Fettuccine

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A salad, some crusty bread and wine are all that's needed with this hearty pasta dish. For the wine, consider serving a bottle of Chianti or Sangiovese.

Here's a rich, creamy pasta from chef Cory Mattson of the Fearrington House Restaurant in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

M'Eloise Waters of Yakima, Washington, writes: "Throughout the years, I have enjoyed so many 'R.S.V.P.' recipes, and now I have a request of my own: the chicken pasta from Spazzo Mediterranean Grill in Bellevue, Washington. It has fresh herbs, walnuts, almonds, and caramelized onions."

At Babbo in New York, chef Mario Batali serves this dish with freshly made pappardelle pasta. We've simplified the entrée for the home cook by substituting purchased fettuccine.

"The tagliatelle with parsnips and pancetta at Babbo is a wonder," says Aleksandra Crapanzano of New York, New York. " I would be thrilled to have the recipe." A good substitute for the homemade tagliatelle used at Babbo is dried egg fettuccine or taglierini—we particularly like the Cipriani brand. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

An appetizer that is simple to make, delicious and very appealing.

Dried porcini are sold at Italian delis and in many supermarkets.

Wondra, a fast-blending flour, is a supermarket staple that's ideal for thickening sauces and gravies. It is put to good use in this quick pasta dish.

At the restaurant Becco in New York, where this dish is served, fresh porcini mushrooms are used when they are in season.

Both easy and inexpensive, tuna-noodle casserole stretched proteins and carbohydrates to the limits and fed at least a generation of American kids very well. Canned tuna will never go away, but fresh tuna has joined it as a culinary staple, and it stars in this deconstructed version of the classic. All the elements that make tuna casserole so appealing and comforting are here, just slightly rearranged. And there’s no need to serve this on a cafeteria tray: It’s good enough for your best china.

Serve with: Mixed baby greens with shredded radishes in a citrus vinaigrette, and a sesame baguette.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Noodles enriched with the deep golden yolks of farm-raised chickens were a frequent starch on heartland tables. Modern cooks may not have the time to put together noodles from scratch, but when glossed with a Swedish-style, caraway-scented butter, even commercial pasta makes a fine accompaniment to the menu's main dish.