Food and Recipes Side Dishes Pasta Side Dishes 18 Easy Pantry Pasta Recipes That'll Be Your New Suppertime Superheroes By Southern Living Editors Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Since boxed pasta is already one of our shelf-stable favorites, why not concoct a meal that comes almost entirely from the pantry? We're up to the challenge. We've compiled 20 of our well-loved pantry pasta recipes that will help you get dinner on the table in a flash—even if your fridge is empty. We're sure to have at least one box of spaghetti on hand at all times, and with the help of these creative, resourceful recipes, you'll be able to transform drab dried pasta into a dinner that the kids will request again and again. These recipes lean on pantry staples like jarred sauce, nuts, and even buttery crackers to upgrade a simple pasta dinner into a hearty, any-season dish. When combined with a few fresh or frozen ingredients—we're talking herbs and vegetables—these basic, yet elevated recipes can't be beat. Nobody will ever guess that dinner came almost entirely from the pantry. Without further ado, meet your new suppertime superheroes. 01 of 18 Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Greg DuPree Recipe: Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Looking for an easy way to upgrade jarred pasta sauce? Consider this Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese your solution. 02 of 18 Creamy Pesto-and-Shrimp Penne with Peas Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Creamy Pesto-and-Shrimp Penne with Peas Frozen peas and refrigerated pesto form the base for this simple pasta supper, which is upgraded with fresh seafood. 03 of 18 Buttermilk Alfredo Chicken Spinach Pasta Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Buttermilk Alfredo Chicken Spinach Pasta Don't have buttermilk on hand? Not to worry: You can used jarred Alfredo sauce in this elegant dish. 04 of 18 Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Food Styling: Angella Sellers and Vanessa McNiel Rocchio; Prop Styling: Melanie J. Clarke and Sissy Lamerton Recipe: Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese You can never go wrong with a classic dish of mac and cheese, and this recipe is our all-time favorite. 05 of 18 Skillet-Toasted Gnocchi with Peas Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling Torie Cox Recipe: Skillet-Toasted Gnocchi with Peas Who knew that a package of gnocchi and frozen peas could create such a stunning dinner? 06 of 18 Creamy Chicken Alfredo Casserole Greg DuPree Recipe: Creamy Chicken Alfredo Casserole Store-bought sauce, rotisserie chicken, and pre-shredded cheese make this simple dish a resounding hit. 07 of 18 Winter Vegetables with Gnocchi Greg DuPree Recipe: Winter Vegetables with Gnocchi Consider this recipe a canvas, beckoning creativity. Sub fresh vegetables for frozen and you've got yourself a dinnertime hero. 08 of 18 Fusilli Pasta with Spinach, Tomato, and Bacon Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Fusilli Pasta with Spinach, Tomato, and Bacon Jarred Alfredo sauce meets fresh spinach, tomatoes, and an extra dose of pre-shredded cheese in this simple supper. 09 of 18 Spaghetti with Marinated Tomatoes and Mozzarella Alison Miksch Recipe: Spaghetti with Marinated Tomatoes and Mozzarella Spaghetti, tomatoes, and cheese—it's really that simple. 10 of 18 Mushroom Stroganoff Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Mushroom Stroganoff A package of mushrooms is the only fresh ingredient required to accomplish this Mushroom Stroganoff. 11 of 18 Gnocchi Gratin with Ham and Peas Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Gnocchi Gratin with Ham and Peas Bust those packages of gnocchi and peas out of the freezer—it's their time to shine. 12 of 18 Tomato Carbonara Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Tomato Carbonara Carbonara manages to do a lot with just a few ingredients, and version can easily be made vegetarian by omitting bacon. 13 of 18 Tuscan Pasta with Tomato-Basil Cream Ralph Anderson Recipe: Tuscan Pasta with Tomato-Basil Cream Who knew that packaged ravioli and Alfredo sauce could come together to create something so elegant? 14 of 18 Pizza Spaghetti Casserole Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Pizza Spaghetti Casserole Pepperoni, sausage, marinara, and shredded cheese—this ultimate Italian casserole has got it all. 15 of 18 Penne with Green Beans and Tomatoes Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Penne with Green Beans and Tomatoes Five ingredients are all it takes to transform boxed penne into a picnic-worthy pasta salad. 16 of 18 Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake Iain Bagwell Recipe: Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake Put all the odds and ends you've got sitting in your pantry—like boxed chicken stock, pecans, and buttery crackers—to good use in this satisfying casserole. 17 of 18 Greek Baked Ziti Greg Dupree Recipe: Greek Baked Ziti As it turns out, the homemade tomato sauce that anchors this baked ziti can be made with ingredients that're probably already sitting on your shelves. 18 of 18 Spaghetti Casserole Jennifer Davick Recipe: Spaghetti Casserole Set it and forget it. This pasta casserole cooks with no fuss in the slow-cooker. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit