30-minute Pasta Dishes: For Your Next Event. Last minute get-together? Pasta dinner or pasta lunch can easily be a crowd-pleaser. These delicious pasta dinner ideas will satisfy your guests! Whether you are into something cheesy, creamy, simple, or even loaded, you’ll find something you’d like to serve!
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- Super Quick Tomato Basil Pasta
- Linguine Lemon Alfredo Shrimp
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Peperonata Penne
- Beyond Easy Greek Pasta
- Broccoli Alfredo Pasta
- Garlic Butter Parmesan Pasta
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Before we dive deeper, discover how these essential pantry staple condiments can take your cooking to the next level! Elevate the taste of your dishes with flavorful ingredients that are versatile and easy to use. Transform ordinary meals into extraordinary culinary experiences with our curated selection of must-have condiments. Great to keep on hand for enhancing rice, pasta, noodles, salads, and much more:
- SOY SAUCE. Adds depth of flavor to stir-fries, rice dishes, and marinades.
- OLIVE OIL. Essential for cooking, dressing salads, and drizzling over pasta.
- SESAME OIL. Great for Asian dishes like noodles, stir-fries, and dressings.
- BALSAMIC VINEGAR. Perfect for salads, marinades, and roasted vegetables.
- SRIRACHA. Adds heat and flavor to almost any dish, from noodles to sandwiches.
- FISH SAUCE. Commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking to add savory umami flavor.
- HONEY. Balances out flavors in dressings, marinades, and glazes.
- DIJON MUSTARD. Adds a tangy kick to dressings, marinades, and sandwiches.
- MAYONNAISE. Classic for sandwiches and as a base for creamy dressings.
- WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE. Enhances the savory profile of meats, stews, and marinades.
- HOT SAUCE. Perfect for adding heat to various dishes.
- KETCHUP. Classic condiment for burgers, fries, and meatloaf.
- PESTO. Versatile sauce for pasta, sandwiches, and as a marinade.
- CURRY PASTE. Adds depth and spice to curries, soups, and stir-fries.
- RICE VINEGAR. Essential for making sushi rice, dressings, and Asian-inspired dishes.
- SALSA. Great for dipping chips, topping tacos, or mixing into rice dishes.
- TAHINI. Ideal for making hummus, dressings, and sauces for grain bowls.
- BBQ SAUCE. Adds sweet and smoky flavor to grilled meats and sandwiches.
- PONZU SAUCE. Citrusy and tangy, perfect for dipping or as a salad dressing.
- CHILI PASTE/OIL. Hot chili peppers in oil are typically used to add heat, crunch, and depth.
30-minute Pasta Dishes: For Your Next Event
To make it extra easy for you, we are also including hacks (okay, fine! they’re store-bought!) to help you manage your night even when you are busy. Because really, you also deserve that 30-minute break you’ve been waiting for all day!
Super Quick Tomato Basil Pasta
If you can get your hands on some tomatoes, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, butter, basil, onion, garlic, olive oil, chili or red pepper flakes, and of course, spaghetti (or really any pasta you have lying around!) – you can successfully pull this off!
Recipes you’ll love: Cooking NY Times | All Recipes
You can also “hack” by using bottled pasta sauces. I see you might be cringing. But really, if you don’t have time, you have to be kind to yourself. Well, bottled pasta sauce or you can order takeout.
Linguine Lemon Alfredo Shrimp
Let’s bring serve up some creamy pasta, shall we?
This was surprisingly easier than we thought! Some garlic, butter, white wine (optional), shrimp (of course!), lemon (or lemon concentrate!), whipping/heavy cream, Italian seasoning (use at your discretion! not too much!), flour, and of course, your choice of pasta noodle.
Or, of course, you can also purchase a ready-made alfredo pasta sauce and add sauteed shrimp and lemon to your pasta! Don’t forget the cheese! Lots of them! Then voila! You are gold!
Recipes you’ll love: Salt and Lavender | Spend With Pennies
Chicken Pesto Pasta (one of our readers’ fave 30-minute pasta dishes!)
Okay. This is by far, the easiest one. And also, the easiest to hack!
