Helen Rosner

Simmering orzo slowly with butter, shallots, and chicken stock and enriched it with cream yields a silky, risotto-like texture. See the recipe for Creamy Orzo Risotto with Meyer Lemon and Wild Mushrooms

We adapted this recipe from The Minimalist Cooks Dinner by Mark Bittman (Broadway Books, 2001). If you can’t find the short, twisted “twin” pasta called gemelli, use penne instead. Get the recipe for Pasta with Carrots, Risotto-Style »

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.

Lou Di Palo shared his grandmother’s recipe for the meatballs that he sells at his family’s store, Di Palo’s Fine Foods, in New York City; they’re composed of pork, beef, and veal and flavored with four kinds of cheese. Get the recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs »

Lasagna gets a bad rap for being a labor-intensive dish, but with a few shortcuts, like starting with store-bought lasagna sheets, you can make a great cheesy version any night of the week. Get the recipe Classic Easy Lasagna »

Making gnocchi with buckwheat flour gives the pasta weightiness and an earthy flavor that pairs perfectly with a spring mix of peas and spinach. See the recipe for Buckwheat and Ricotta Gnocchi with Cream, Peas, and Spinach

This is a pasta dish of strong flavors: dark, earthy kale is offset by bright lemon cream and a warm, aromatic heat from crushed red chiles and garlic. See the recipe for Kale and Sausage Penne with Lemon Cream Sauce

Farfalle with Cavolo Nero Pesto

This recipe for summer bolognese has the classic comfort of bolognese, but without the heaviness of a red sauce, instead embracing the summer’s bounty of gorgeous tomatoes and fresh basil.

A little nutmeg added to the ricotta filling for this classic baked pasta imparts a subtle note of spice. See the recipe for Baked Manicotti