50 Vegetarian Pasta Recipes That Go Beyond Buttered Noodles

This dish manages to be light, filling, fresh and comforting all at the same time. There’s also minimal cleanup (just saying).

Pour a glass of wine and pretend you’re in Sicily.

This take on a northern Italian classic is hearty, cheesy and so much better than the sum of its parts. Plus, it’s ready to eat in 40 minutes.

Proof that it’s not difficult to dress up pasta without a ton of effort. Bless you, Parmesan cheese.

Maria Lichty’s secret to a creamy yet easy pasta? Goat cheese, which melts into a sauce almost immediately.

We had to double-check that it truly doesn’t have dairy. (Psst: It takes 20 minutes from start to finish.)

Another thing we love about pasta? Its versatility. Case in point, cold pasta is just as good as warm pasta.

It’s plant-based but crowd-pleasing, thanks to sweet corn and a sneaky cashew cream sauce.

Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi is great. This homemade version is even better—cheesy pillows of heaven, guys.

We replaced the bread crumbs with Parmesan-laced phyllo. Is it weird that we want to marry this dish?

When you need a respite from red sauce, this bright green garlicky pepper sauce will do the trick. A bit of Mexican crema and cotija cheese make it extra creamy.

You’re six ingredients and 20 minutes from a restaurant-quality dinner.

Most of the ingredients are in your pantry and it takes less time than an episode of Seinfeld. Need more convincing?

An easy, rustic dinner that’s as delicious as if you went out to eat. This beats jarred sauce any day.

It’s colorful, nutritious and ready in under an hour, which is all we can ask for in a dinner.

Of course Ina Garten has an effortless, elegant baked pasta dish. This one is ready in 30 minutes, so we have plenty of time to watch Barefoot Contessa reruns while we eat.

This healthy-ish spin on a well-loved favorite is both kid- and adult-approved.

Save this one for nights when you don’t want to deal with a time-consuming dinner. You just toss everything in the pot and it’s ready 15 minutes later. (Ooh, magic.)

It feels elevated enough to serve at your next dinner party, but not too fancy for a family dinner on a Thursday.

When you want to be virtuous but also want a heaping plate of cheese, this is the ticket.

This modern pasta salad hits all the right notes: chewy, sweet, crunchy, herby and carby.

Give yourself just 25 minutes and you can have a fancy-pants dinner on the table. Pass the white wine.

It’s mac and cheese with an attitude.

If you can, use a mix of red and yellow tomatoes for a nice color and flavor contrast. And whatever you do, don’t skimp on the burrata.

This tastes like our favorite childhood order from a certain Italian restaurant chain…but it’s so much tastier (and better for you too).

In the same amount of time it takes to order in, you can spice up spaghetti with some Thai-inspired staples. Takeout who?

Don’t save this one for spring. You can use frozen peas in a pinch; just thaw them before cooking.

We’ll never get tired of butternut squash, especially when it’s masquerading as cheese sauce. Genius.

Boxed mac and cheese, we’ll see you on the flip side.

If you’re intimidated by homemade gnocchi, don’t be. The pasta in this dish requires five ingredients and three easy steps.

On the other hand, we won’t judge if you pick up a package of store-bought gnocchi and whip up this beauty instead.

Name a dish that avocado doesn’t improve. We’ll wait.

Ground beef? We don’t know her.

Romesco is a traditional Catalonian sauce made with tomatoes, peppers, garlic and toasted nuts. Are you drooling yet?

Think of this as pesto with a twist. The splash of red wine vinegar is key.

It tastes like it took a lot of effort, but you don’t even have to boil the noodles in advance.

The contrast between zippy pea pesto and cool, creamy burrata is pretty hard to top.

Get the recipe

It’s called gilding the lily. Ever heard of it?

Stash your leftovers in the freezer. They’ll come in handy on a lazy weeknight.

Creamy but not gloppy, and it’s full of good-for-you greens. Can we make this every night?

It turns out, a rich tomato sauce doesn’t need a lot of time or effort. You just need to add butter.

Get the recipe

Confession: We’ll eat just about anything that’s smothered in peanut sauce.

The alcohol in the vodka cooks out, so this one is totally safe to serve to your kids. (They’re going to love it.)

We can’t decide what we love more: the pasta or the three seconds of cleanup.

Is there anything cauliflower can’t do? (No. The answer is no.)

The slight char on the lemons adds a certain je ne sais quoi that we can’t get enough of.

Get the recipe

FYI, honeynut squash is like a baby butternut. If you can’t find ’em, swap ’em.

Raw kale can be a little, um, aggressive. Wilted into cheesy noodles, on the other hand, it’s delightful in every way.

Oh, you’re not a mushroom lover? Well, you’re about to be. (Blame it on the balsamic butter sauce.)

If our two favorite Italian foods got together and had a very delicious baby, this would be it.