Pasta

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Gaze at rings on your left hand. Remember how, when you were single in New York and men made rude remarks to you on the street, you'd dream about the day your boyfriend would put an engagement ring on your finger. Those trips with your friend, Megan, to Tiffany's—how the diamonds sparkled under glass. And so, my friend, it comes to this: Orientalish pasta salad for the kabillionth time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A robust mix of white beans and macaroni in a light tomato sauce, ready to serve in under 30 minutes.

Both easy and inexpensive, tuna-noodle casserole stretched proteins and carbohydrates to the limits and fed at least a generation of American kids very well. Canned tuna will never go away, but fresh tuna has joined it as a culinary staple, and it stars in this deconstructed version of the classic. All the elements that make tuna casserole so appealing and comforting are here, just slightly rearranged. And there’s no need to serve this on a cafeteria tray: It’s good enough for your best china.

"I run a salon, and I’m an instructor at a cooking school," writes Sandy Ercolano of Ridgewood, New Jersey. "It seems that I’m always in the kitchen. At home I cook meals and come up with recipes for my classes. Of course, my family eagerly tries anything I make." To turn this main-course salad into a side dish or vegetarian entrée, omit the shrimp.

Marie G. Beltran of Seattle, Washington, writes: "The signature dish at Blue Onion Bistro here in Seattle is a rich, velvety macaroni made with blue cheese. The restaurant, which is housed in a former corner gas station, is both nostalgic and comforting, just like the delicious dish. Is there any way you could persuade chef Scott Simpson to divulge the recipe?" For blue-cheese lovers only. For best results, use Maytag or a Danish blue cheese.

When cooking with tomatoes in September, buy them ahead of time and let them ripen on your counter.

Serve with garlic bread and white wine, such as Pinot Grigio.

"When I was staying at the Metropolitan Hotel in Toronto," writes Constance M. Shertzer of Indiana, Pennsylvania, "I discovered a fabulous restaurant there called Hemispheres Restaurant and Bistro. The pasta with mushrooms and tomato sauce was as good as any I've ever had in Italy."

Serve with: Mixed baby greens with shredded radishes in a citrus vinaigrette, and a sesame baguette.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

Regular mozzarella can be substituted for the smoked variety in this quick and easy dish.