Pasta

Full of garden vegetables and pasta, this soup relies on a bright basil-and-parsley-based sauce (the pistou) for a last-minute explosion of herbal flavor.

Remember those sun-dried tomatoes lurking in the back of your refrigerator? Their punch gives pasta an instant boost.

In this simple pasta, fresh dill brightens up an array of pantry items, including spaghetti, sardines, and capers.

Try as we might, we couldn't find a substitute for mac and cheese—and we certainly weren't going to leave it off the list. This is the dish that will still be appearing on American tables hundreds of years from now. But mac and cheese in 2009 certainly doesn't look—or taste—the same as it did back in the day. The casserole keeps reflecting our changing tastes. We've seen versions made with every kind of pasta, lighter variations packed with veggies, and super-luxe options redolent of truffle oil. To make mac and cheese truly your own, get creative with the cheese. Here, we use a combination of two of the Netherlands' best-known cheeses: Gouda and Edam.

Beef Shank and Sausage Ragù with Whole Grain Spaghetti* As much as we love eating at old-school red-sauce joints, we're craving the updated regional Italian cuisine we’re seeing at restaurants across the country. In this dish, instead of marinara, we've got a rich, meaty ragù (a staple in Bologna) made with flavorful bone-in beef shanks and hot Italian sausage. Hearty whole grain pasta is the perfect vehicle for the sauce (and it's a great way to add nutritional value). The long-cooked sauce is the ideal thing to make on a lazy weekend and fills the house with delicious aromas.

This recipe was shared with Epicurious by Chef Joseph W. DiPerri of The Culinary Institute of America.

You'll be shocked at how light yet satisfying this pasta is—it's finished in a fast garlicky almond sauce, studded with peas, and topped with chopped roasted almonds.

A classic Greek soup that's thickened with eggs and spiked with lemon. Add some shredded rotisserie chicken and call it a meal.

This simple take on carbonara is the ideal postwork fallback dinner.

Tortellini are often served in broth, but a quick sauce and some tender asparagus make them more substantial.

Using campanelle or medium shell pasta is key here: The pasta catches all of the little ingredients, like the sweet green peas and the salty prosciutto.

Saffron gives the couscous a gorgeous yellow color.

The pasta cooking liquid helps turn the cheese, cream, and sautéed vegetables into an incredible sauce.

Ramps stand in for both basil and garlic in this new spin on pesto.

If you're pressed for time, you can sub 1 1/2 cups canned beans for the dried. There's no need to precook the canned beans—just drain and rinse them before adding them to the onions.

No-boil lasagne noodles are a lifesaver: They can turn what's often perceived as a party dish into a practical weeknight supper—especially since you have the luxury of simply reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out the main ingredient: half a roast chicken. Leftover lasagne noodles are handy for crumbling into soup.

A Provençal barigoule is almost always applied to artichokes, but why limit yourself? Nutty-sweet Brussels sprouts take beautifully to the wine-lemon broth.

Here we combine some favorite flavors in an eclectic pasta dish. We don't think you'll mind the loose definition of meatball: Free-form versions are terrifically satisfying and don't require any shaping.

Apricots and Spanish chorizo sausage can provide elegance at less than $2 per person!

Protein-rich garbanzo flour can be found at health-food grocers (such as Whole Foods).