13 Fast Pasta Recipes For When You’re In A Rush

If you need to make a quick dish, the first thing that comes to mind is pasta!

But if you don’t have a couple of ingredients ready to mix with this speedy base, then you’ll end up with a boring dish that might have you reaching for an unhealthy snack instead.

But have no fear, as Plated With Style is here! We’ve rounded up 13 super fast pasta recipes, that requires ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

The ingredients are small and simple, to give you a fuss-free start to a fast and healthy meal.

What are you waiting for! Grab yourself a bowl!

Fast Pasta Recipes

1. 5 Ingredient Spicy Garlic Pasta

We are starting with the easiest dish! There is nothing but pasta and flavor in this recipe, so as long as you have chili flakes, garlic cloves, olive oil, and lemon juice you can whip this dish up in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

You can add chicken to this recipe too, but it would add to the overall cooking time. This recipe is the ultimate cupboard pasta meal.

Prep Time3 Minutes
Cook Time12 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

2. Quick and Easy Sundried Tomatoes and Garlic Pasta

The only things you might not already have in your cupboard are sundried tomatoes, and if you don’t then boy are you missing out!

These tomatoes are packed with flavor, making them the star of this dish.

You can get them in jars and tins so buy a couple and store them in your cupboard ready for when you need to create a quick meal.

Prep Time5 Minutes
Cook Time15 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

3. One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Unlike some of our other recipes, this dish has a couple of fresh ingredients, but they are easy to find! Shrimp, parmesan, and baby spinach are common in grocery stores. 

The official recipe says the overall cooking time is 30 minutes, but that’s only because they use the same pot to cook the pasta and the shrimp.

If you’re happy to use two pots you can cook the pasta at the same time as the shrimp. This turns a 30-minute overall time into a 15-minute overall time! 

Prep Time15 Minutes
Cook Time15 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

4. Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti bolognese is always a favorite in most homes, but making everyone happy doesn’t have to take a long time!

This dish only takes 20 minutes to whip up and, apart from the ground beef, the only ingredient you might not have in your kitchen is the mozzarella cheese.

Cheese is an optional extra to pop on top of the plated dish, so you can substitute it for whatever cheese you do have in your refrigerator or avoid it altogether. Whatever is best for your speedy and delicious meal!

Prep Time5 Minutes
Cook Time15 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

5. One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta

Cheese, ground beef, and onions are the only fresh ingredients in this dish, all of which I’m sure you’ve seen in your local grocery store.

The One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta is probably the longest pasta meal on our list, but it is a crowd-pleaser. Still under 35 minutes to cook, this dish tastes like a burger but feels like a sauce. Try it out and tell your friends!

Prep Time5 Minutes
Cook Time30 Minutes
Serving Size6 Servings

6. Pasta With Peas

Not only is this dish quick, but it’s cheap too. With only 6 ingredients, you can make this meal for less than a dollar per serving!

The star of this show is the frozen pea. Often tucked into the back of our freezers, it’s time to make this basic ingredient shine! 

Prep Time5 Minutes
Cook Time15 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

7. Cacio e Pepe (Spaghetti with Cheese and Pepper)

Simple yet sophisticated, the Cacio e Pepe will make any of your dinner guests feel as if they are at a 5-star restaurant.

Even if you are only cooking for yourself, this quick and easy dish will make you forget that you were rushing.

All 6 of the ingredients you probably have in your kitchen already, with the only exception being the parmesan cheese.

We’ve spoken about parmesan so often now that you’ll probably start adding it to your weekly shopping list anyway!

Prep Time3 Minutes
Cook Time10 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

8. Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta & Spinach

If you want something with a little zing in the flavor then check out this super easy lemon ricotta dish!

Ricotta, parmesan, lemon, and baby spinach are the only fresh ingredients, the rest of which are stable cupboard items like garlic, salt, and pepper. 

The cooking time for this recipe is super quick because the only cooked ingredients are the pasta and the spinach which are cooked together.

The other ingredients get mixed at the end, leaving you with more time to go about your busy day!

Prep Time3 Minutes
Cook Time10 Minutes
Serving Size3 Servings

9. Rich Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff Recipe

From a summer dish to a winter dish, this stroganoff will make you feel cozy and well-fed.

There are quite a few ingredients to this dish, so it won’t be a quick cupboard meal like the others have been, but if you have enough time to nip to the grocery store you can still make this dish in a super speedy time!

Prep Time10 Minutes
Cook Time20 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

10. Easy 30-Minute Chicken Pasta Primavera Recipe

So far most of these dishes have been vegetarian, but if you are craving something a little bit meaty then this light and fresh feeling chicken pasta dish is a simple recipe to please your family!

Again these ingredients are more fresh than cupboard stock, but all of them are common ingredients that you might already have in your refrigerator.

Prep Time10 Minutes
Cook Time15 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

11. 15 Minute Garlic Mushroom Pasta (No Cream)

If some of these dishes are too creamy for you, then check out this mushroom dish!

If you need to, you can substitute the parmesan cheese for a vegan option and still create a beautiful dish with a light sauce instead of a thick sauce.

Prep Time5 Minutes
Cook Time10 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

12. Creamy Pesto Pasta Bake

Maybe creamy is exactly what you want! In that case, check out this creamy pesto pasta recipe.

To make this dish even quicker you can use store-bought pesto, but we can tell you from experience that this pesto recipe is quick, easy, and delicious. If you have a blender, give it a go yourself!

Prep Time10 Minutes
Cook Time20 Minutes
Serving Size4 Servings

13. Walnut Sauce Pasta

After Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are often left with an excess of walnuts. Well, now you have a delicious and quick recipe to use them up!

This recipe does need a blender for it to work, and unlike the pesto dish, you probably won’t find a replacement sauce in the grocery store. 

Prep Time5 Minutes
Cook Time10 Minutes
Serving Size3 Servings

Fast Pasta Recipes

Recipe by Matt Roberts

Here are some super fast pasta recipes, that requires simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

Directions

  • Pick your desired recipe.
  • Get the necessary ingredients.
  • Make your own fast pasta recipe at home.

Conclusion

There you have it, 13 easy and quick pasta meals which use ingredients you probably already have in the house! Save this page to help you find something tasty when you are strapped for time!