There's no dish that's as universally loved and easy to customize than pasta.

It's why it was nearly impossible to narrow down our best pasta recipes to just this selection. From simple sausage and broccoli to penne alla vodka, we've rounded up all the classics and recent favorites for your eating pleasure.

1. One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Keep the heat at a steady medium high so you don't burn the butter, which has a lower smoking point than many other cooking fats and oils.

Recipe: One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

2. Meal-Prep Garlic Chicken And Veggie Pasta

Pasta doesn't have to be a last-resort meal for busy days, especially if you combine it with an equal serving of sautéed vegetables and top each plate with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Recipe: Meal-Prep Garlic Chicken And Veggie Pasta

3. One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

As some commenters note, the red pepper can taste a bit overpowering. If your spice tolerance is low, use half of what is recommended to start and season to taste.

Recipe: One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

4. Creamy Chicken Penne Pasta

Start cooking the pasta while you're frying up the bacon. When your veggies and meat are done, you'll have the pasta ready to be combined into the final delicious product.

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Penne Pasta

5. One Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

First things first: To prevent curdling, take your milk out of the fridge and let it get closer to room temperature before pouring it in the pot.

Recipe: One Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

6. Easy Chicken Alfredo Penne

As the story goes, an Italian chef invented this recipe while trying to nourish a pregnant wife who had lost her appetite. The wife loved it so much, he started serving it as his restaurant. It continues to be a comfort food — and the perfect thing to make on any night of the week.

Recipe: Easy Chicken Alfredo Penne

7. One-Pot Swedish Meatball Pasta

You may have to play a bit with the bread crumb to egg to beef ratio to get the right meatball texture. If the mixture is too dry, try adding another egg. If it's too wet, add more bread crumbs.

Recipe: One-Pot Swedish Meatball Pasta

8. One-Pot Chicken And Mushroom Pasta

Mushrooms are brimming with natural umami flavor. Pair it with chicken and you'll transform a humdrum flavor into one that's more complex and layered.

Recipe: One-Pot Chicken And Mushroom Pasta

9. One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta

As most of the flavor will come from the beef and cheese (as is the case with actual cheeseburgers!), consider adding extra cheese to taste.

Recipe: One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta

10. Easy One-Pot Mac ‘n’ Cheese

When you're out of Kraft, this one-pot recipe — which only needs four core ingredients — is the way to go.

Recipe: Easy One-Pot Mac ‘n’ Cheese

11. Garlic Shrimp Bacon Alfredo

Bacon and Parmesan cheese — of which this recipe has plenty — are pretty salty, so depending on your palate, you may want to add the teaspoon of salt at the end when you've had a chance to taste the final dish.

Recipe: Garlic Shrimp Bacon Alfredo

12. One-Pot Taco Spaghetti

Taco spaghetti is not something I discovered until I was an adult, but I'm pretty sure it would have been my favorite dinner as a teenager.

Recipe: One-Pot Taco Spaghetti

13. One-Pot Basil Pasta

Since this recipe relies on so few ingredients, I highly recommend getting the freshest possible tomatoes and herbs.

Recipe: One-Pot Basil Pasta

14. Spinach Artichoke Penne Pasta

If you've ever tried an artichoke pizza or artichoke dip, then you already understand the big fuss around artichoke. If not, consider this your mouth-watering introduction.

Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Penne Pasta

15. Penne Alla Vodka Pasta

My favorite pasta dishes always involve a red sauce, so it's no surprise this one's in my regular dinner rotation. The combination of crushed potato, red chili flakes, and heavy cream means the sauce contains a little bit of everything I love.

Recipe: Penne Alla Vodka Pasta

16. Easy Homemade Potato Gnocchi

Making homemade gnocchi is as easy as making homemade cookies. Most people will find that the hardest part is simply peeling the potatoes!

Recipe: Easy Homemade Potato Gnocchi

17. Whole Wheat Pasta With Lemon Kale Chicken

Kale adds texture, vitamins, and flavor to this light and easy dish. But if you're out of kale, spinach will do the trick too.

Recipe: Whole Wheat Pasta With Lemon Kale Chicken

18. Sausage, Spinach, Tomato Rigatoni

To thin out this ultra thick and creamy sauce, reserve a half- to full cup of pasta water and add as needed.

Recipe: Sausage, Spinach, Tomato Rigatoni

19. Creamy Pesto Pasta Bake

This pasta bake comes together in three foolproof steps: make pesto, make pasta, then top the whole dish with cheese and bake until it's melted.

Recipe: Creamy Pesto Pasta Bake

20. One-Pot Spicy Sausage And Broccoli Pasta

This unassuming pasta dish hides a ton of flavor. The pasta, for one, is surprisingly savory thanks to the chicken stock it's cooked in.

Recipe: One-Pot Spicy Sausage And Broccoli Pasta

21. Southwest Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake

For a meal that's full of protein, replace a bit of the pasta with additional black beans. They're creamy and hearty enough that your palate will register it as a flavor boost instead of a "healthy swap."

Recipe: Southwest Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake

22. Lasagna Skillet Pasta

If you don't have time for the tedium of composing a lasagna, then this cheesy skillet pasta is the next best thing.

