18 Easy Pasta Recipes You Can Make in Under 30 Minutes

With a box of pasta and a few extra ingredients, dinner is done in a snap.

Robin Shreeves

April 17, 2025 at 2:32 p.m.·6 min read

Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

Few things are more satisfying than coming home from a long day and sitting down to a big bowl of pasta. And knowing you can throw it together quickly and make your whole family happy? Even better.

These pasta dishes come together in 30 minutes or less, make the most of fresh or pantry-friendly ingredients, and are usually flexible enough to allow you to change out the pasta for whatever you happen to have on hand for a weeknight win.

Creamy Cavatappi

Get Recipe: Creamy Cavatappi

If you have 20 minutes, you can make this pasta dish with cavatappi—fancy elbow macaroni—that holds onto all the creamy cheese sauce. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce with butter, garlic, heavy cream, Parmesan, and lemon juice. Adding peas is optional, but doing so helps you get some veggies in if you're not serving it alongside a salad.

Easy Pasta Pomodoro

Get Recipe: Easy Pasta Pomodoro

"While this easy pasta pomodoro tastes just like summer, cherry tomatoes are good year-round, so you can make this recipe whenever the mood strikes." —Laurel Randolph, Associate Editorial Director

5-Ingredient Broccoli Pasta

Get Recipe: The 20-Minute Dinner I Make on Busy Weeknights

"I often serve this pasta on its own, but if I have a rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken on hand, I’ll toss that into the mix for a dose of protein." —Molly Adams, Recipe Developer

One-Pot Sausage and Orzo

Get Recipe: I Make This One-Pot Dinner Every Single Week (It’s Ready in Under 30 Minutes)

"If you’re not familiar with orzo, it’s a small, rice-shaped pasta that’s commonly used for pasta salads or soups. It falls in the category of pastina, or 'little pasta,' and like other little pastas, it cooks quickly, making it handy for weeknight dinners." Sara Haas, Recipe Developer

Easy Green Pasta

Get Recipe: Easy Green Pasta

This vibrant sauce is made with fresh Swiss chard, pasta water, olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. It's simple and goes with the pasta of your choice. Substitute kale, spinach, or collard greens for the Swiss chard if you'd like.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Green Olives

Get Recipe: The 15-Minute Meal I Always Make When I Don't Feel Like Cooking

"I’m wise enough to know that improving on a dish as outstanding as spaghetti aglio e olio is a fool’s errand, but by adding a few of my family’s favorite ingredients that I always have on hand, I’ve turned it into what I consider the perfect plate of pasta." —Molly Adams, Recipe Developer

Pasta Carbonara

Get Recipe: Pasta Carbonara

This indulgent recipe takes just 30 minutes to make. Fry up pancetta or bacon in a skillet, then create the silky Carbonara sauce of Parmesan and beaten eggs tossed with the hot pasta and a little fat from the pork. It's a real treat.

Cheesy Hamburger Skillet

Get Recipe: My Cheesy Hamburger Skillet Is Super Nostalgic

"Everything cooks in a single skillet and takes less than 20 minutes to cook. The result is an ultra-creamy pasta balanced with acidic tomatoes and a beefy flavor." —Meghan Splawn, Recipe Developer

20-Minute Spaghetti with Tuna and White Beans

Get Recipe: The 20-Minute Dinner I Make for Pennies on the Dollar

"This is the quintessential affordable pantry dinner, made exclusively with staples I keep stocked at all times: pasta, canned tuna, and canned white beans. It’s delicious with just those simple ingredients, but I also love adding a few extra garnishes to make it even more satisfying." —Stephanie A Ganz, Recipe Developer

Stovetop Stuffed Shells

Get Recipe: The One-Pot 30-Minute Dinner I Make All the Time

"There’s no need to turn on the oven with this easy (and quicker) recipe. It starts with cooking the shells, which should be very al dente so they’re easier to fill and don’t end up overcooked. A ricotta and Parmesan filling are added and the shells are arranged atop store-bought marinara. Topped with cheese, covered, and cooked for just a few more minutes, it’s a weeknight winner." —Sara Haas, Recipe Developer

Spring Carbonara

Get Recipe: The 20-Minute Dinner I’m Making All Spring Long

"I always use a 12- to 16-ounce bunch of asparagus as the primary vegetable because I cannot get enough of the grassy spears come spring. The rest of the veggies are super adaptable–I’ve used snow peas, snap peas, shelled English peas, peeled fava beans, tiny baby carrots, and even delicate morel mushrooms. Buy whatever seasonal veggies look good and cut them into pieces that will cook in the last 3 or so minutes with the spaghetti." —Ivy Manning, Recipe Developer

Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

Get Recipe: Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

"The most important thing to remember with this recipe is to reserve some of the pasta cooking water. It helps to make a luscious sauce that brings all of the ingredients together." —Aaron Hutcherson, Recipe Developer

Lemony Sardine Pasta

Get Recipe: Lemony Sardine Pasta

"I recommend a long pasta shape you can twirl around your fork to pick up all those jammy, crispy bits. Spaghetti, bucatini, or fusilli col buco are all great options." —Karishma Pradhan, Recipe Developer

Skillet Cacio e Pepe Tortellini With Wilted Greens

Get Recipe: Skillet Cacio e Pepe Tortellini With Wilted Greens

Fresh or frozen cheese tortellini cooks right in the same pan you'll later add the sauce ingredients to, saving the time you'd normally take it boil the pasta (and saving you one more to wash). The sauce is made with salty Pecorino Romano cheese and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. A few handfuls of spinach finish the dish.