20 Spring Pastas

In this bright spring pasta dish of morels, asparagus, and cream, dried morels are rehydrated in boiling water that is then used to cook spaghetti, infusing the pasta with an earthy, mushroomy flavor.

The pasta for this potent and luxurious dish is cooked in chile-spiked chicken stock and bolstered by three preparations of garlic: roasted, fried, and sauteed.

Simple ingredients—chewy, charred cauliflower, fried capers and bread crumbs, and browned butter, bolstered by whole grain mustard—combine for the ultimate late-winter pasta. Get the recipe for Pappardelle with Cauliflower and Mustard Brown Butter »

For this dish, use the market’s best-looking greens. Each lends its own character: mustard greens provide a peppery tang, bok choy an earthy pungency, and mizuna a bitter-edged complexity. See the recipe for Pappardelle Over Wilted Asian Greens »

Cauliflower roasted until sweet with garlic and cumin gets tossed with toothsome gemelli pasta, golden raisins, and slivered almonds for crunch. Get the recipe for Gemelli with Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower »

A combination of pesto, parmesan, and reduced cream makes a rich sauce for fettuccine or other long, thin pasta. The whole dish comes together quickly in just one pot, making it one of our favorites for a hearty weeknight dinner.

Spring Pea Ravioli with Prosciutto & Pea Shoots

The silver-dollar-size rounds of corzetti (sometimes called croxetti) are elevated with a mushroom sauce bolstered by a savory veal stock. Get the recipe for Corzetti Pasta with Dried Mushroom Ragù »

Noodles with Fried Scallions Crunchy, flash-fried scallions top this Taiwanese dish, an excellent version of which is served at Liang’s Kitchen in San Gabriel, California. See this Recipe

Less is more in an elemental Roman pasta dish which takes its spiciness from cracked black pepper toasted in oil. Get the recipe for Pasta Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta) »

Pasta with Grilled Artichokes

In Genoa, pesto is most commonly tossed with trofie, a short, twisted pasta, or trennete, a thin, flat noodle. Never heat pesto on its own—the pasta will warm it—and add it sparingly (around ½ cup pesto per pound of pasta). Get the recipe for Pesto and Trofie Pasta »

In this classic Genoese dish, fettuccine pasta is combined with string beans, baby red potatoes, and tossed with basil pesto. Get the recipe for Trenette al Pesto »