested it for their birthday dinners.
If you've got soy sauce and peanut butter in the pantry, you should be able to make this fun Chinese food version of noodles. It is a nice break from the Italian-flavored pasta dishes and is perfect for when you're craving take-out.
Got some ramen noodles hanging around the pantry? This easy beef stir fry is a huge hit with kids and helps tempt them to eat the yummy veggies mixed in.
We love the prepared pesto from Costco, but you can use whatever you can find or make your own from scratch if you have a lot of fresh basil handy. The rest of this dish is simply stirred together and baked for a creamy pasta casserole everyone loves.
This classic one pot recipe has been a huge hit with readers for years. Another homemade Hamburger Helper recipe with a taco flavored spin. I love that this recipe is lighter and healthy with the ground turkey mixed in.
If you want a freezer friendly dinner, this Italian sausage pasta casserole is always a hit with company. Baby spinach and sauteed sausage are mixed with pasta and parmesan cheese. Don't miss serving it with fresh pineapple as a simple side dish. They complement each other so well!
Another light and healthy pasta dish, this bolognese is made with ground chicken instead of beef or pork for a quick and easy weeknight dinner you can feel good about feeding your family.
My mom's classic recipe, I've been making this recipe since I got married! It is listed as one of my husband's top 3 recipes of all time and is always a hit with my family.
This freezer-friendly pasta casserole saved me during the long years with little kids and a husband who travelled a ton for work. Don't miss the great tips for freezing and serving to the kids!
This dish is similar to simple buttered noodles, you can just mix up some olive oil and seasonings from your pantry. Roast your favorite veggies in a drizzle of olive oil and pile them up on top. The frozen meatballs are optional!
If you've got leftover ham from Easter or another party, you'll definitely want to make this cozy comfort pasta dish.
This is the best pasta to make during the summer when the tomatoes are extra ripe and perfect! This is one of our favorite beach house recipes.
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