Any pasta recipes that are simple yet delicious?

[dragnlaw]

so if we remove the word 'pasta' from "good pasta dishes" we are left with "good - dishes"

 

[Jade Emperor]

sorry, but the original premise of"good pasta dishes" is totally flawed.
pasta dishes are not defined by the pasta, but the sauces put on them.

Absolutely incorrect. The sauce is meant to be a compliment, not the star.

 

[georgevan]

One pound of ground beef
One jar of Classico tomato sauce (or equivalent)
one box of elbow macaroni

Cook the elbow macaroni in boiling water for 12 minutes. While the macaroni is cooking, brown the pound of ground beef in a skillet and drain. Thoroughly drain the macaroni, add the sauce and ground beef, and cook over medium heat until heated through. You're having beffaroni, it's made with macaroni. Beefaroni's really neat, beefaroni's full of meat, beefaroni's fun to eat. HOORAY! For beefaroni.

What would be an equivalent?

 

[georgevan]

@georgevan, did you find the posts helpful? Some feedback would be great! Also, it occurred to me that you didn't say what kind of recipes might be of interest to you. Stir Fry is another way to make quick pasta! With store-bought stir fry sauce (there are a lot of options in the Asian aisle), the process is greatly simplified. Many of the bottles come with a recipe on the label.

I tried the fettuccine recipe mentioned and it was only so so. But I am interested in trying the Alfredo recipe

 

[Andy M.]

What would be an equivalent?

Another brand of jarred pasta sauce. Try Rao's. There are many others.

 

[georgevan]

Does Alfredo and Fettuccine taste like same?

 

[Andy M.]

Does Alfredo and Fettuccine taste like same?

Fettuccine is a pasta shape. Alfredo is a sauce. Fettuccine Alfredo is a recipe that combines the two.

 

[Silversage]

sorry, but the original premise of"good pasta dishes" is totally flawed.
pasta dishes are not defined by the pasta, but the sauces put on them.

Not if you are in Italy! It's all about the pasta - very little sauce.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

What would be an equivalent?

Some other brand of canned or jarred sauce, Prego if you like it a bit sweeter, or Rao's if you like it more expensive. Or you could make your own sauce, but that probably won't happen if you don't like complicated recipes.

 

[georgevan]

Absolutely incorrect. The sauce is meant to be a compliment, not the star.

Are saying the main taste is in the pasta? Don't all pasta taste the same?

 

[dragnlaw]

All pasta's do taste the same. It is the different shapes that compliment the different sauces.
It is not a matter of which is the main taste - it is both the pasta and the sauce together. One does not necessarily outshine the other but the melding and complimenting they do for each other is the star.

 

[georgevan]

So what kind of pastas would you use with Prego or Rao?

 

[pictonguy]

Are saying the main taste is in the pasta? Don't all pasta taste the same?

Sorry dragnlaw I respectfully disagree. All pasta definitely doesn't taste the same. Shapes, cooking times, fresh vs dried, there's many influences that will change the mouthfeel, density and aroma that all have distinctive characteristics in my opinion. I would imagine the variety available for pasta's in general is based on that premise.

 

[pictonguy]

So what kind of pastas would you use with Prego or Rao?

Considering your a novice, I suggest you use these tomato sauces with any pasta you like. Pasta in Italy is very regional, so a pasta from one region is generally paired with ingredients from that region. For example Liguria is the largest and best basil producer in the world, and pesto is from Liguria and they happen to love their fresh pasta's like fettuccini, lasagna, ravioli and use pesto's a lot. Pasta is a huge culinary destination for people all over the world, people love pasta, and we all have to start somewhere on that journey, if so inclined.

 

[GinnyPNW]

So what kind of pastas would you use with Prego or Rao?

Fettuccine, penne rigati, linguine or spaghetti

If you want to kick it up a notch, check out this no-cook recipe.

 

[Silversage]

So what kind of pastas would you use with Prego or Rao?

George, use any pasta you have at home.

Remember that when you ask a questions here, we all tend to over-complicate the answer. We have all been cooking a long time, and we do like to show off our skills a little bit! When you ask a simple question about simple recipes, we will tell you to make your own pasta from scratch, because we've tried it once or twice. (None of us really make everything from scratch all the time - we also use jars & cans & packages - but we'd like to let everyone think we do it all from scratch.)

That said, the pasta you buy in the store is basically flour, eggs, oil, and salt. It can be made different ways, but that is of no importance to your dinner. The important thing to watch for is the "weight" of the sauce with the size and shape of the pasta. If you are using a thick and chunky sauce like marinara in a jar, you need a more substantial pasta to grab and hold on to the sauce. In Italy, they mostly used penne for it's shape with tomato sauces. Finer, more delicate sauces, like a pesto, alfredo, white clam, need a finer, more delicate pasta shape like angel hair, linguine, etc.

Any sauce will be good with any size or shape of pasta, it's just that some shapes "grab" and hold more sauce than others.

 

[taxlady]

Maybe the majority of store bought pasta tastes the same. But, I assure you, the spelt fusilli (from Felicetti) that I used Sunday for supper doesn't taste the same as a pasta that is made of white flour or one that is made with khorasan wheat flour (Kamut is a registered trademark of that kind of wheat.) There is enough variation in flavour that Fellicetti is my go to brand, because I really like it. When I come across it, I choose Bionaturae. With the Bionaturae, I munch the cooked pasta before it even has any sauce.

 

[georgevan]

Considering your a novice, I suggest you use these tomato sauces with any pasta you like. Pasta in Italy is very regional, so a pasta from one region is generally paired with ingredients from that region. For example Liguria is the largest and best basil producer in the world, and pesto is from Liguria and they happen to love their fresh pasta's like fettuccini, lasagna, ravioli and use pesto's a lot. Pasta is a huge culinary destination for people all over the world, people love pasta, and we all have to start somewhere on that journey, if so inclined.

My problem is I am not a fan of tomatoes and I know Italian food is heavy on tomatoes.

 

[georgevan]

So what is a sauce that isn't heavy with tomatoes?

 

[georgevan]

Fettuccine, penne rigati, linguine or spaghetti

If you want to kick it up a notch, check out this no-cook recipe.

Out of curiosity what is a tomato sauce that isn't generic?