Pasta isn’t always thought of as an expensive meal, but when you add a lot of ingredients or a handful of more opulent ones, its price per serving can climb. But these smart pastas rely on only a few powerful ingredients — many of which you probably already have on hand — to keep flavors big and costs small. Because dinner doesn’t have to be pricey to be delicious and to feel luxurious.
A fully stocked pantry is cheap pasta’s best friend. Eric Kim deploys spicy gochujang paste here to maximum effect for a six-ingredient pasta (not counting salt) with ample depth of flavor. Honey enhances the sauce, while butter mellows it out, ready to slick the noodles.
This affordable pasta from Sohla El-Waylly is perfect for summer, calling for ripe, succulent cherry tomatoes instead of canned for a lighter, brighter result. Tinned sardines and anchovies add the best kind of fishiness, while capers and olives lend briny notes. Nearly every element packs a punch.
Recipe: Sardine Pasta Puttanesca
Alexa Weibel truly stretches a can of chickpeas here, first cooking it in a rosemary-infused oil. Then, she puts some to use as a garnish, while the rest cook down in the creamy sauce, thickening it even further.
This version of carbonara from Kay Chun adds tomatoes and uses bacon, not guanciale, to impart smokiness. One element that remains the same, though, is the eggy sauce, which she smartly tempers with hot pasta water before mixing it with the pasta to prevent curdling.
Garlic lovers, we see you. This pasta from Ali Slagle channels marinara and a meat ragù, but still manages to be vegan with its — yes — 40 cloves of garlic. A light braise tenderizes that garlic before the tomatoes are added. It’s all paired with any short tube pasta of your liking, all the better to hold the chunky sauce.
Ali Slagle’s take on buttered noodles goes a small but important step further, as she has you brown the butter until gloriously nutty in scent and flavor. Salty parm rounds it out in a dish even the pickiest eaters are bound to enjoy.
Colu Henry takes all the flavors of the classic summer sandwich and riffs on them in this easy weeknight pasta. Cherry tomatoes break down during a cook in bacon fat, which serves as the backbone for the sauce. Arugula (not lettuce) lends a peppery bite, but you could also swap in another green, if that appeals.
Recipe: BLT Pasta
This Genevieve Ko recipe was initially created as an ideal school lunch option for its clever use of pumpkin seeds in place of nuts and its ability to be eaten hot, chilled or at room temperature. One other highlight? It lasts in the fridge for some time, so you can make a big batch and eat it throughout the week.
Recipe: Pasta With Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Summer is zucchini season, and maybe you count yourself among the lucky ones with a garden bursting forth with them. But, even if you don’t, this recipe from Florence Fabricant won’t break the budget. Feel free to swap walnuts in for the more expensive pine nuts here: They lend the same bite without the price.
Recipe: Fettuccine With Zucchini
Japanese mushrooms are cooked in a buttery sauce run through with soy sauce in this classic wafu (or “Japanese style”) pasta from Hana Asbrink. Scallion and nori as finishing touches add umami and a light, oniony brightness to counter the earthy mushrooms. You could skip them, but don’t.
Recipe: Mushroom Wafu Pasta
Creamed spinach, that star steakhouse favorite, gets the pasta treatment from Colu Henry. And why not? It makes perfect sense. She calls for fresh spinach here, but you could also easily take a tip from a commenter and use frozen chopped spinach that has been thawed and drained. It’s cooked down in garlic butter, then thickened into a sauce with cream. A dollop of ricotta makes it feel especially rich without breaking the bank.
