70 Spaghetti Recipes That Go Way Beyond Just Pasta & Meatballs (2024)

70 Spaghetti Recipes That Go Way Beyond Just Pasta & Meatballs (1)

It's true, is a classic for a reason, but sometimes you want to upgrade the classic weeknight pasta dinner. Whether you're preparing for a fancy date night or a dinner party night amongst friends, we've rounded up 70 ways you can liven up your spaghetti game.

When there are so many classic Italian pasta dishes, it can be hard to choose. Especially when choosing is between pasta puttanesca, carbonara, pasta pomodoro, spaghetti Bolognese...the list goes on. We've got all the classics here, plus lots of tips for making them just as tasty as your favorite local red-sauce joint. Whatever you choose, just make sure you don't skimp on the Parmesan cheese.

Speaking of, are you more of a cheese-head than a tomato fan? We 100% support that. In that case, it doesn't get any better than our lemon ricotta pasta, our creamy three-cheese spaghetti, or our brie spaghetti. Our best pro-tip no matter how you dress your spaghetti: Save that pasta water! The starchiness of the pasta water, when tossed with your spaghetti, allows for the sauce to slick every noodle.

And hey, we won't knock you if you really do just want to curl up with a bowl of spaghetti & meatballs. We've got plenty of recipes for the best homemade spaghetti sauce, best jarred pasta sauces you can find at the store, and even how to properly cook pasta and make homemade pasta dough to guarantee yours is the easiest or best it can be. Go classic, or swap in different meatballs to jazz things up (our French onion chicken meatballs or our Thai-style red curry meatballs would be incredible).

Looking for even more pasta recipes? Check out our best baked pasta recipes, our favorite summer pasta dishes, and all our top pasta salad recipes too.

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1

Creamy Tomato Pasta With Burrata

70 Spaghetti Recipes That Go Way Beyond Just Pasta & Meatballs (3)

Here, a classic tomato sauce is made even better with a bit of cream and a delicious topping of burrata. The cherry tomatoes add a bit of sweetness to the sauce and make it feel fresher too.

Get the Creamy Tomato Pasta With Burrata recipe.

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2

Spaghetti & Meatballs

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Meet your new favorite comforting, no-frills bowl of spaghetti and meatballs that you can take in any direction. Enjoy it as is, or use it as a jumping off point for swapping in different pasta sauces and meatball recipes.

Get the .

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3

Dirty Martini Pasta

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This pasta takes inspiration from a classic pasta al limone by using heavy cream as the base for the luscious and decadent sauce. And, just like a dirty martini, we supplement the dish with olives and brine (and booze, of course). The best part? It comes together in under 30 minutes.

Get the Dirty Martini Pasta recipe.

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4

Chicken Spaghetti

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If you didn’t grow up with this comfort food, allow us to introduce you to your new favorite weeknight dinner. Chicken, spaghetti, and veggies combine with a creamy, cheesy sauce for a baked and bubbling casserole that’s just as perfect for busy weeknights as it is for parties. The best part? The leftovers are even better.

Get the Chicken Spaghetti recipe.

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5

Pasta Alla Gricia

70 Spaghetti Recipes That Go Way Beyond Just Pasta & Meatballs (11)

Along with carbonara, cacio e pepe, and amatriciana, pasta alla gricia completes the four classic pasta dishes of Rome. It's a classic for good reason: With only four ingredients, it's simple to make and easy to indulge. Don't have guanciale? It won't be quite the same, but you can use thick-cut bacon instead.

Get the Pasta Alla Gricia recipe.

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6

Taco Spaghetti

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One-pot taco spaghetti is a fast-as-can-be weeknight dinner that pairs all your favorite taco fixin’s with spaghetti rather than taco shells. It's perfect for those nights when you just cannot stand the thought of a sink full of dirty dishes too, because everything comes together in one pot.

Get the Taco Spaghetti recipe.

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7

Pasta Al Limone

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This is a rich, creamy dish that’s sure to satisfy everyone, given it’s perfect balance of acidity and cream – and it can be whipped up as quickly as it takes to boil your pasta.

Get the Pasta Al Limone recipe.

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8

Brie Spaghetti

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It’s gotta be said—brie can be costly. We used a BIG wheel for our video above, but don’t worry: You can get away with a wheel about (or a little over) half the size. A little bit of brie goes a long way, and your pasta will still be delicious.

Get the Brie Spaghetti recipe.

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9

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

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We've incorporated Tuscan flavors into countless of our weeknight dinners, including one of our most popular recipes of all time: creamy Tuscan chicken. We turn to this recipe so often, we decided to transform it into a pasta dinner to shake up your dinner rotation.

Get the Tuscan Chicken Pasta recipe.

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10

Garlicky Spaghetti

Anchovies are totally optional in this recipe; The garlic, however, is not! If you're a major garlic fan, you gotta top this with our garlic butter meatballs, too.

Get the Garlicky Spaghetti recipe.

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11

Cacio E Pepe

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Cacio e pepe literally translates to “cheese and pepper." These two ingredients are usually thought of as small components to a dish but in this pasta recipe, they take center stage. The fruity bite of freshly ground pepper adds complexity, and is earthy, sweet and spicy all at once.

Get the Cacio E Pepe recipe.

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12

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

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If Julia Child taught America how to roast chicken, Marcella Hazan taught us how to make good pasta sauce. Her version is a little unconventional; the onion isn't sautéed, the sauce simmers for less than an hour, and there's a lot of butter. It's the easiest and, most likely, best red sauce you'll ever make at home.

Get the Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe.

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13

Spaghetti Carbonara

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Though many people travel to Rome to experience the Colosseum, for us, there’s only one reason to make the trip: carbonara! Like other Italian classics bucatini all'Amatriciana and cacio e pepe, eating a bowl of silky, rich, perfectly salty carbonara is life-changing, and now you can make it right at home.

