Carbonara, gnocchi and alla vodka: Easy restaurant-quality pastas you can make at home
Who doesn't love a hearty bowl of pasta? The options of shapes and sauces are endless! That's why TODAY All Day is kicking off its new season of "TODAY Table" with an ode to perfect pasta recipes. In the series, star chefs Elena Besser, Kevin Curry and Priyanka Naik are whipping up their favorite dishes in the TODAY All Day kitchen.
First, Elena Besser joins TODAY to share two winning spring pasta dishes: herby rigatoni and pappardelle carbonara with asparagus and herbs. Then, in the series premiere, Besser shares how to easily make restaurant-quality gnocchi easily at home using a simple trick. Then Curry turns to wide egg noodles (with a few healthy swaps) to make his creamy chicken stroganoff. Naik fuses comfort food from her Staten Island roots with vegan ingredients to make a spicy pasta alla vodka.
Buon appetito!
Elena Besser's pasta recipes
Herby Rigatoni with Toasted Pine Nuts and Dates by Elena Besser
This recipe is a fun change of pace to traditional pasta recipes. It is the perfect combination of herby, nutty, sweet and salty and it is sure to be on rotation in your household. I love that the sauce comes together in a food processor and the addition of dates creates a really fun contrast in every bite.
Pappardelle 'Carbonara' with Asparagus and Herbs Recipe by Elena Besser
This recipe is a fun take on a classic carbonara that celebrates the fresh flavors of spring. This is a fabulous weeknight dinner using pantry staples that comes together quickly while still feeling special.
Easy Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas, Parmesan and Mint by Elena Besser
This recipe is inspired by my time cooking at Lilia under chef Missy Robbins. She has a ricotta gnocchi dish on the menu that tastes like pillows of heaven. This recipe showed me that ricotta gnocchi is much easier to make than potato gnocchi and now it’s the only type of gnocchi I make at home. In this version, I serve it with a lemon-butter sauce, peas, parmesan and mint, embracing the bright flavors of spring.
Kevin Curry's creamy chicken stroganoff
One-Pot Chicken Stroganoff by Kevin Curry
This classic comfort dish is simple to whip up any night of the week and can be easily adapted to suit your dietary preferences. Whether that's swapping the egg noodles for some delicious zucchini noodles to make it low carb or axing the chicken to make it suitable for vegetarians. Either way, this creamy dish will make a perfect addition to your meal rotation.
Priyanka Naik's spicy vegan pasta alla vodka
Spicy Vegan Pasta alla Vodka by Priyanka Naik
I grew up on Staten Island where pasta is a dinnertime staple. This recipe really gives one of my favorite pasta dishes, penne alla vodka, a new life — a new vegan life! Without losing any of the rich flavor or creamy consistency of the original comfort food, this recipe packs in a bit more heat with the addition of Calabrian chilis.
Need more ideas? Try these pasta recipes
Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff by Casey Barber
Rigatoni with a Quick Cherry Tomato Ragu by Jake Cohen
Baked Lemony Broccoli and Mushroom Pasta by Yasmin Fahr
