13 Pasta Recipes Everyone Should Know
You probably didn't spend much time perfecting your cooking skills during college; chances are you learned to make a decent bowl of ramen noodles, or you headed up to your common room kitchen and filled a baking dish with pasta and whatever cheap ingredients you could find. And then you got your first apartment, bought some pots and pans, and ate lots of filling and budget-friendly mac and cheese. If you're stuck in a pasta rut and haven't really learned how to get creative (and nutritious) with this most versatile food, here are some ideas to help you take your pasta-making to the next level.
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Pasta is one of the simplest and most adaptable foods to prepare; and many great dishes require very little prep work yet result in a fantastic and well-composed meals. If you're on a tight budget, need a complete meal in little time, or are concerned that your cooking skills aren't up to par, pasta is the way to go. Learning how to make a few basic but satisfying dishes will always come in handy.
Besides being incredibly easy to prepare (can you boil a pot of water?), pasta dishes often require very few ingredients. Many of them can be made with items that are likely sitting in your cupboard or refrigerator at this very moment. With a little chopping, a little mixing, and about 30 minutes of prep time, you can have a filling and crowd-pleasing dish. Even handmade meatballs or a creamy Alfredo sauce can be made quickly with a few smart tricks.
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Flavorful, hearty Bolognese sauce requires some patience — the flavor takes time to develop — but it will be well worth the work. This recipe calls for ground beef, but you can make a mixture of ground beef, veal, and pork in whatever ratio you prefer to add a bit of complexity to the flavor.
Pasta Carbonara
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If you've ever made this dish before and followed a recipe that asked you to use any sort of milk or cream, you were deceived! The ingredients for a good pasta carbonara are few, so if a tight budget is the issue, this is right up your alley. If you're a carbonara novice, it's egg yolk that makes this pasta dish so creamy, not cream.
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