Easy pasta recipes using pantry ingredients you have on hand

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

Pasta Rosa with Sausage

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

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.

Lemon Butter Pasta with Chives

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.

15-minute Baked Mac and Cheese

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.

20-minute Chinese Noodles with Pork & Spicy Peanut Sauce

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.

Easy Beef Stir Fry with Noodles

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.

Creamy Pesto Chicken Casserole

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.

Creamy Turkey Taco Mac

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.

Make-ahead Italian Sausage Pasta Casserole

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!