35 Fall Pasta Recipes With Brown Butter, Sage, and More We’ve got pastas with shellfish, wild mushrooms, hearty greens, venison, and more seasonal specialties. By Hannah Walhout Hannah Walhout Hannah Walhout is freelance writer-editor formerly on staff at Food & Wine. She was also, for many years, a print editor at Travel + Leisure, where she covered the food & beverage beat. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 11, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Want to learn more about the very best pastas? Join pasta pros Katie Button and Dan Pashma for their pasta playbook demonstration at the 2026 Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, November 13-15. Get your tickets here. Creamy squash, hearty sausage, wild mushrooms, earthy sage — the best fall pasta recipes highlight warm flavors and seasonal produce for a cozy, comforting meal in just one bowl. Food & Wine has the cheesy bakes and meaty braises you’re craving as the cooler months set in, with weeknight-friendly dishes that come together in less than an hour. Looking for a seasonal showstopper to make the most of autumn? Pick a dish that’s finished with a decadent shaving of truffle, or try making handmade pasta to stuff with savory fillings or layer into an impressive lasagna. Keep reading for all the pasta recipes we’ll be making this fall. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 35 Wild Mushroom Fettuccine Food & Wine / Photo by Rachel Marek / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco Magrit Mondavi, wife of legendary winemaker Robert, says pasta preparations like this were always a favorite during family trips to Italy. She cooks an assortment of wild mushrooms in butter, then braises them in a broth–white wine reduction for maximum flavor before tossing in the fettuccine. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 35 Farfalle with Spicy Sausage and Butternut Squash Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Lexi Juhl Sweet squash and spicy sausage play off each other in this warming, fall-inspired pasta, which is finished with fresh parsley and sharp Pecorino Romano. With just a handful of ingredients and a 25-minute cook time, it’s the ultimate weeknight dinner for when the weather starts to turn. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 35 Red Wine Venison Stew Victor Protasio For this stew, F&W’s Ray Isle browns venison in bacon drippings, then braises it in broth and half a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah — tossing in a sachet with spices like clove and juniper to bring a well-rounded warmth. We love it served over egg noodles or pasta. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 35 Agnolotti del Plin Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This luxurious dish is actually a traditional way to use up meaty odds and ends left over from other dishes. Chef Daniel Zeilinga fills his handmade pasta with a blend of pork, chicken, and veal, fresh spinach, and Savoy cabbage — all held together with butter and Grana Padano cheese. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 35 Ragù di Salsiccia (Sausage Ragù) with Tajarin Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Also from Daniel Zeilinga, this pasta dish contains both Italian sausage and ground veal, which are cooked with hardy herbs — thyme, sage, rosemary, bay — in a savory tomato sauce. What makes the recipe special is the handmade tajarin, a local style of tagliolini that’s heavy on the egg yolks. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 35 Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser This fall entrée is ready in 30 minutes with a quick pumpkin sauce fragrant with toasted rosemary and smoky bacon. It gets its silkiness from canned pumpkin puree, which is enriched with heavy cream and a splash of starchy pasta water to better coat every strand of pasta. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 35 Linguine and Clams with Bonito Butter Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen The flavor base of this simple dish is a compound butter blended with lemon zest, chile de árbol, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). After stirring it into the warm pasta and clams so they’re coated with the intense sauce, add a sprinkling of toasted panko breadcrumbs tossed with furikake and salt. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 35 Ossola-Style Gnocchi with Sage-Butter Sauce Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Missie Neville Crawford This hearty gnocchi dish from Pasta Social Club’s Meryl Feinstein incorporates a style of dumplings from the Ossola Valley in northern Italy. In addition to the typical potatoes, this pasta dough includes winter squash, chestnut flour, and nutmeg, which add a warm, nutty, slightly sweet character. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 35 Farro Mafaldine with Black Truffle Butter and Mushrooms Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This hearty dish from chef Karen Akunowicz combines nutty farro pasta and wild mushrooms with just the right amount of truffle. In fall and winter, when black truffles are in season, Akunowicz recommends splurging and buying them fresh. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 35 Pasta with Pumpkin–Brown Butter Sauce Abby Hocking Luscious pumpkin butter — a spiced pumpkin preserve that’s easy to make at home — adds rich fall flavor to a simple, warming butter-and-sage sauce. Crushed red pepper and a generous dose of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano add a savory heat that helps cut the sweetness. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 35 Turkey and Butternut Squash Lasagna with Crispy Sage Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This recipe from chef Sarah Grueneberg transforms Thanksgiving leftovers into a next-level lasagna. Turkey, gravy, and butternut squash (or leftover sweet potatoes, if you’ve got ‘em) become the hearty filling, and fried sage leaves make an elegant garnish. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 35 Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio Greg DuPree This baked pasta from cookbook author Susan Spungen gets its lovely pink hue from softened red onions and radicchio. With heavy cream, prosciutto, and three kinds of cheese — goat cheese, Fontina, and Parmigiano-Reggiano — it’s just the kind of thing we want on a cozy fall evening. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 35 Southern-Style Mac ‘n’ Cheese Photo by Noah Fecks / Food Styling by Drew Aichele / Prop Styling by Ethan Lunkenheimer In this classic macaroni from food writer Nikki Miller-Ka, the thick sauce — extra creamy from the combination of cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and Colby-Jack — is infused with bay leaves and dry mustard. It’s perfect as a classic Thanksgiving side or a satisfying part of any weeknight dinner. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 35 Pasta with Greens and Beans Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless This simple preparation combines wide pappardelle, peppery sauteed mustard greens, canned cannellini beans, and jarred preserved Calabrian chiles for a bit of heat. It’s a great way to use up pantry items while getting in some hearty seasonal greens — and even better, it takes just over half an hour. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 35 Perciatelli alla Gricia Food & Wine / Photo by Jacob Fox / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addy Evans Gricia is one of the more under-the-radar pasta specialties of Rome. With just noodles, guanciale, pepper, and cheese, it was a filling option for lean times — and it’s still perfect when you want a cozy meal without a ton of ingredients. Chef Michael Romano shares his version of the hearty but simple classic. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 35 Baked Ziti with Shortcut Vodka Sauce Alex Lau / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox In this family-favorite baked pasta, ziti, hot Italian sausage, and a creamy shortcut vodka sauce (made with jarred marinara) are layered with a blend of three cheeses: whole-milk ricotta, melty mozzarella, and Parmesan, which helps it form the melty, bubbly crust on top. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 35 Lasagna with Mushroom Ragù and Prosciutto Cotto Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely This 24-layer masterpiece comes from chef and pasta lover Danielle Glantz, who piles thin sheets of of handmade pasta in between onion-infused bechamel, prosciutto cotto (a type of Italian ham), and a satisfying meat-free ragù made with both dried and fresh mushrooms. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 35 Creamy Farfalle with Broccoli Crumble Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Chef Misti Norri roasts broccoli florets until charred alongside torn day-old bread, chopping finely and tossing with lemon zest after removing from the oven. The mixture acts as both a thickener for the pasta’s creamy sauce and a satisfying brassica-breadcrumb topping. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 35 Gochujang Pumpkin alla Vodka Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen For this creative take on rigatoni alla vodka, a lightly spicy, intensely red gochujang-tomato blend is mellowed out by stirring in canned pumpkin and heavy cream, forming a silky sauce that coats every ridge of the pasta. A teaspoon of fish sauce stirred in at the end adds deep umami. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 35 Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser In this classic orecchiette preparation, the sweetness of the Italian sausage provides the perfect balance for the bitterness of the broccoli rabe. Parmesan, red pepper flakes, and lots of garlic bring even more punchy flavor — you can also throw in a couple of anchovies for some added umami. Get the Recipe Save 21 of 35 Chicken in a Pot with Lemon Orzo Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Nigella Lawson’s one-pot chicken dinner is one of our go-to cozy meals. The simple recipe starts by browning the chicken whole in a Dutch oven; once it’s crispy and golden, braise with aromatics, tarragon, and lemon zest, adding orzo in the last minutes to cook it in the flavorful liquid. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 35 Buttery Cabbage-and-Sausage Pasta Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster This simple pasta dish is bulked up with deliciously caramelized cabbage, which is cooked in sausage drippings so it soaks up the meaty juices. Fennel seeds, crushed red pepper, and plenty of garlic amplify the flavor of the Italian sausage; finish with Parmigiano-Reggiano, a squeeze of lemon, and fronds of fresh dill. Get the Recipe Save 23 of 35 Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas) Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Make this quick pantry-helper pasta with ingredients you probably already have on hand, like onions and garlic, canned chickpeas, tomato pasta, packaged broth, and dried pasta. For a fresh component, stir in bunches of chopped lacinato kale in the last few minutes until the greens are just softened. