All You Need Is A Box Of Pasta And 3 Ingredients For These Easy Weeknight Dinners

It's a weeknight. You've had a long day, a treacherous commute home, and you're starving. You could use a comforting, home-cooked meal, but don't have the bandwidth, nor the ingredients, to make a gourmet dish from scratch. Who said being a grown-up was fun? Don't fret, all you need is a box of pasta and three ingredients for these easy dinners. These aren't your average desperation meals, equipped with cut-up hot dogs or a plastic jar of Prego. Instead, these dishes are made with top-tier ingredients so the flavor is outstanding, yet the prep is quick and simple. Heck, you could throw these together for a last-minute date night, an impromptu birthday dinner, or a treat-yourself night.

When using only a few ingredients, they must be of high quality. Their flavors are going to shine through individually, so you can't rely on subpar ingredients getting lost in the sauce. Fresh extra-virgin olive oil, quality imported cheeses, and fresh produce all make a huge difference, but you're also welcome to work with what you've got on hand and whatever is in your budget. As a chef and recipe designer, I love working with farmers market fresh foods, but as a working adult on a budget, sometimes frozen is what's doable. Create a balance of the three ingredients that feels right, especially when it comes to fats like butter and olive oil; don't hold back. And remember, you should be salting your pasta water, more than you think, but feel free to add a pinch after your meal is plated, or to your toppings as they cook.

Finding a balance amongst all of the flavors is important when creating a dish from scratch. Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and of course, umami are difficult to capture with just three ingredient toppings. When working with limited ingredients, I like to narrow in on one particular flavor and elevate it using backup ingredients. In particular, umami is a strong flavor that doesn't get enough time in the spotlight. To make an umami-rich pasta dish with just three toppings, choose shiitake mushrooms, fresh Parmesan cheese, and a finishing extra-virgin olive oil.

Both shiitake mushrooms and Parmesan cheese are deeply rich in umami flavors, while olive oil is famous for enhancing umami notes. In addition, shiitake mushrooms are chewy, while Parmesan melts in your mouth, and olive oil has a smooth and fatty mouthfeel. The diversity of texture will create a layered experience. Slice and cook your shiitake mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil, only stirring once or twice to allow them to brown on one side. The Parmesan can be added finely grated or sliced into thin flat slivers. Garnish with olive oil and salt.

The combination of garlic, white wine, and parsley is a classic, although often accompanied by other ingredients like butter or cheese. Yes, there is a little something missing when you don't add fat to pasta, but using a little bit of the starchy pasta water will help to supplement that smooth and heavy mouthfeel. It will also help to thicken the otherwise thin sauce. Crush and mince your garlic and cook it directly in the simmering white wine in your pan. Add your pasta water and let much of the alcohol cook off. The garlic should take longer to cook in liquid instead of fat, but keep at it until it has a sweet aroma. Mince fresh parsley and cook it right in the wine as well, and reserve some for garnishing. There are plenty of ways to keep your parsley fresh, so avoid using wilted parsley in this dish.

Select a dry white wine. Sweet white wines, or wildly inexpensive brands will not do, because there is no sauce to mask the flavor. Sauvignon blanc is my go-to, with its citrusy undertones and crisp flavor. However, a bottle of pinot grigio or chardonnay works fine as a backup. This is a fairly boozy sauce, so it's best not to serve it to children or anyone who chooses not to drink.

The combination of lemon, caprese, and olive oil is classic in the fish and chicken departments, but did you also know it works wonders for pasta? Lemon is both sweet and sour, while capers are deeply salty and tangy, bold and brilliant. Olive oil brings the perfect neutral balance with its fatty mouthfeel and sweet but slightly bitter flavor. Capers aren't for everyone, so if it's your first tango with the pickled buds, give one a taste before adding them to your pan. However, most of us always keep capers in our pantry or an open container in our refrigerator for such occasions.

Cook your pasta, then toss it back into the hot pan after straining, and add extra-virgin olive oil. Pour in a small amount of caper juice, and then a light teaspoon of capers per serving. Squeeze lemon on top, and grate in a little zest if you have the time. Plate, and finish with a little more olive oil and salt.

Tahini is by far one of my favorite ingredients to add to pasta dishes. It works in almost any capacity, from white wine to cream to tomato-based pasta sauces. It adds density and creaminess and is a wonderful but unexpected use for tahini.

Simply create your sauce by mixing tahini with a little bit of pasta water, squeezing in a decent amount of fresh lemon juice, and piling it high with freshly cracked black pepper. A little lemon zest never hurt anyone, and it only takes a few extra minutes to grate. As the tahini mixes with the pasta water, it should lighten and become irresistibly creamy. If it looks like it's separating, keep on stirring. Add more freshly cracked black pepper to the top, and you should have a dairy-free, simplified version of cacio e pepe. Once you try tahini in your pasta, it's hard to go back.

