5 plays on pasta recipes

October is National Pasta Month, the perfect time to celebrate this versatile ingredient on the menu. These five recipes showcase the many shapes, sauces and preparations that make pasta a universal favorite. 

Mac and cheese is a comforting pasta dish with wide appeal. The kitchen at Yak & Yeti gives the classic preparation a spicy kick by incorporating Sriracha into the cheese sauce. The addition of shrimp and scallops turns what is often served as a side into a well-balanced entree.

Click here for the recipe.

At Piada Italian Street Food, a fast-casual chain based in Columbus, Ohio, pasta appears on the menu in various shapes and formats. In this recipe, chef Matt Harding uses spaghetti rigati, a ridged pasta that’s designed to better hold the spicy tomato sauce. On Oct. 17 of this year, designated as National Pasta Day, Piada introduced a second dish made with rigati—Date Night Past—which features a creamy sauce. 

Click here for the recipe.

Pasta salads are a smart choice when the weather turns colder and the variety of vegetables available is not as great. This salad combines chickpeas and whole-grain pasta for a plant-forward menu item that follows the health guidelines of the Mediterranean diet.

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Pesto sauce adds fresh and bright notes to pasta, and is readily available commercially if fresh basil is not in season. This pesto-based pasta also features roasted Roma tomatoes, chopped garlic, fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Click here for the recipe.

This riff on macaroni and cheese features a different pasta shape and three types of cheese. Butternut squash and kale add a vegetable component, and bacon imparts a smoky flavor. For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon. Either way, this pasta bake makes for a comforting cold-weather dish.

Click here for the recipe.