Betty's Best Pasta Recipes

Published 01/22/2020

From fresh pasta salads to easy cheesy lasagnas, these top-rated pasta recipes will have the whole family gladly cleaning their plates.

Slow-Cooker Bacon-Ranch Chicken and Pasta
4.4 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 620 reviews.
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 6 hr 10 min
Ingredients: 9
Servings: 6
There's nothing that doesn’t taste better with Ranch dressing on it. Once you try this super-simple slow cooker pasta, you may agree that this is Ranch's finest moment.
Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
4.4 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 7 reviews.
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 13
Servings: 4
Get ready to gobble up your new family favorite - a one-pot spaghetti dinner doused in Marinara sauce.
Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells
4.7 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 223 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 1 hr 20 min
Ingredients: 9
Servings: 8
These Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells can be ready to impress in no time at all. Perfect for company and cozy nights at home, this hearty dish only looks like you spent all day in the kitchen. In fact, you can pull stuffed pasta shells with ground beef together with just 25 minutes of prep time, then get the rest of the meal ready while it bakes. These stuffed shells with cream cheese, ground beef, melty cheese and pasta sauce bring a whole new meaning to the term "comfort food." No matter the occasion, nothing satisfies quite like a warm dish of Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells.
Macaroni and Cheesy Chicken Baked Casserole
4.3 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 113 reviews.
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 hr 5 min
Ingredients: 12
Servings: 10
Take your mac and cheese weeknight dinner to a whole new level with this veggie-kissed casserole. The crunchy cheese and bread crumb topping makes a perfect finish for the creamy filling.
Easy Meatless Lasagna
4.5 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 74 reviews.
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 1 hr 35 min
Ingredients: 9
Servings: 8
You won't miss the meat with this easy, three-cheesy pasta dish.
Slow-Cooker Easy Chicken Alfredo
4.3 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 9 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 6 hr 25 min
Ingredients: 8
Servings: 5
When you have 25 minutes of prep time, you can easily throw together this veggie-loaded take on the classic Alfredo dish. Roasted red peppers, mushrooms and chicken thighs are added to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Right before serving, stir broccoli and fettuccine into the creamy mixture. Top with Parmesan cheese for an easy, hands-off meal that everyone in your family will happily gobble up.
Fettuccine Alfredo
4.4 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 373 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 7
Servings: 4
Wondering how to make Fettuccine Alfredo that's sure to wow family or friends? We've got you covered with a recipe that takes just 25 minutes. Put a pot of water on to boil, then stir the white sauce together as the pasta is cooking. It’s just that easy to create a rich and satisfying dinner! This top-rated Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is a favorite of home cooks everywhere—try it tonight and find out why.
Slow-Cooker Meaty Italian Spaghetti Sauce
4.5 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 198 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 8 hr 15 min
Ingredients: 13
Servings: 24
If you’ve been searching for “the one,” that is a reliably delicious spaghetti sauce that will please the family, freeze well and get better overnight, we humbly suggest this recipe. No hard-to-find ingredients here, just everything you’d expect to be in a basic red sauce. Before stewing to perfection in your slow cooker, this sauce does require a crucial couple minutes of skillet time. Taking the 15 minutes to brown Italian sausage and onions to golden-brown perfection doesn’t just bring out the best in these ingredients, it also leads to a sauce that’s considerably more delicious than it would be otherwise. And after you do it, it’s just a matter of tossing all the ingredients into the pot and letting them simmer together into a rich and savory red gravy!
Do-Ahead Ravioli Sausage Lasagna
4.5 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 62 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 9 hr 30 min
Ingredients: 5
Servings: 8
Get a jumpstart on a delicious casual dinner. Make a pasta casserole the day before and tuck it in the fridge for next-day baking.
BLT Pasta
4.6 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 57 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8
Servings: 6
All the flavors of your favorite BLT sandwich, from smoky bacon to fresh tomatoes, come together in this quick and easy one-pot pasta that will become a favorite summer weeknight dinner.
One-Pot Lemon-Pepper Chicken Pasta
4.7 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 240 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 12
Servings: 6
What's better than lemon-pepper chicken pasta? A recipe for One-Pot Lemon-Pepper Chicken Pasta of course! Full of spaghetti, fresh baby spinach and lemon-pepper seasoned chicken, this recipe has bright flavors that are welcome any time of the year. Make it with Progresso™ Chicken Broth and garnish with Parmesan cheese for a full and hearty dinner with little cleanup.
Tomato-Alfredo Baked Ziti
4.8 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 52 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 hr 5 min
Ingredients: 11
Servings: 8
Tomato and Alfredo sauces make this easy ground beef-and-pasta bake doubly delicious — and it all comes together in just 30 minutes.
Slow-Cooker Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Pasta
4.6 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 55 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 3 hr 45 min
Ingredients: 11
Servings: 8
This slow-cooker pasta packed with Mexican-inspired flavors is cheesy, easy and sure to have everyone asking for seconds every time you make it.
Pesto Pasta with Chicken
4.7 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 81 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 11
