Pasta Side Dishes

Let's face it—even kids will eat broccoli if you cover it with cheese.

No need to bother with the smoker. Just fire up the oven.

In less than an hour you can have a hot, cheesy, pasta and chicken dish ready.

This recipe is a weeknight dinner superhero.

Try this slow-cooker version of our favorite spaghetti casserole.

This Italian Casserole is just what you will need for the chaotic days surrounding the holidays.

Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese combine beautifully to make one addictive dish.

This Macaroni Au Gratin is a totally decadent mixture of two of our favorite sideboard mainstays.

Where's the cornbread and collard greens?

The hardest part of this chicken and broccoli bake just might be portion control.

I don't mean to turn this into a confessional, but this dish came together because I saw a jar of marinara sauce sitting on the kitchen counter. Hey, inspiration comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. But this is a traditional baked ziti with creamy ricotta and mozzarella, salty parm, and tender pasta, all just so yummy together, plus the carrots and zucchini. On occasion when I'm really busy, I'll go to the grocery store and get vegetables already chopped, and throw everything into the slow cooker for a nice dinner later on. It's a shortcut on top of a shortcut. I'm gentle when folding in the spinach, as the pasta could start to fall apart if you do this with hurried, crushing blows. Tom and I both like this with a fresh Caesar salad, but any crisp, cold, and simple green salad will go well with this dish. Excerpted from Valerie's Home Cooking by Valerie Bertinelli. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved. Slideshow: More Baked Pasta Recipes

Classic, kid-friendly comfort in 13x9 form.