Get the Spaghetti Carbonara recipe.

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14

Easy Carbonara

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This pasta dish with Roman origins is a sure win, calling for just 5 ingredients and done in 20 minutes. It’s basically a pantry dive—spaghetti, bacon, garlic, eggs, and Parmesan are all ingredients that are easy to have on hand and make this the ultimate comfort food.

Get the Easy Carbonara recipe.

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15

One-Pan Tuna Pasta

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Using canned or jarred tuna in pasta is a cheap and delicious way to add some protein to a meal. Italians do it with pasta al tonno, and Americans do it (in our own way) with tuna noodle casserole. This recipe is a bit of a riff on pasta puttanesca, using familiar ingredients such as capers, anchovies, and olives.

Get the One-Pan Tuna Pasta recipe.

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16

Creamy Lemon Pepper Shrimp Spaghetti

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Spaghetti and meatballs is the classic you've probably turned to a little too often. Switch it up and make this creamy, fresh, lemon- pepper shrimp spaghetti that's bursting with flavor.

Get the Creamy Lemon Pepper Shrimp Spaghetti recipe.

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17

Pasta Puttanesca

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The super-fragrant sauce is made with a lot of garlic and anchovies that will have you begging for seconds. It's definitely a break from the classic , especially with the capers and olives adding a briny saltiness to this classic dish. Serve it with the best garlic bread ever and call it a day.

Get the Pasta Puttanesca recipe.

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18

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

70 Spaghetti Recipes That Go Way Beyond Just Pasta & Meatballs (37)

This is the perfect summertime dish. It's fresh and light, and it instantly had us in love. If you can't find fat bucatini, use any long pasta like spaghetti or linguine instead!

Get the Lemon Ricotta Pasta recipe.

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19

Instant Pot Spaghetti

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Yes, you really can throw all your spaghetti ingredients in the Instant Pot. It's a win-win: You get dinner on the table fast, but with a homemade marinara instead of the jarred stuff. We bet it will soon be the meal you turn to as often as Tuscan butter salmon or Instant Pot chicken noodle soup.

Get the Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe.

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20

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

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What makes this Roman pasta dish so special is pancetta, which adds extra saltiness and flavor to the otherwise classic tomato sauce. If you're really in a pinch, you can sub bacon for the pancetta but we think it really does make a difference in the final dish if you do seek it out.

Get the Bucatini all'Amatriciana recipe.

70 Spaghetti Recipes That Go Way Beyond Just Pasta & Meatballs (2024)

FAQs

How to make spaghetti more interesting? ›

17 Of The Most Delicious Things You Can Do To Spaghetti
  1. Classic Spaghetti with Red Sauce. ...
  2. Shrimp Parmesan Sandwiches. ...
  3. Spaghetti a la Carbonara. ...
  4. Seared Scallops with Lemon Spinach Pasta. ...
  5. Spaghetti with Smoky Tomato Almond Sauce. ...
  6. Kung Pao Chicken Meatballs and Spaghetti. ...
  7. Kale Pasta with Walnuts and Parmesan.
Apr 10, 2016

What to put on pasta when you have no sauce? ›

Cheese is an excellent way to add flavor to your pasta without having to rely on sauce. Try mixing your angel hair pasta with goat cheese, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes to make an amazing meal with just a few ingredients. Garlic butter is a terrific way to season all types of noodles.

How do you bulk up spaghetti? ›

You can find protein in some cheeses like Parmesan, Romano, low-fat swiss, and low-fat cheddar which are all easy to sprinkle on your favorite pasta dish! Choose full-flavored sharper cheeses when possible because a little goes a long way.

What is the secret to the best spaghetti? ›

For best flavor, use certified San Marzano tomatoes. Add Parmesan cheese into the sauce while cooking. Use no salt added tomatoes. Use ground beef to cut down on sodium content.

What can you put on spaghetti instead of tomato sauce? ›

Some options include:
  • **Pesto Sauce:** A flavorful blend of basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
  • **Alfredo Sauce:** A creamy sauce made with butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese.
  • **Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce:** Sauté garlic in olive oil for a simple, aromatic alternative.
Jan 26, 2023

What is a broken pasta sauce? ›

What does it mean when a sauce breaks? A broken sauce is generally caused by the separation of sauces into two components: a watery liquid and an oily film on top. This happens when there's too much fat or liquid in the mixture.

Can you put pasta straight into the sauce? ›

Cooking pasta in the sauce instead of in boiling water will increase the amount of time it takes to cook through. It's a good technique to use if you want to delay serving your pasta for a few minutes. Make sure to keep the sauce thinned out with pasta water as the pasta finishes cooking if you use this method.

How do you make bland spaghetti taste better? ›

Here are some ways to make leftover pasta sauce taste better if it is bland:
  1. Season it with salt and pepper. This is the simplest way to add flavor to your sauce. ...
  2. Add some acidity. ...
  3. Add some sweetness. ...
  4. Add some umami. ...
  5. Add some herbs. ...
  6. Add some garlic. ...
  7. Add some heat. ...
  8. Add some cheese.
Nov 19, 2023

How to jazz up jarred pasta sauce? ›

Maybe it needs a touch of salt, red pepper flakes, or some fresh garlic to liven it up. You could add dried or fresh herbs too: oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, parsley—they're all great! Want to go next level? Toss in some chopped anchovies (or anchovy salt), olives, or some lemon zest and/or juice.

Can you add anything to spaghetti? ›

There are many delicious toppings and sauces you can put on your cooked spaghetti noodles besides meatballs, cheese, or tomato sauce. Here are some ideas: Pesto: This is a classic Italian sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. It's perfect for tossing with hot spaghetti noodles.

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