Photography: James Moffatt / Styling: Steve Pearce
Cool weeknights are made for pasta.
We’re talking scampi spaghetti that looks restaurant‑level, a spicy sausage ragu that hugs you back, and Donna Hay’s carbonara that feels luxe without the stress. Big flavour, tiny prep, endless seasonal swaps. Just a handful of ingredients and you’re basically a dinner hero.
And the best part? Pasta never judges. Whether you’re grabbing the fancy stuff or whatever’s left in the back of the pantry, it always shows up. It’s your loyal weeknight sidekick: fast, flexible, and forever ready to be tossed with whatever odds and ends you’ve got hanging around. Pasta gets you — and honestly, that’s why we keep coming back.
To celebrate the wonder of pasta, we’ve pulled together 12 fabulous pasta dishes from our favourite cooks, cookbooks and foodies, with a side of Home Beautiful favourites.
This meal uses cute ‘little ears’ pasta and can be made in less than 30 minutes. With crisp pancetta, sweet peas and butter-fried prawns, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Taken from Donna Hay’s fabulous book, Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt, this recipe for carbonara celebrates simple flavours.
This dish is an inventive twist on classic pesto using parsley instead of basil as the main ingredient. With the addition of capers and burrata it becomes a gourmet meal. Even better – it comes together in just 25 minutes!
This recipe for scampi spaghetti comes from Opa!: Recipes Inspired by Greek Tavernas and is proof that a few simple ingredients deliver incredible flavour.
Quick to prepare and full of wholesome goodness, this vibrant green pasta dish from the Clove app is ideal for a simple weeknight dinner.
When you’re craving comfort food without the fuss, this pork, fennel and chilli ragu from the Clove app is the answer. Enjoy the richness of ragu without the long cook time.
With minimal prep and quick cooking time, this is an ideal dish for busy weeknights and it’s both hearty and satisfying.
While this may seem like an indulgence for midweek, you can always follow our budget-savvy tip and use crabmeat along with green prawns.
Cauliflower brings a wholesome twist to classic mac and cheese, creating a creamy, nourishing midweek favourite that’s family‑friendly.
This quick and easy recipe is an effortless vegetarian classic that delivers rich, satisfying flavour fast – bursting with tender eggplant and juicy tomatoes.
Experience vibrant garlic prawn spaghettini lifted by saffron and thyme butter – a quick, elegant pasta bursting with summer aroma, zesty flavour and irresistible richness.
While this may take a little longer than your typical midweek meal, it is definitely worth the wait – with lamb shoulder meat slow-cooked until it falls off the bone.