When using butter as only one of three ingredients in your easy weeknight pasta dinner, you've got to commit. Your pasta doesn't have to be swimming in a pool of butter, but a little extra slice could go a long way. Use salted butter, or remember to add some salt to your sauce as it cooks. Start by cooking your asparagus in butter until it is a little too crunchy to consume, but bright green. Then, add a little more butter, crank up the heat and crisp up some prosciutto as a fancy pasta garnish. The butter should be fairly brown at this point, and have mixed with some of the fat from the meat. The asparagus will be perfectly al dente, and all of the ingredients can be added to the cooked and strained pasta.

Be sure to snap the ends off the asparagus and slice it into bite-sized pieces. I prefer thin stalks of asparagus to the chunky ones, but it's all about personal preference. Add a little pasta water to the sauce if it needs some more moisture or thickening, and get ready for true decadence.

Most people have spinach, cremini mushrooms, and olive oil on hand, so this easy-peasy dinner should be no problem to throw together at the last minute. Cook up your pasta, al dente of course, and strain it. Any pasta will do, but I like to use bowtie or linguine. In a separate pan, add thinly sliced mushrooms to hot olive oil and let them cook until crispy. Strain your pasta and douse it with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle it with sea salt. Turn your mushroom pan off and add the fresh spinach. Tip: Use twice as much spinach as you think you'll need because it has a tendency to shrink down.

Once the spinach begins to wilt, mix the spinach and mushrooms into the pasta, and finish with another drizzle of olive oil. The key to adding spinach to pasta without it mushing is to remove it from the heat before it's fully wilted. Much of the flavor of the dish should be coming from the olive oil, so be sure to use a fresh and high-quality EVOO.

Avocado pasta was the primo gourmet dorm dinner that could be made with a microwave and a fork. If I could make it in my dorm room, then you can make it in your kitchen. The wonderful thing about avocado pasta is that you don't need to dirty a second pan to cook any toppings. This is a great option for those who enjoy creamy pasta dishes like Alfredo.

Mash an avocado while your pasta is cooking, load it with lemon juice, salt, and cracked black pepper, and whisk with a little starchy pasta water. Get as many lumps out as possible, and toss the mash into your cooked and strained pasta. There are, of course, many other ingredients that could be considered for your avocado pasta sauce, but this is just about as simple as you can get with flavorful results. Having a no-cook sauce option can come in handy when you just can't fathom washing an extra pan.

Is there anyone on this planet who doesn't love garlic bread? I've heard they exist but have never met one in the wild. If this is you, then scroll on down to the next suggestion because this three-ingredient weeknight pasta recipe is loaded with garlic galore. Start with a clove ... three or seven, minced and crushed. Saute it in a hearty amount of salted butter, and toss in minced fresh parsley. The second the garlic is fragrant and sweet, turn off the heat and toss in your strained and cooked pasta and toss it around.

The garlic butter combo is a simple way to make a flavorful pasta sauce. The salty-sweet butter, mixed with the slightly spicy and sweet garlic, is unstoppable, and is balanced by the grassy and fresh parsley. I like to use flat Italian parsley, as it has a stronger flavor and isn't quite as chewy as curly parsley.

Remember the viral baked feta pasta? If you were obsessed with it, then it's time you tried this even simpler pasta topping combination. Cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and Kalamata olives steal the show with three bold flavors that balance each other beautifully. Once you assemble your ingredients, you can decide if you'd rather use the stovetop or the oven.

If you choose the oven, then toss all of your ingredients into an oven-safe dish, cover, and crank the heat. If you're using the stovetop, then start by simmering your tomatoes and olives in water with a lid until they start to expand and then pop. The longer they cook, the sweeter they will be. Then add your feta to the center, and continue to cook it until the cheese melts. Toss in your cooked pasta and stir before serving. This balance of the salty olives with the cooked-down sweet tomatoes and creamy cheese makes for a comforting and bold topping. You'll feel like you're enjoying pasta fresh from the Mediterranean.

Are you a fan of cacio e pepe? Perhaps you've had a version of the spicy and creamy pasta dish. It's essentially a creamy cheese sauce loaded with freshly cracked black pepper. This dish finds a wonderful balance between the sweet, smooth, fatty, and salty notes of the cheese and the spicy peppercorn. It's classically made with pecorino cheese, which is a sheep's milk cheese with a hauntingly nutty, earthy, and grassy flavor. It's, of course, salty like most cheese, and melts beautifully, and has a tanginess that overpowers the subtly sweet notes. Use a quality pecorino cheese, and shave it onto your pasta dish.

