33 delicious and easy pasta recipes you MUST try

At Crazy Leeks, we’re all about leeks, of course, but we are also really into pasta recipes! We’ve already shared our tips for homemade pasta and a few Italian recipes (including pasta dishes 🍝) to feel like you’re dining in Italy.

Today, we’re pushing the (pasta) machine a little further with our 33 best pasta recipes. You’ll be spoiled for choice in easy and original pasta recipes, from spaghetti to macaroni, gnocchi, lasagna, pasta salads and more.

We must first warn you that you’ll probably be hungry and crave a creamy pasta dish while reading this article — as we were the entire time we wrote it!

Pasta recipes where cheese is king

Mac’n cheese: the classic of classics

We’re kicking off our list of pasta recipes with the classic macaroni and cheese, often called mac’n cheese. Since we love cheese just as much as pasta, mac’n cheese is a must in our top 33! Our 3 favourite recipes:

1. Macaroni and cheese with cauliflower and leek sauce
2. Macaroni with leeks and 3 cheeses
3. Macaroni and cheese with caramelized onions

Simple and easy pasta recipes au gratin

It’s not just macaroni that can be baked au gratin! Cheese lovers know that any pasta can be baked au gratin to create the world’s best pasta recipes. Get the oven going; it’s about to smell like delicious pasta and grilled cheese with these 3 recipes:

1. Lasagna with cheese and meat
2. Pasta with Alfredo sauce and broccoli au gratin
3. Pasta au gratin stuffed with salmon, ricotta cheese and leeks

The secret is in the sauce… spaghetti sauce

Tomato sauce or Italian‑inspired sauce: for simple pasta recipes

Oh, spaghetti sauce! Everyone personalizes their spaghetti sauce recipe with their secret ingredients. It’s safe to say there are as many spaghetti sauce recipes as there are cooks worldwide. Whatever your tomato sauce preference, we invite you to try our 3 homemade pasta recipes with spaghetti sauce… with a little grated Parmesan on top, of course 😉:

1. Italian sausage and leeks rigatoni
2. Pasta with tomato sauce (recipe in French)
3. Pasta with beef and red wine ragù sauce (recipe in French)

White sauce: for creamy pasta recipes

Those who prefer white sauce will be delighted by our top 3 pasta recipes! We confess that choosing between the cream and white wine sauce or the béchamel sauce made with butter, flour, cream and chicken broth was difficult. One thing’s crystal clear: we think we’ve identified the 3 best pasta recipes in the world:

1. Portofino pasta (recipe in French)
2. Pasta with creamy shallot and sage sauce (recipe in French)
3. Linguine with mushroom sauce (recipe in French)

Rosé sauce: the perfect balance between white sauce and tomato sauce

Rosé sauce is the perfect balance between the tangy taste of tomato sauce and the creaminess of white sauce. For the red sauce, it’s pretty simple: you can make a classic tomato sauce (recipe in French). As for the white sauce, either make a béchamel sauce and mix it with the tomato sauce later or add cream to the tomato sauce... you could even choose to add cream cheese to the tomato sauce! Whatever the mix, all 3 versions are good 😊:

1. Pasta with rosé sauce (tomato sauce + béchamel sauce) (recipe in French)
2. Pasta in a rosé sauce with 2 tomatoes (tomato sauce + cream)
3. Creamy pasta with chicken and tomatoes (tomatoes + cream cheese)

Brown sauce: innovating to create easy and original pasta recipes

After white sauce, red sauce and rosé sauce, brown sauce has now been added to pasta recipes, and it’s delightful! It goes to show that sometimes brown sauce can be tried with something other than roasted chicken! We’re particularly in love with poutine‑style gnocchi 🤤:

1. Poutine‑style gnocchi with gravy sauce (recipe in French)
2. Beef noodles
3. Pasta shells with beef and cream sauce (recipe in French)

Simple pasta recipes depending on the protein used

The 3 best vegetarian pasta recipes in the world

There are many advantages to eating less meat. And as Serge shared in his article on 2020 food trends, vegetarianism is quite a trendy way of life. This is still the case today, and pasta recipes are not exempt. Having tried several of them, we can confirm that you won’t be bored by these 3 meatless recipes because they’re so mouth-watering:

1. Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, olives and feta cheese
2. Linguine with tofu and arrabbiata sauce (recipe in French)
3. Orecchiette with arugula and basil pesto

Top 3 pasta recipes with meat

Not ready for vegetarianism? You can still eat meat on occasion 😉. And it’s hard to resist chicken, tacos or the slightly salty taste of pancetta in a creamy sauce with peas.

1. Pasta with leek and chicken
2. One pot taco‑style pasta (recipe in French)
3. Pasta with creamy chicken and pancetta sauce (recipe in French)

The 3 ultimate seafood pasta recipes

Yum, seafood! Plus, we’re lucky to find such good ones in Quebec. If you can travel this summer, make it Quebec to enjoy seafood directly in the Gaspé Peninsula or the Magdalen Islands! And if that’s not in the cards for you, you must try these delicious seafood dishes:

1. High seas linguine
2. Paccheri with seafood
3. Pappardelle with lobster and bacon breadcrumbs

Pasta salad recipes for all occasions

Veggie‑filled pasta salad recipe ideas

Obviously, we couldn’t devote an entire article to the best homemade pasta recipes without presenting a few pasta salad ideas! Your taste buds will be seduced by their alluring flavours and the variety of vegetables they contain. You can even personalize your pasta salads with fruits and vegetables you have on hand from your local grower’s basket delivered straight to your door 😊:

1. Pasta salad with leeks, spinach, strawberries, sliced almonds and feta cheese
2. Cold pasta salad for people with diabetes
3. Orzo salad with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, bocconcini and leeks

Pasta salads to serve with festive meals

What we love about pasta salads is that they’re simple, easy and quick to make. They’re the perfect side dish for festive meals, from BBQs to holiday meals, and they bring a touch of freshness to your plate. We can’t wait for Quebec’s asparagus season to begin to enjoy the first 2 recipes in our selection 😉:

1. Orzo, asparagus and roasted chicken salad
2. Ham farfalle warm salad with sun‑dried tomatoes and asparagus
3. Italian‑style pasta salad (recipe in French)

More pasta recipes and spaghetti sauces

Craving for more? You’re in luck! We’ve got plenty of pasta recipes on our website 😊. Plus, we’ve also put together some inspiration for your next spaghetti sauce:

1. Healthy spaghetti sauce
2. Mimik’s spaghetti sauce
3. Spaghetti sauce with leek and crickets

Bon appétit!