The last thing many of us want to do after a long and exhausting day at work or school is return home and then spend a few more hours laboring in the kitchen to prepare dinner for ourselves. When you are already worn out and pressed for time, the idea of peeling, chopping, and preparing a lot of complex ingredients just to put a meal on the table can feel intimidating and overwhelming.
Fortunately, reliable pasta steps in to save the day. Pasta is a proven, dependable, and incredibly versatile food that is always filling, quick, and affordable. We’ve compiled a number of delicious pasta recipes in this roundup that you can prepare in as little as 30 minutes from beginning to end. These incredibly quick pasta recipes demonstrate that you don’t always need to spend hours in the kitchen to enjoy a filling, home-cooked meal, whether you’re making warm noodles covered in rich, creamy sauces, light and fresh cold pasta salads, or heartier tortellini soups. Now let’s get started!
Blackened steak and shrimp Alfredo
Certified nutrition coach Michelle McGlinn’s potent blackening spice blend, which is ideal for rapidly searing steak and shrimp in a hot cast iron skillet, elevates the traditional fettuccini Alfredo dish in this quick but elegant pasta dish. After liberally coating the proteins with a tasty mixture of ancho chile powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, salt, dried thyme, and brown sugar, they are seared in melted butter over high heat. This preserves the insides’ moisture content while producing an ideal dark and crispy crust. You can make an incredibly rich Alfredo in just twenty-five minutes by combining the meat and shrimp with a creamy, cheesy sauce. It has all the umami and decadence anyone could want.
Copycat Olive Garden shrimp scampi
Recipe creator Michelle Bottalico’s shrimp scampi is even easier to make. This delicious dish has restaurant-caliber flavor and can be prepared in 20 minutes (if you boil the pasta while preparing the sauce). While the rest of the sauce is being prepared, the shrimp are quickly sautéed in the savory, ever-satisfying mixture of butter, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes until they are juicy and tender. The asparagus is cooked in a flavorful sauce made with additional butter, white wine, lemon juice, and some starchy pasta water until it is fork-tender. A succulent dish full of deliciously rich yet fresh flavors is created when the shrimp is added back into the sauce along with the al dente pasta (you can use angel hair, spaghetti, or even fettuccini), halved cherry tomatoes, and freshly chopped parsley.
Creamy garlic butter noodles
Chef and registered dietitian Kristen Carli has prepared a delicious, yet incredibly easy, garlic butter pasta dinner that takes just 20 minutes to prepare from beginning to end. Bring spaghetti (or whatever noodle your family prefers) to a boil and cook it until it’s al dente. While the pasta is boiling, make a simple, straightforward garlic sauce in a pan by melting cubed butter, lemon juice, minced garlic, and some starchy pasta water. Finally, add some freshly chopped parsley and you’ve got what Carli refers to as “an adult version of buttered noodles” that will go over well with everyone, even the pickiest eaters in the family.
20-minute spaghettini with garlic butter sauce
Similar to Kristen Carli, Miriam Hahn, a certified wellness coach and recipe developer, has created a delightful and easy buttered noodle and garlicky recipe that only takes 20 minutes to make. The main distinction in this version is the creamy sauce, which replaces the lemon juice with the traditional blend of Parmesan cheese, melted butter, garlic, and some starchy pasta water. Final touches to the spaghettini include a generous amount of freshly grated lemon zest and a handful of chopped parsley, which give the dish a burst of vibrant, herbaceous flavor.
Hazelnut cream pasta
We think you’ll love this nutty version, which is also from health coach Miriam Hahn, if you like simple, buttery noodle dishes like the ones we’ve mentioned above. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare this incredibly creamy yet crunchy hazelnut pasta, which is surprisingly simple to make. With the sharpness of Parmesan cheese, the brightness of lemon juice and zest, the sweetness of heavy cream, and the rich flavor of freshly pan-toasted hazelnuts, this dish offers a harmonious combination of sweet, creamy, crunchy, and incredibly satisfying flavors and textures in one bite. As usual, garnish the dish with a generous amount of freshly chopped Italian parsley, and you’re done.