Recipe: Lasagna Skillet Pasta

23. Chicken Parmesan Baked Ziti

Baked ziti, which is essentially a pasta casserole, might just be one of the best Italian American creations yet.

Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Baked Ziti

24. Cheesy Broccoli Gnocchi

For an even more decadent flavor, sauté the cooked gnocchi in a little bit of butter.

Recipe: Cheesy Broccoli Gnocchi

25. Shrimp Spinach Bacon Alfredo

To deepen the flavor of the shrimp and veggies, cook the bacon first and set it aside. Then, use the bacon grease as your cooking oil.

Recipe: Shrimp Spinach Bacon Alfredo

26. Garlic Shrimp Scampi

One commenter who's made this dish several times has a tip for the most flavor-packed pasta: First, cook the pasta until it's almost — but not completely — done. Then, put it in the same pot as the shrimp and lemon juice mixture and cover until completely cooked. The final result will be brimming with rich, tangy flavor.

Recipe: Garlic Shrimp Scampi

27. Beef and Cheese Tortellini Bake

Be prudent with the meat and tomato sauce when you start layering your dish, or you might not have any left for the top.

Recipe: Beef and Cheese Tortellini Bake

28. One-Pot Sausage And Peppers Pasta

This recipe leans on the sausages and peppers to get most of its flavor, but if you're more of a sauce person, then an extra can of tomato sauce and some cream might do the trick.

Recipe: One-Pot Sausage And Peppers Pasta

29. Potato Lasagna

For the perfect final texture, boil your potato slices for five minutes or until about half-cooked before layering them in the baking pan.

Recipe: Potato Lasagna

30. Dairy-Free Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

As the recipe notes, using canned 100% coconut milk instead of carton coconut milk (with additives) will create the best, creamiest results.

Recipe: Dairy-Free Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

31. Sweet Potato Gnocchi

It's actually quite easy to make one of Trader Joe's most popular items. All you need is some sweet potato, Parmesan cheese, egg, and flour.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Gnocchi

32. Microwave 5-Minute Mac 'N' Cheese

Slide a small plate under your mug to catch any water that might overflow in the microwave.

Recipe: Microwave 5-Minute Mac 'N' Cheese

33. Garlic Chicken Primavera

This easy recipe goes great with essentially any vegetables you have on hand. Some excellent add-ins include broccoli, zucchini, cut-up regular-sized tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Recipe: Garlic Chicken Primavera

34. Tuna Linguine With Tomatoes, Olives & Capers

If ever you need a pop of flavor in a seafood-centric pasta, capers are a great solution. They're salty, slightly tangy, and require zero cooking.

Recipe: Tuna Linguine With Tomatoes, Olives & Capers

35. One-Pot Chicken, Bacon, And Goat Cheese Pasta

Goat cheese works great here because of its mild, buttery, and rich flavor. But if you're not its biggest fan, you can also try mozzarella or gouda.

Recipe: One-Pot Chicken, Bacon, And Goat Cheese Pasta

36. Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Made of equal parts chicken and broccoli, this pasta dish is a guaranteed hit with picky eaters.

Recipe: Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

37. Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Tuna Pasta

Instead of regular olive oil, use the oil from your jar of sun-dried tomatoes for an extra hit of sweet-tart tang.

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Tuna Pasta

38. BBQ Chicken Pasta Bake

Using store-bought BBQ and ranch sauce means this weeknight recipe is as easy as combining all the ingredients and popping them in the oven.

Recipe: BBQ Chicken Pasta Bake

39. One-Pot Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

Are you starving? If you're looking for something that'll definitely fill you up, this chicken marsala pasta is it.

Recipe: One-Pot Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

40. Mushroom, Spinach & Sausage Spaghetti

If, for whatever reason, you don't want to use white wine in your recipe, chicken stock works as a great substitute.

Recipe: Mushroom, Spinach & Sausage Spaghetti

41. Chicken Pesto And Zucchini “Pasta”

Pesto is one of the simplest things you could make yourself — and the payoff is so worth it.

Recipe: Chicken Pesto And Zucchini “Pasta”

42. Creamy Sausage Bolognese

A deep-red bolognese pasta is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. The tomato and meat sauce always hits the spot, and it goes great with the blanket of Parmesan cheese I usually eat it with.

Recipe: Creamy Sausage Bolognese

43. Five-Cheese Mac 'n' Cheese

If you like mac 'n' cheese, then there's no reason you won't love this five-cheese variation, made up of cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, feta, and smoked gouda.

Recipe: Five-cheese Mac and Cheese

44. Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken Pasta

If you're having friends over for dinner and want to make a meal that'll impress — but don't want prep time to eat into your work day — then this lemon butter chicken pasta might be your best option. It's got just enough nuanced flavor to have people asking for the recipe, but simple enough to make in just an hour.

Recipe: Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken Pasta

45. Green Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Don't ask me why, but making all your favorite foods green makes them taste even better. Here, four cups of spinach guarantees your dinner will be full of nutrients.

Recipe: Green Mac ‘n’ Cheese

46. One-Pot Vegan Swedish "Meatball" Pasta

Expert tip: To keep the meatballs from falling apart from excessive handling, try baking them on a sheet pan instead of frying them.

Recipe: One-Pot Vegan Swedish "Meatball" Pasta

Margaret Moina

Our 46 Best Pasta Recipes, From Classics To Modern Favorites