The extra-virgin olive oil should melt right in with the cheese. Now comes the fun part. Grind an absurd amount of cracked black pepper over your dish and mix it in. Black peppercorns are usually used to enhance a dish by adding a spicy element, but in this dish, pepper is one of the main ingredients that gets to shine. If you use quality ingredients, this dish can be quite gourmet, so save it in the back of your mind when you truly feel like being treated.

Did you know that Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian? I was surprised to find that out, too, but rennet is used in the process of making Parmesan and some other cheeses. If you're trying to make a vegetarian or vegan-friendly pasta dish with just three ingredients, then it's important you discover your new bestie: nutritional yeast. You may have heard it referred to as "nooch," as the frequent flyers call it. It's a flaky, yellow inactive yeast that you can find in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. It has a cheesy, umami flavor that will blow your socks off. And the best part? It melts when it comes in contact with liquid, but holds a melted Parmesan texture.

Toss your pasta in olive oil and lemon juice, along with some lemon rind if you have the bandwidth. Next, sprinkle it heavily with nutritional yeast. Unlike spices, you can use quite a bit of nooch. Pasta is one of the best ways to use nutritional yeast. It's not just for vegans, and those striving to eat a healthy diet. If you haven't tried it yet, this is your sign to grab a jar or a bag of nutritional yeast and get cooking.

Public service announcement: Ricotta cheese is not just for lasagna and stuffed shells. In fact, there are many types of recipes that use ricotta. Ricotta can be dolloped as easily as it is stuffed or spread, and it makes for a nice creamy, fresh addition to balance acidic tomatoes or spicy garlic. Basil is classically paired with cheese, especially those with a grassy, fresh flavor like buffalo mozzarella or ricotta. And garlic, of course, carries the team with its heavenly potent flavor and aroma.

To make the ricotta as smooth as possible, you'll have to whip it. You can do this by using a blender or a food processor, but a hand mixer or stand mixer will work, as well. Yes, this is an extra step with a little more clean-up, but it's absolutely worth it. Saute your crushed and minced garlic in a little water or oil until it's fragrant, then mix in some of your whipped ricotta and salt. Melt and mix it together with the cooked pasta, plate, and then top with another dollop of whipped ricotta and a heavy amount of chopped basil. This is a wonderful fresh summer or spring ricotta pasta dish to enjoy on the patio with basil fresh from your garden.

Some folks are fine with just a little olive oil and salt to flavor their pasta, while others enjoy intensity. If the latter refers to you, then buckle up because these three ingredients bring a level of flavor that you'll surely enjoy. Start by simmering white wine and grass-fed butter. I suggest grass-fed because it is creamier and has an herbal undertone that pairs nicely with white wine.

Choose a dry white wine and let that baby simmer for a while to cook off most of the alcohol. Add as much butter as you'd like, we aren't on a health-food journey with this one. Add those red pepper flakes early in the game, and let them simmer with the alcohol and butter. The fat and booze will bring out the heat, so add less red pepper than your gut tells you to. You can always add more later! Use a little pasta water to thicken the sauce, and voila, a simple yet delicious pasta dish that hits most of your senses.

Many home cooks have yet to use miso in their pasta dishes, and it's a crying shame. Miso is one of my absolute favorite ingredients to add to almost any savory dish, as it enhances the umami subtly and desirably. In fact, you could even bump this sauce combination down to just butter and miso for a two-ingredient butter pasta upgrade, but a little thyme never hurt anyone and can enhance the herby botanicals.

Be sure to simmer the butter, miso, and thyme all together so they can reach their full potential. Use a quality butter and a light miso, which will be more mellow and will balance the butter nicely. For those new to miso, it's a fermented bean product that you've likely had in the form of miso soup. It's salty, umami, creamy, and just what you need to enhance your pasta for a quick weeknight dinner.

Although I love a light and citrusy pasta sauce, sometimes you're in the mood for some serious comfort. If that's the case for you, then it's time to load on the heavy cream and sausage. These pasta dishes work with just about any kind of noodle, and although I'm a fan of linguini, this is your opportunity to experiment with rigatoni, farfalle, and campanelle. Be sure your pasta is cooked less than al dente, because you'll want to simmer it in the heavy cream for a short amount of time.

Cook the Italian sausage and fennel separately and then spoon them over the pasta once it's nice and creamy. Don't use an abundance of heavy cream, the noodles shouldn't be swimming in it. A thin coating should do the trick, mixed with a little pasta water to help thicken it up. Don't forget to go heavy on the salt.