Here’s the “real” version. You’ll need boneless chicken, olive oil, pesto sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and of course, pasta of your choice.
This “real” version will need you to sautee and cook the chicken. BUT, here’s a hack, get those roasted chicken (yep, the one from Costco is our fave!), then shred it! How fast and easy is this?
Then, of course, you purchase pesto sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan cheese, toss them together with the pasta, and BAM! Yummy pasta!
If you want to make this into a creamy version, just add cream! This might not be the “most” popular opinion, but using a coffee creamer (if you have it lying around!) will help make it “creamy!”
Recipes you’ll love: All Recipes | Lemon Blossoms
Lemon Chicken Pasta
Something for comfort you ask? Well, this one is for you! Something lemony for you!
Pretty straightforward ingredients: chicken stock, parmesan, cream, lemon (and lemon juice!), chicken, olive oil, and as usual, your choice of pasta. Feeling like adding veggies? You can add some spinach!
You’ve probably known by now how we’ll share a hack for this one!
Roasted chicken (from Costco!), shred it, add alfredo bottled sauce, lemon concentrate, lots of cheese, and some baby spinach salad to add some veggies in there!
Toss them together, and you got yourself a delicious pot of pasta!
Recipes you’ll love: The Endless Meal | Ricardo Cuisine
Peperonata Penne
This one is for vegetarians! You’ll also love the colors on this one!
Jarred grilled/roasted peppers, onions, garlic, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, sugar, parsley, olive oil (or you can also use oil from the jarred peppers!)
There is not much hack to this as this is already super easy as it is! Of course, you can also add vegan parmesan cheese if you’d like!
Recipes you’ll love: Jamie Oliver | The Pesky Vegan
Beyond Easy Greek Pasta (one of our fave 30-minute pasta dishes!)
Okay. Are you ready for this one? This is literally a SPEEDY toss-only pasta.
Get something similar to Black Olives & Herbs Feta Cheese in Oil, roasted chicken (again, our fave from Costco!) – shred it, then add these to your penne (or spaghettini) and LITERALLY toss them altogether!
Sure, you will say that this looks like a greek pasta salad. I’d say well it kind of is. BUT, we’ve added shredded chicken, which essentially makes it a “dinner”. Right? I mean, why not? Let’s get creative peeps, eh?
And yeah, we really have no reference recipe for this one, because we just put this together way too many times during nights when we don’t even want to turn the stove on!
Broccoli Alfredo Pasta
Cook fettuccine pasta according to package instructions. In a separate saucepan, steam broccoli florets until tender. In a skillet, heat olive oil and sauté minced garlic until fragrant.
Pour in store-bought or homemade Alfredo sauce and add the steamed broccoli. Stir until heated through, then add the cooked pasta. Toss until well coated and serve hot.
Add bacon or prosciutto if you’re looking to add some meat!
Garlic Butter Parmesan Pasta
Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. In a saucepan, melt butter and sauté minced garlic until fragrant.
Toss the cooked pasta with garlic, butter, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan on top.
How easy was this?
Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Cook penne pasta according to package instructions. In a skillet, heat olive oil and sauté sliced bell peppers and onions until tender.
Add peeled and deveined shrimp and sprinkle Cajun seasoning over the mixture. Cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Combine the shrimp and vegetable mixture with the cooked pasta and serve hot.
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Cook linguine according to package instructions. In a separate skillet, heat olive oil and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Add peeled and deveined shrimp, cooking until pink.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the shrimp, and add lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss the cooked pasta with the shrimp mixture and garnish with fresh parsley.
If you have extra time, try out this Seafood Linguine Recipe from Fraiche Living!
Serving Tips
It’s not really JUST about the food. I mean for sure, it is about the food. But it’s ALSO about how you present them!
Here are our fave serving bowls to help you elevate your 30-minute pasta dish presentation at your next event (or perhaps, tonight!)
Take a look at all these 30-minute pasta dishes and pick the best one out of them to impress your guests in the next event.
There you are lovelies! 30-minute Pasta Dishes: For Your Next Event!
** This post has Amazon links and as an Amazon Associate, Wedding Planning Resources earn from qualifying purchases.