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 35 Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese with Baby Kale Kelly Marshall To add flecks of green to this skillet mac and cheese, chef Alexander Smalls wilts heaping handfuls of baby kale and mixes them into the cheesy buttermilk béchamel. Finish the dish in the oven, where the layer of grated sharp cheddar sprinkled on top gets browned and bubbly. Get the Recipe Save 25 of 35 Red-Wine Spaghetti with Walnuts and Parsley Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners This surprising recipe creates an impressive depth of flavor with the barest of ingredients: red wine, toasted walnuts, simple seasonings, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. The spaghetti is cooked directly in the wine, which also helps form the silky sauce. Get the Recipe Save 26 of 35 Charred Vegetable Ragù Victor Protasio The key to this smoky plant-based ragù is the mix of vegetables — meaty portobellos, garlic, onion, celery, and carrots — which are broiled until deeply charred before pulsing into a chunky sauce. Skip the finishing sprinkle of cheese to make this dish completely vegan. Get the Recipe Save 27 of 35 Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Julia Gartland / Styling by Julia Gartland For a meatier, more traditional ragù, there’s no better recipe than Marcella Hazan’s. She browns ground beef chuck and simmers it in milk before adding canned tomatoes and white wine; cooking the sauce on low for a minimum of three hours makes the meat lusciously tender and ensures the flavors meld. Get the Recipe Save 28 of 35 Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Brown butter, sage, and butternut squash make one of fall’s most familiar combinations: warm, comforting, and a perfect balance of sweet and savory. The filling for these handmade ravioli cuts the squash flavor with tart goat cheese, and chopped walnuts bring out the nuttiness of the brown-butter sauce. Get the Recipe Save 29 of 35 Rigatoni with Sirloin and Gorgonzola Sauce Food & Wine / Photo by Hannah Hufham / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle After browning cubes of sirloin steak and thickly sliced portobello mushrooms, you’ll make the super-savory sauce for this comforting pasta by deglazing the pan with Worcestershire-spiked broth and reducing until glossy and intensely flavored. Finish with heavy cream and funky Gorgonzola cheese. Get the Recipe Save 30 of 35 Smoked Mozzarella Mezzelune with Braised Onion Sauce Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Missie Neville Crawford Pasta Social Club’s Meryl Feinstein stuffs her handmade mezzelune (“half moons”) with whole-milk ricotta, chopped fresh rosemary, and shreds of smoked mozzarella. The thick onion-tomato sauce, made fragrant with the addition of ground cloves, brings out the savoriness of the smoked cheese. Get the Recipe Save 31 of 35 Pasta with Robiola and Truffles Alison Miksch Late fall means the beginning of black truffle season in Italy. This simple pasta is designed to highlight the earthy, savory delicacy, with just butter, egg noodles, and Robiola Rocchetta — a soft, creamy cheese from Piedmont, also the source of the country’s most prized truffles. Get the Recipe Save 32 of 35 Lamb Ragu Bucatini Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Chef Victor King’s meaty pasta comes together in just an hour, almost unheard of for a traditional ragù. To help approximate the depth of flavor that would come from simmering all afternoon, he uses warm spices — including coriander and piment d’Espelette — and adds fruity, oily kalamata olives. Get the Recipe Save 33 of 35 Fregula cun Cocciula (Sardinian Fregola with Clams) Cedric Angeles / Prop Styling by Stephanie Bohn Fregula, a Sardinian pasta similar to large couscous, is often paired with fresh steamed clams in a saffron-spiked tomato-based broth. Chef Amber Burling uses fish stock to bring out the briny flavor of the shellfish, complementing the fragrant saffron with thinly sliced fennel bulb and a fennel-frond garnish. Get the Recipe Save 34 of 35 Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Capers Caitlin Bensel Colu Henry’s simple, sublime pasta is great for weeknight meals and dinner parties alike: Just toss rigatoni with nutty roasted cauliflower, crispy-fried capers, and a sauce of anchovies, garlic, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and crushed red pepper. Sharp, salty Pecorino Romano is the perfect finishing touch. Get the Recipe Save 35 of 35 Buttery Spaetzle with Roasted Cauliflower and Shallots Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Spaetzle, the rustic German egg noodles, are delicious pan-cooked in butter until crispy à la Parisian gnocchi. For this flavorful dish, it’s tossed with roasted cauliflower dusted with smoked paprika, then garnished with sour cream and dill for some Central European flair. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Recipes Dinner Pasta and Noodle Dishes Pasta Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit