25 Winter Pasta Recipes to Warm Up with All Season Long

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, high protein, special occasion-worthy

A springform pan is the secret to pulling off this savory sausage and pasta pie. The process is breezy, and the finished product is sure to impress.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special-occasion worthy, <500 calories

Here, tender shrimp, melty pearl onions and pasta mingle in a bold, paprika-spiked tomato broth. The end result is a hearty seafood stew you’ll want to warm up with all winter long.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, special-occasion worthy

Who knew creamy, restaurant quality vodka sauce could be accomplished so quickly and easily at home with just a few pantry staples? We suggest not skipping the vodka, though—it’s a pretty essential flavor booster.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, one pot, kid-friendly

Sometimes you just need to tuck into a big, comforting bowl of mac and cheese; when the mood strikes, we suggest using smoked gouda and generous amounts of fresh thyme for a more sophisticated finished dish that’s oh-so decadent.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, one pot

Once you have mastered the technique required to achieve a creamy sauce, this beloved Italian pasta is super easy to make and reliably satisfying. Just be sure to incorporate the cheese gradually to prevent clumping and definitely don’t be shy with the black pepper.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <15 minutes, one pan, beginner-friendly

Everyone’s favorite Thai pasta dish of stir-fried rice noodles in an umami-forward sauce is so easy to make at home you’ll never opt for takeout again.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly

This Asian-inspired recipe for Japanese soba noodles dressed with a mildly spicy peanut sauce yields a bowlful of comfort that won’t weigh you down. One piece of advice: don’t skimp on the cilantro and scallion garnish—it really ties the whole thing together.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special-occasion worthy

Gruyere, ricotta, pumpkin puree and heavy cream come together to make a baked pasta casserole that tastes like a savory, carb-loaded PSL and freezes like a dream.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, one-pan, high protein

Baked ziti gets an extra indulgent boost from the flavor enhancing power of pancetta in this upgrade on the Italian-American classic.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: special-occasion worthy, high protein, vegetarian

Eggplant lovers will delight in this Sicilian dish, which features a kicky red pepper-spiked tomato sauce, piquant pecorino cheese, hearty rigatoni and (you guessed it) plenty of the aforementioned nightshade.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, high protein, one pan

Spaghetti and meatballs is a family favorite that tastes so much better when it only takes a jar of store bought marinara, a single pan and 30 minutes of your time to pull it off.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, high protein, one pan

Spaghetti and meatballs is a family favorite that tastes so much better when it only takes a jar of store bought marinara, a single pan and 30 minutes of your time to pull it off.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, beginner-friendly

Repurpose last night’s tomato and eggplant soup and put the variety of half-used pasta boxes in your pantry to good use with this swoon-worthy and blessedly easy to make baked pasta dish, courtesy of Ina Garten.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, <10 ingredients

We can’t get enough of the meaty, umami goodness of mushrooms. In this winter pasta recipe, they lend their chewy, savory character to the dish that’s mixed with salty prosciutto and coated with a thyme-scented white wine sauce.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly

Fear not the anchovies: they disappear into the sauce and bring a bold umami flavor to a spicy, tomatoey pasta dish that you can whip up in a flash when late night hunger strikes.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <500 calories, vegetarian, gluten free

Avoiding gluten? No problem—just swap the standard noodles for butternut squash and you’ve got a dreamy white lasagna that’s destined to become a cold weather favorite.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, high protein

Rich, creamy and loaded with cheese—there are few pasta dishes that provide the comfort of pasta alfredo. Make it at home in one pot with boneless, skinless chicken breasts for protein and plenty of parsley for a fresh and light finish. Then pat yourself on the back because you just outdid the Olive Garden with minimal effort involved.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian

If all the Italian standbys are starting to feel a little snoozy, spice things up with this pasta and veggie stir-fry, featuring a sauce of coconut milk and red curry paste that’s got personality to spare.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients

We’ve already shared a classic alfredo recipe, but sometimes you want creamy comfort that won’t weigh you down all night. Here, pureed cauliflower and a splash of regular milk stand in for heavy cream to create a sauce that’s just as luscious and decidedly healthier than the original.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour 2 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, vegetarian

This elegant and innovative winter pasta recipe calls for pureeing eggplant with walnuts and parsley to create a smoky, zesty pesto that will make your palate sing. We highly recommend it for anyone with a textural aversion to eggplant and, well, everyone else with taste buds.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, vegetarian

Buckwheat takes the place of potato in this gnocchi recipe, but don’t worry—you still get your spuds on the side, along with gooey fontina cheese and the wintery comfort of cabbage.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly

Yet another crave-worthy mac and cheese recipe—this one boasts a show-stopping phyllo topping that’s easy to accomplish, pretty enough for a special occasion and far more texturally pleasing than breadcrumbs.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, high protein

Put the phone away because we’re eating in tonight, thanks to this exceedingly easy cheater’s pad Thai that tastes just as delicious as your favorite takeout and comes together in the blink of an eye. File under ‘weeknight favorites’.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, high protein, vegetarian, gluten free

This gluten-free winner boasts zucchini noodles (i.e., zoodles) and kimchi in a creamy, spicy gojuchang sauce with the runny yolks from a few fried eggs to sweeten the deal.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian

Scallops are a special treat…when prepared by a restaurant chef with enough know-how to cook them right. For the rest of us, trumpet mushroom medallions are a fine stand-in with a similarly meaty texture and loads of umami flavor, to boot.