Quick

Adding a bit of the pasta cooking water thins the goat cheese-and mustard-based sauce and helps it adhere to the fettuccine.

In this one-pot dish the spinach cooks alongside the pasta. Spoon ricotta and pine nuts onto each serving, and let your guests mix them into the pasta themselves.

This classic Italian combination is made light and bright with turkey sausage and yellow bell peppers. Arugula gives the dish a peppery taste.

Take a break from ordinary tomato sauce with this crowd-pleasing pasta dish. Leaf-Lettuce Salad with Parmesan Crisps (page 27) makes a perfect starter.

Rich and creamy, risotto is Italian-style comfort food. If you like, replace the wine with an equal amount of broth. Arborio rice makes the creamiest risotto, but you can substitute medium-or long-grain white rice.

Mint is a traditional accompaniment for lamb, but in this recipe we use a fresh herb sauce instead of mint jelly.

The combination of mustards in this recipe produces an especially piquant sauce to serve with the pork. Use any leftover pork to make sandwiches the next day.

This hearty salad contains many ingredients and flavorings commonly found in Thai cuisine, including lime juice, chile pepper, mint, bean sprouts, and peanuts.

Radish and avocado are traditional Mexican toppings for tacos. Here they are combined in a salsa that can be served with tacos or as an appetizer with tortilla chips.