Here are 10 easy pasta recipes your family will love! You’ll find a big variety of family friendly recipes and many of these recipes can be great ways to use leftovers!

10 Pasta Recipes Your Family Will Love!

Whether you’re in the mood for something light and cool, something baked, a soup or any of a big variety of flavors, you’re sure to find that one of these easy pasta recipes does the trick!

Easy Homemade Spagetti Sauce Recipe

1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
2 (16 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1 (8 oz.) can tomato paste
salt to taste
1 clove garlic, pressed, or garlic powder (to taste)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. Italian Seasoning (p.304)

Crumble sausage in a 2-quart saucepan. Brown with onion.

Drain fat. Add other ingredients and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove bay leaf before serving. Serves 4.

 

BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

This recipe has no real measurements. You can add as little or much of each ingredient as you like.

Spiral pasta (or your favorite pasta), cooked
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Tomatoes, chopped
Miracle Whip dressing
Lettuce

Mix the first four ingredients together. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

 

Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Copycat Recipe

This Olive Garden pasta fagioli recipe is a quick and easy soup to make when you don’t have time to cook but want something everyone will eat. It’s also gluten free if you use gluten free pasta and is a great meal for those who need a gluten free or diabetic diet. From our cookbook on page 146.

1 (15 oz.) can northern beans
1 (28 oz.) can stewed tomatoes, sliced
16 oz. spagetti sauce
Italian seasoning, to taste
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups pasta, uncooked
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil on medium high. Turn the heat down to low. Cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook on slow simmer for 30 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally. Serves 6.

 

Easy Chicken Spinach Pasta Recipe

This easy chicken spinach pasta recipe is a super yummy and easy to make dinner recipe! It’ll give you a restaurant taste without the restaurant cost and you’ll save a bunch of money! This recipe is on page 198.

1 lb. fresh spinach, rinsed well
1 cup chicken broth
1 (6 ounce) pkg. pasta shells
1 tsp. olive oil or vegetable spray
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. nutmeg or mace
salt and pepper
1/2 lb. chicken breast, boned, skinned, grilled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the spinach in the broth until tender. Drain and reserve broth. Remove excess liquid by mashing. Cook pasta.

In a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the oil or vegetable spray and sauté the garlic, stirring constantly, until it is white (about 1 minute). Don’t allow it to brown.

Add the spinach and nutmeg or mace, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces to the spinach, stir and add a small amount of the reserved cooking broth. Stir the spinach until it is hot. If the spinach starts to get dry, add broth as necessary. Add the cooked pasta to the spinach mixture and blend well.

Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Serves 4.

 

This Green Chili Chicken Pasta Recipe is a delicious and easy Mexican themed dish. It’s an easy casserole with a different twist from a typical pasta dish.

Green Chili Chicken Pasta Recipe

1 lb. penne pasta, cooked
2 cups chicken cooked, shredded or chopped and seasoned with cumin and onion
2 cups (16 oz.) Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
4 oz. diced green chilies

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour to make a roux and let bubble for 1 minute.  Add in chicken broth, stirring constantly. Allow it to bubble and thicken for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add sour cream and green chilies. In a greased 9×13 baking dish, layer pasta, chicken and cheese two times. Then pour the sauce over the top. Do not stir.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and golden on top.

This dish may not need it but you can use salt and pepper to taste or add any other seasonings you would like to add. You may also add olives or garnish with tomatoes.

 

This Pasta Veggie Fruit Salad recipe is a wonderful dish to make up in the morning. Then, when dinner time comes and everyone is hot and tired, just set this dish on the table. Voila! Dinner is served.

Pasta Veggie Fruit Salad Recipe

1 1/2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (6 oz.) water chestnuts, drained
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped

Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ranch dressing
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta. While it is cooking, chop the rest of the ingredients and mix. Mix the dressing together. Add pasta and mix everything. Chill. Garnish with toasted slivered almonds if desired.

 

This easy taco pasta salad recipe makes an easy and tasty one dish meal. It’s a great way to use leftover meat and veggies, too!

Taco Pasta Salad

6 Tbsp. water
1/2 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 lb. cooked hamburger or 1 cup cooked chicken
8 oz. rotini or some type of pasta, cooked, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 can (2 oz.) sliced black olives
8 oz. shredded Colby jack cheese or your favorite kind of cheese
1 (8oz.) bottle Catalina or red French salad dressing*

Combine taco seasoning and water in a medium skillet. Bring to a boil. Add meat, simmering for 5-10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool while you chop the veggies. Pour the pasta in large bowl along with everything else, tossing to coat it with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

*This seems like a lot of dressing so you can adjust it and all the ingredients to your own taste. Rotisserie chicken is great for this too.

 

This ranch turkey pasta recipe is a quick and easy main dish recipe you can make to use some of your leftover holiday turkey. It is so fast you make it in less time than it takes to boil the pasta.

Ranch Turkey Pasta Recipe

2 1/2 cups uncooked medium tube pasta (or any other type of pasta or noodle)
6-8 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
3 cups turkey, cooked and cubed

Cook the pasta according to the directions. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet and add salad dressing mix. Add peas and carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the pasta and add it and the turkey to skillet. Makes 4 servings.

 

Easy Pan Fried Lemon Chicken Recipe

This easy pan fried lemon chicken recipe is a quick and easy chicken dinner recipe! It serves 2, but you can easily double it and still have dinner for under 5 dollars! You can find this recipe in our Dining On A Dime Cookbook on page 204.

2 bell peppers, chopped
1 whole chicken breast, boneless and skinless
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
2 cups pasta, cooked

In a skillet, saute bell peppers over medium heat in a small amount of oil. Cut chicken into strips. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Remove peppers. Heat oil in the skillet, still on medium heat. Add chicken and cook 6-8 minutes, until brown. Add peppers and warm. Put pasta on a serving dish. Place chicken and peppers on pasta. Add chicken broth and lemon juice to skillet. Stir over medium heat 2-3 minutes. Scrape brown bits on the bottom of the pan and cook until reduced. Stir in parsley. Pour over chicken. Serves 2.

 

Sheala’s Ham and Noodles Casserole Recipe

1 (8 oz.) pkg. egg noodles or pasta, cooked
1/2 lb. ham, chopped
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

Mix first three ingredients together in a casserole dish and bake at 350° for 20 minutes until warmed. Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serves 4.

1 package of any vegetable may be added.

 

And a Bonus Recipe! :-)

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

2-3 lbs. chicken pieces
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cans (14 oz.) stewed tomatoes
2 cups mushrooms sliced
1 cup zucchini, sliced
1 tsp. fresh basil, crushed or 1/4 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups pasta, cooked

Brown chicken in oil, 10 minutes, turning occasionally; drain. Add the rest of the ingredients except pasta. Cover and simmer 25 minutes. Serve over pasta.

 

For more quick and easy recipes like these easy pasta recipes, check out our cookbook:

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