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28 Winter Pasta Recipes for Warming Weeknight Meals
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Pasta has its place on the table any time of year, and in the winter, we look to dishes that make the most of pantry staples like canned tomatoes and tinned fish, seasonal produce such as leafy greens, and slow-cooked sauces that fill the kitchen with aromatic warmth. Cozy baked pastas are especially welcome in these chilly months: Think lasagna, stuffed shells, macaroni and cheese, and baked ziti. This recipe roundup hits all those marks and more — scroll on for all our best winter pasta recipes.
Fettuccine with Gorgonzola and Broccoli
Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans
This fettuccine dish is all about funky Gorgonzola cheese. Simmered with chicken broth and white white, the tangy, creamy sauce helps make the vibrant broccoli florets pop. Feel free to swap in other crunchy vegetables like asparagus or green beans according to the season.
Baked Ziti with Shortcut Vodka Sauce
Alex Lau / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
F&W recipe developer Liz Mervosh makes an easy vodka sauce with jarred marinara for this baked ziti with three types of cheese and spicy Italian sausage.
Steak au Poivre Pasta
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
For this ultra-comforting take on a classic steak dinner, the browned bits from seared steak cubes get transformed into a creamy peppercorn and Cognac pan sauce to coat ruffled noodles. Fresh thyme and cracked black pepper round out the dish.
Tinned Fish Pasta
Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styliing Claire Spollen
F&W recipe developer Nicole Hopper relies on one of the pantry's best shortcuts for this easy weeknight dinner: tinned fish. Smoked mackerel and smoked mussels are tossed with rigatoni, capers, cherry tomatoes, and a lemony butter sauce bolstered with anchovy fillets.
Short Rib Ragù with Orange-Parsley Gremolata
Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Fill your kitchen with the garlicky aroma of this meaty ragù infused with the warm flavors of oregano, fennel seeds, and ground allspice as it cooks low and slow in the oven. Splashes of orange juice and habanero hot sauce provide a subtle, fruity heat that's beautifully complemented by the orange-zesty gremolata.
Buttery Cabbage-and-Sausage Pasta
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
This simple pasta dish is bulked up with deliciously caramelized cabbage, which is cooked in sausage drippings to soak up the meaty juices. Fennel seeds, crushed red pepper, and plenty of garlic amplify the flavor of the Italian sausage; finish with Parmigiano-Reggiano, a squeeze of lemon, and fronds of fresh dill.
Ragù di Salsiccia (Sausage Ragù) with Tajarin
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
At Casa di Langa in Piedmont, chef Daniel Zeilinga makes sausage and veal ragù with fresh tomato water to serve with tajarin — a fresh pasta from Piedmont that gets its golden hue from a high ratio of egg yolks to flour.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Garlic-Miso Butter
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
White miso paste and a medley of mushrooms pack former F&W food editor Chandra Ram's weeknight pasta dish with mouthwatering umami. A touch of Dijon mustard adds tang to balance out the richness.
Shortcut Ragù Bolognese
Alex Lau / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by JILLIAN KNOX
This streamlined Bolognese sauce from F&W editor in chief Hunter Lewis takes less than an hour to make in a pressure cooker. He uses rosé instead of the traditional red wine to add bright and sweet notes to the classic meat and tomato sauce.
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Brown butter, sage, and butternut squash make one of the season's most familiar combinations: warm, comforting, and a perfect balance of sweet and savory. Tart goat cheese balances the squash in the homemade ravioli's filling, while chopped walnuts bring out the nuttiness of the brown butter sauce.
Fire-Roasted Pasta e Fagioli
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This traditional Italian soup calls for ditalini pasta and borlotti or red kidney beans along with charred tomatoes and peppers, salty pancetta, and bright, herbal basil.
Chicken Piccata Pasta
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Ruffled radiatori pasta soaks up every last bit of a classic chicken piccata sauce, made with lemon, butter, and capers. This recipe from F&W recipe developer Anna Theoktisto also packs in the protein with boneless, skinless chicken thigh pieces.
Creamy Swiss Chard Gratin with Crispy Gnocchi
Here, blanched Swiss chard and pan-fried gnocchi get enveloped in cheesy Mornay sauce and baked until bubbling and golden. The dish can be put together up to four hours before baking.
