Pasta Shells

An easy soup from Caffe Trinity in San Francisco.

For variety, try adding black olives or roasted red peppers to this dish.

Fennel seeds add a flavorful new twist to this vegetarian main course.

Marjorie Farr, Silver Spring, Md.
Use fresh spinach in this dish — frozen will not do. A sprinkle of parsley before serving adds a fresh touch.

A simple lemon and oil dressing-which works with just about any fresh vegetable-turns some of your garden's finest into a light summer pasta salad. Serve it in lettuce cups for a nice presentation.

Hot pasta is tossed into a fresh salsalike sauce for a quick and delicious meal.

Canned tuna sparked with lemon and capers creates a superb sauce that complements many pasta shapes — penne, shells, or linguine, to name only a few. I prefer solid-pack tuna in olive oil for the best flavor and texture. I sometimes add a small handful of unpitted black olives — Kalamata or Gaeta — and a large, ripe tomato, seeded and diced, for a delicious variation. Italians would never serve cheese with fish, but you have my permission to break the rules!

Served with a salad, this dish is a complete dinner. Though the procedure for trimming artichokes may look involved, it's really quite easy.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An old-fashioned pasta dish with a new-fashioned filling. Basil and chives accent the luscious ricotta and feta cheese stuffing in this comforting main course. Conclude supper with fruit and your favorite cookies.

Quick, light, delicious—a spring supper in thirty minutes, including chopping and peeling. I added a little pasta to the pan stew to give it substance. You want the scallop and pea flavors to dominate, so make sure the pasta shells are thin not thick. (Names, sizes, and thickness vary from brand to brand.)And you want shells, because they will catch the juices. You can, of course, omit the pasta if you prefer.

Transform a box of white cheddar mac and cheese into something new with this cozy, creamy, veg-studded soup recipe.

This easy, no-roux mac and cheese recipe is made almost entirely on the stovetop and then gets transferred to the oven to melt the cheesy topping.