This book is just one in our series The Cooking Light Cook’s Essential Recipe Collection. In selecting recipes for these books, we asked ourselves which recipes we make most often in our home kitchens, the ones we rely on, the essential dishes our families ask for again and again. Each recipe in this volume promises to be delicious, nutritious, and tried-and-true for your success.

We know that you don’t have time for anything but the best! Add these top-rated, foolproof recipes to your weekly repertoire for mouthwatering satisfaction every time. In this volume of The Cooking Light Cook’s Essential Recipe Collection, you’ll find:

Over 60 essential kitchen-tested pasta recipes. From Pasta Primavera to Grilled Vegetable Lasagna, and from Ragù Alla Bolognese with Fettuccine to Green-Chile Ravioli, Cooking Light Pasta offers you Cooking Light magazine’s best-of-the-best pasta recipes. Warm up with a bowl of Red Bean Stew with Ditalini. Or relish Shrimp, Tomato, and Basil Linguine with Warm Goat Cheese Rounds. Or better yet, serve up pure comfort with classic Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Over 100 bold and bright full-color photos. Each essential recipe is accompanied by a beautifully vivid full-page color photograph, along with an additional image and information on a particular ingredient or technique that’s crucial to the recipe.

Complete nutritional information for each recipe. In your quest to eat smart, be fit, and live well, you’ll find the complete nutritional analysis for each recipe amazingly helpful. Looking for a low-cal dish? Try Curried Chicken Penne with Fresh Mango Chutney. Need less sodium? Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Peppers, and Olives is ideal. Or maybe you want to increase your calcium intake. If so, Creamy Four-Cheese Macaroni is an excellent choice.

A complete guide to all things pasta. Wondering whether to add salt or oil to your pasta water? Or are you in search of easy homemade pasta sauces to take the place of those jars in your pantry? Then check out our Cooking Class. This section is devoted to the ins and outs of pasta preparation, serving, and saucing. You’ll learn all about al dente and become well versed in the varieties of pasta. It’s everything you need to cook great pasta!