Pasta is the great constant. It works on a Tuesday night when the fridge is nearly empty. It works on a Sunday when you have two hours and a bottle of red wine. It works in a campervan in the Cáceres rain with nothing but a two-ring hob and whatever is in the fridge.

These are my pasta recipes – gathered over more than a decade of cooking at Casa Adora, on the road across Iberia, and in kitchens from Sorrento to Bari. Some are quick. Some take all afternoon. All of them are worth making.

Quick & Simple Pasta Recipes

When time is short and hunger is immediate, these are the ones to reach for. Most are on the table in 20 minutes.

Pasta with Courgette and Mint The Italian answer to a courgette glut is golden courgette, fresh mint, penne, and a splash of pasta water. Twenty minutes and a roof terrace view are optional but recommended.

Farfalle with Smoked Salmon and Prawns A quick tomato and cream sauce with smoked salmon, prawns, carrot and butternut squash. Cooking for one, ready in 20 minutes, and considerably more elegant than it sounds.

Chicken, Salsa Verde and Farfalle Cold, punchy Italian green sauce — rocket, parsley, coriander, capers, lemon and chilli — tossed with fried chicken and farfalle. No cooking required for the sauce.

Garlic Mushroom Spaghetti A one-pan campervan recipe born in the Cáceres rain. Mushrooms, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and spaghetti in a light tomato and almond milk sauce.

Pasta alla Vialli A simple spaghetti recipe from San Lorenzo, London — inspired by the great Gianluca Vialli and the Italian footballers who made it famous in the 1990s.

Marry Me Pappardelle — A Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Wide pappardelle ribbons in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce — the viral Marry Me Pasta, done properly, from a near-empty store cupboard.

Penne, Parmesan and a Proper Tomato Sauce The one you come back to. A proper tomato sauce — nothing fancy, nothing unnecessary — with penne and a generous amount of Parmesan.

Carrot Top Pesto Pasta with Cold Pan Chicken Leg — A zero-waste mid-week supper: goat's cheese ravioli or spaghetti tossed in vivid carrot top pesto with a cold pan chicken leg alongside. Nothing wasted, properly delicious.

Hearty & Slow-Cooked Pasta Recipes

These are the pasta dishes that reward patience. A long simmer, a proper ragù, a baked dish that comes out of the oven bubbling and blistered.

Duck Ragù with Pasta Rich, slow-cooked confit duck ragù with pasta — the kind of dish that justifies spending a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen.

Timballo alla Torrese Gino D'Acampo's mother's baked pasta — fettuccine layered with a two-hour meat sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan, baked until bubbling. Serves six and disappears fast.

Smoky Mince & Pea Pasta Skillet A one-pan pasta skillet cooked outside at Hermoso Campo — smoky, satisfying, and built for an evening when the light is golden and there's nowhere else you'd rather be.

What is Left in the Fridge – A Pasta Bake Recipe A sprouting onion, a limp carrot, some pork mince and the last of the passata. Combined with dried pasta and the remains of a Parmesan, baked until golden and bubbling. Baked pasta with passata di pomodoro meat sauce sounds considerably better than leftovers — and it is essentially the same thing.

Fabulous Wild Garlic & Sausage Pasta A Lancashire classic updated — wild garlic pesto, good sausage, and pasta. Best made in spring when the wild garlic is at its most pungent.

Vegetarian & Garden Pasta Recipes

Pasta doesn't need meat to be interesting. These recipes prove the point — from orzo with roasted cauliflower to a pesto built from parsnips.

Parsnip and Walnut Pesto Pasta A British twist on pesto — roasted parsnip and walnuts blended into a rich, earthy sauce that works surprisingly well with almost any pasta shape.

Easy Vegetable Pasta Bake A flexible fridge-clearing recipe — whatever vegetables need using are baked with pasta and cheese until golden on top.

Roasted Cauliflower Orzo with Chickpeas and Feta Orzo baked with roasted cauliflower, chickpeas and feta — a complete one-pan dish with plenty of texture and a quietly Mediterranean character.

Pan-Fried Halloumi with Mint, Goat's Cheese Ravioli and Chargrilled Asparagus — A serendipitous Lidl Greek week in rural Andalucía leads to a simple, satisfying vegetarian dinner. Pan-fried halloumi with fresh mint, shop-bought goat's cheese ravioli in a spicy tomato sauce, and chargrilled asparagus. Works just as well on a two-ring van hob as it does at Casa Adora.

Tomate-Frito Chicken & Mushroom Pasta Leftover roast chicken, mushrooms and tomate frito, finished with butter and Parmesan for a glossy, no-cream sauce. Deep, savoury, and on the table in fifteen minutes.

Guides & Inspiration

The Ultimate Guide to Pasta Over 300 pasta shapes exist. Here are the ones worth knowing — from capellini to tortiglioni, with notes on what sauce each one suits best.

Wonky photos, proper pasta, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef