3 Fast & Delicious Pasta Dishes With 5 Ingredients Or Less

When you think of pasta do you think of meat sauce bubbling away on the stove top all day? That's how my Italian grandfather made it; I remember visiting when I was a kid - you'd walk in the front door and the whole house would be filled with the mouthwatering scent of his family recipe for Sicilian spaghetti sauce....

I'd love to make it that way every time I make spaghetti, but sometimes we just don't have all day to simmer a sauce. The question is, can you create a tasty pasta dish without spending all day in the kitchen?

Luckily, the answer is: Yes!  Making a good pasta dish does not have to be difficult.  The wonderful thing about pasta is that you can use very few ingredients and make a ton of different dishes that the whole family will enjoy - and it doesn't have to take you all day.  Here are a few quick, delicious pasta dishes to try.

1. Pasta Bake

Baked rotini with tomato sauce, grated cheese (Parmesan and Romano), and dried parsley. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a super simple pasta dish that can be created in thirty minutes or less. "Pasta Bake" is a generic term I'm using here for any type of pasta, meat, sauce and cheese combination made exceptionally gooey and delicious by placing it in the oven to bake rather than cooking it all in a pot. The idea is that once you have your pasta cooked, pick a sauce, some cheese, maybe some veggies, and rather than just stir it all together, turn it out into a casserole dish and bake it.  Baking it just makes the dish look more appealing and taste better.  Let's just say it's more like dinner and less like something thrown together on a hotplate in a college dorm room. :-)

How easy is this dish? Just put any pasta you cook, ziti, rigatoni, spaghetti or whatever, in a buttered or oiled casserole dish, then add whatever sauce ingredients you have on hand. Grab some tomato sauce and even a little tomato juice and mix it in, along with some dried oregano. Stir in that last bit of muenster cheese and add a little yellow mustard for tangy goodness. Maybe a spoonful of sour cream, too. See what kind of sausage links you have left from breakfast. Top with shredded mozzarella or Parmesan. Experimenting with different ingredients is key, but what takes this dish from being just a mixed-up bunch of noodles to a delicious pasta dinner is that you baked it. Pulling a casserole out of the oven is so much nicer than just scooping noodles out of a pot.

2. Tortellini Soup

Most people don't automatically think of soup when thinking about how to make a simple dinner using pasta as the key ingredient.  But, tortellini soup is definitely one meal to keep in mind.  This soup is filling and light at the same time. Tortellini soup consists of chicken cut into chunks, chicken broth, a couple of carrots cut into rounds, either Swiss chard or kale depending on your taste for greens, and a package of tortellini.

Bring the broth and carrots to a rolling boil and let them cook for about seven minutes, just until the carrots are softened. Then add the chicken and simmer for just a minute, since it's already cooked.  Cut your greens up into small strips and add to the soup, then add in the tortellini and cook following directions on the package of tortellini. This is such a simple soup, but it tastes amazing, and is actually rather elegant. You can omit the chicken if you want and choose a meat stuffed tortellini. You could also choose cheese-stuffed tortellini and add a handful of diced tomatoes or some tomato juice to the broth. No matter what you add to this soup, it's never going to take very long to make, so you can have a delicious pasta dinner on the table in no time.

Tagliatelle carbonara with basil (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. Pasta Carbonara

For a meal with only five ingredients, pasta carbonara is one of the most delicious dishes you will make.  And, the best part is you probably have all of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry right now. You will need a box of spaghetti, about six strips of bacon, diced and fried crisp, four egg yolks, a cup of Parmesan cheese, and some frozen peas. Add some chopped parsley or basil on top and you have a pretty pasta dish that tastes better than many you will find in a restaurant.

When making this simple dish, it is important to have the egg yolks and Parmesan mixture ready before the pasta is done cooking. The heat from the pasta, after you drain it, is what cooks the egg yolks.  Just whisk together your egg yolks and Parmesan cheese in a big bowl. Then dump in your drained pasta and stir.  Add the peas and the bacon, and that's it. You have a pasta dish that is ready to serve in practically no time at all, and one that tastes as good as it looks.

A great pasta meal is only five ingredients away... or less.  All it takes to create simple pasta dishes is a bit of creativity and the willingness to experiment. Dig around in your kitchen right now and I'll bet you find the inspiration you need to throw together a fabulous pasta dinner with very little fuss at all.

And for more great recipes that are super simple and use just a few fresh ingredients for an amazingly delicious meal, be sure to pick up a copy of our FREE Recipe Book: Cooking with 3 Ingredients or Less!