Kale-Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Ann Taylor Pittman uses lots of shortcuts to keep this jumbo pasta shell dinner simple: jarred marinated artichoke hearts, jarred Calabrian chiles, canned cannellini beans, and jarred marinara sauce. The dish can be prepped ahead, too.
Spaghetti with Clams and NOLA Hot Sausage
Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Spaghetti and clams are a natural pairing; add spicy sausage to the mix and you've got a real showstopper pasta dish. The crunchy lemon panko on top adds a delightful textural contrast.
Farro Mafaldine with Black Truffle Butter and Mushrooms
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Though you can use truffle paste to make this sophisticated mushroom pasta dish year-round, Boston chef Karen Akunowicz recommends splurging for fresh black truffles when they're in season, November through February.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
This is the best carbonara you’ll ever make, and it comes together in just 30 minutes with a silky egg-based sauce, guanciale, and a combination of Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino cheese.
One-Pot White Wine Pasta with Mushrooms and Leeks
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
Leeks, mushrooms, and fresh herbs combine with pantry staples to make a weeknight-friendly meal that’s ready in 30 minutes. Luscious and savory, the rich sauce in this crowd favorite from Robin Bashinsky is made with cream, lemon, and white wine.
Après-Ski Lasagna
This cozy lasagna, which gets brightness from fresh basil, earthiness from mushrooms, and savory heft from mild Italian sausage, is designed to feed a crowd — it yields eight to 10 servings.
French Onion Mac and Cheese
Chris Simpson / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
This cozy bake layers a classic cheddar–Gruyère cheese sauce with deeply caramelized Frenched onions enriched with sherry and beef bouillon for a sweet-savory lift inspired by the beloved bistro soup. Cavatappi absorbs the silky sauce, while a topping of buttery sourdough croutons and extra onions bakes into a golden, crisp layer.
Pantry Puttanesca Pasta
2015 F&W Best New Chef Zoi Antonitsas points to the salty, briny power of preserved fish as her favorite pantry ingredient. The higher the quality of the tinned fish, the better the results. Antonitsas likes Matiz España brand.
Spaghetti with Mussels
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
In this lemony 30-minute pasta dish from Andrea and Daniele Zazzeri, fresh mint and white wine help lift the briny flavors of mussels. It's at once easy and elegant.
Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio
Ready to eat in just about an hour, this recipe from cookbook author Susan Spungen adds dimension to lusciously cheesy pasta with the slightly bitter bite of radicchio and the brightness of red wine vinegar. Want to make it vegetarian? Just skip the prosciutto.
Orzo Risotto with Swiss Chard and Fontina
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
For this pasta-based risotto, toast orzo in butter to bring out its nutty flavor, then cook it slowly, adding hot stock incrementally as you would for arborio rice, until creamy and al dente. Stir in sautéed Swiss chard along with Fontina and Parmesan to finish the dish.
Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Blue Cheese Pasta
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Butternut squash season extends into March, so you can keep this flavor-packed pasta bake in your rotation throughout the winter. Fontina and Parmesan melt into a creamy Mornay sauce that bubbles under a topping of Gorgonzola crumbles, forming a golden crust atop layers of sweet squash, spicy sausage, and rigatoni.
Beef Brasato with Pappardelle and Mint
© Tina Rupp
Rigatoni al brasato is a staple in northern Italy's ski lodges. Here, chef Chris Cosentino opts to pair his braised beef with pappardelle instead.
Creamy Lemon Pasta
Andrew Zimmern uses floral Meyer lemons for this creamy Italian pasta dish. The juice is tossed with the pasta just as it's done cooking, the zest imbues brightness into the cream sauce, and a garnish of lemon supremes contributes tart, juicy pops throughout.
Crab Macaroni Gratin
“A glorious amount of crabmeat baked with shell-shaped pasta in a three-cheese cream sauce — tangy white cheddar, nutty Gruyère, and sharp Parmigiano-Reggiano — is no-joke delicious and trés riche,” cookbook author Andrea Slonecker writes. She uses Dungeness crab here, which is in season all winter.