Pasta

Eric Ripert's original version of this dish at Le Bernardin in NYC is prepared with half as much pasta—usually super-delicate angel hair—and is painstakingly and exquisitely plated. I’ve doubled the pasta here to make it more of a family-style dish; there is still enough sauce to coat each strand of spaghetti. A few judicious pinches of bonito flakes make an economical and visually appealing substitute for the pricy caviar, and the dish can also stand with no garnish at all.

Make a big pot of this classic slow-cooked sauce—it freezes beautifully.

Steam, fluff; steam, fluff. This couscous recipe is time-consuming but worth it.

Want comfort food on demand? These family-friendly baked shells can be assembled ahead and refrigerated or frozen so they're ready to pop in the oven with no day-of work.

Be sure to add the sausage just before the last toss to maintain all those delicious crispy bits.

Instead of butter and cream, cashews provide richness and creaminess to the sauce for this vegan pasta dish.

A spoon works fine for stuffing the manicotti noodles, but a piping bag—while it may seem fussy—makes quicker work of the assembly.

This gluten-free dish offers all the melty goodness of a mac 'n' cheese dinner, without the carb-heavy pasta.

You can finish this carbonara with other seasonal vegetables, such as shredded brussels sprouts or Napa cabbage. This recipe is from Oberlin, one of Bon Appétit's Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

The combination of salty water and salty Parmesan puts this pasta at risk of becoming oversalted. If that happens, throw in a knob of unsalted butter at the end to mellow it and add a smooth finish.

You probably already have everything you need to make this pasta in your pantry.