Servings: 6
Impressive meals don't have to take hours and hours in the kitchen. Take this beautiful pesto chicken pasta, for example, which is ready in just 30 minutes! You only need a handful of ingredients to make the fresh, from-scratch pesto. Its bright flavor is the highlight of this super-fast pesto pasta recipe, packed with cherry tomatoes and chicken.
Make-Ahead Pizza Casserole
3.9 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 37 reviews.
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 9 hr 40 min
Ingredients: 7
Servings: 6
Take just 20 minutes to put together this pasta bake, and dinner for the next night is done!
Italian Baked Pasta
4.5 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 49 reviews.
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 1 hr 20 min
Ingredients: 5
Servings: 10
Our five-ingredient Italian baked pasta is super easy to make and includes layers of your choice of pasta, three cheeses and marinara sauce.
One-Pot Sausage Meatballs with Creamy Tomato Penne
4.6 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 42 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 55 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 11
Servings: 6
With just a few basic ingredients, this rich and creamy one-pot pasta dinner turns simple sausage meatballs into a beautiful meal with weeknight ease.
Lighter Mediterranean Pasta Bake
4.9 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 14 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 50 min
Total time: 1 hr 30 min
Ingredients: 13
Servings: 8
Next time you’re craving a comforting casserole loaded with chicken, veggies and just enough cheese to make it feel decadent, we recommend giving this recipe a try. It’s a lightened-up take on a favorite recipe, our Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Bake. Like the original, this lighter version features perfectly browned chicken, bowtie pasta and the sun-ripened flavors of tomatoes, olives and artichokes featured in the original—but we also added in a few more veggies and trimmed down the cheese. The result is a dish that’s full-flavored and comforting. When it comes out of the oven all warm and melty, no one will guess this dinner comes in under 400 calories per serving!
One-Pot Creamy Shells and Sausage
4.7 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 37 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 12
Servings: 8
Just like your favorite boxed shells and cheese, this recipe turns out a dinner that’s creamy, irresistible and made in a single pot. But unlike the boxed version, this upgrade will fill up the whole family—thanks to the addition of hearty Italian sausage and Muir Glen™ tomato basil pasta sauce. Cooking the whole meal in a single pot isn’t just convenient, it also allows you to build flavor as you go. Here’s what we mean: It all starts with browning the sausage until it’s cooked through. Removing the sausage but not the rendered fat it leaves behind adds deep savory flavor to the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes that get sautéed next. After your aromatics, you’ll add the tomato sauce, which is handy since it’ll help deglaze the pan and integrate more flavor into your sauce. With the addition of the broth, you’ll have enough liquid to cook your pasta. Once the pasta is cooked through, all that’s left is adding the cream and cooked sausage. Serve this up with shredded Parmesan and basil, and you’ve got a delectable dinner that might just become a part of your regular rotation.
Chicken Alfredo Pasta Skillet
4.9 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 28 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 11
Servings: 6
A scratch dinner done in 40 minutes using just one pan? It’s not too good to be true—but it is so very good! A classic homemade Alfredo sauce gets tossed with cooked chicken, peas and ziti pasta for an impressive meal that you can make on the fly.
One-Pot Caesar Chicken Pasta
4.3 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 148 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 9
Servings: 6
This creamy one-pot angel hair pasta has all the tangy Caesar flavors of Parmesan, garlic and chicken, plus some fresh broccoli to make it a meal.
Skillet Chicken Pasta Primavera
4.6 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 22 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 55 min
Total time: 1 hr 30 min
Ingredients: 15
Servings: 4
Yes, it’s hard to believe how easy this creamy, veggie-packed chicken pasta is to make, or that you need only one skillet to make it, but what will surprise you most is how much your family will love it.
Creamy Tuscan Gnocchi Skillet
4.5 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 30 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 11
Servings: 6
This creamy gnocchi recipe is a dreamy way to weeknight dinner. Since it's a hearty, richly flavored meal that's made in a single dish and even includes a green vegetable, it's made to please the whole family—including the cook. The fact that it's vegetarian is something you can share or keep to yourself. Either way, this dish is a versatile addition to any busy cook's repertoire.
Chicken Carbonara Deluxe
4.2 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 492 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 7
Servings: 4
Turn leftover cooked chicken into this creamy, fragrant pasta experience!
Mac and Cheese
4.1 out of 5 stars, average rating value out of 686 reviews.
Kitchen Tested
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 9
Servings: 6
Creamy, cheesy, and all-too-easy, this macaroni and cheese recipe is traditional comfort food at its finest. Tender cooked macaroni noodles get tossed with a from-scratch simple cheese sauce and then baked into a bubbly casserole for a yummy, versatile dish.

If you ask us, this is one of the best mac and cheese recipes around because it’s so easy to customize to your needs. Serve your mac and cheese as a side or make it the main course and plate it up alongside a crisp green salad. That’s lunch or dinner, done! We also have plenty of mix-in ideas to help you put a flavor-forward twist on this classic baked mac and cheese. Check out the Expert Tips section below for suggestions on adding a number of tasty topping variations to transform your homemade mac and cheese into a unique dish. Seconds, anyone?

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