Giada De Laurentiis

The sauce known as all'arrabbiata—or "in the angry style"—is made with hot red pepper flakes (and sometimes fresh chilies for an extra kick). I like to use the briny elements of olives and capers and skip the fresh chilies, adding depth to the spiciness rather than just more heat. Perfect with penne or rigatoni.

Not all cream sauces are super-rich. This pasta gets its creamy sauce from a combination of part-skim ricotta and pasta water, which come together to make a really easy, lighter cream sauce. Don’t leave out the lemon zest; it brightens the flavor and adds a wonderful lemony aroma as well.

I don’t keep a lot in my freezer, but one thing you’ll always find there is a package of frozen peas. They’re sweet, they have a lovely green color, and when puréed they can satisfy a craving for a starchy food. If you’re not a big fan of peas, at least give this a try. I think it’s going to be your new favorite thing. I can’t resist eating it straight out of the bowl!

My mother always loved to serve stuffed vegetables; she stuffed zucchini, potatoes, onions, and, of course, all kinds of peppers. It may have been her way of getting us to eat our vegetables, but we loved them so much we ate them right out of the fridge the next day. I’ve used pancetta in the filling, but this is an easy recipe to vary and you could certainly substitute ground beef, sausage—almost anything savory that you like. These taste better the longer they sit, so they make great leftovers.

For the true pizza lover: a dessert version.

Serve these mini pizzas as an appetizer with drinks.

Make this multicolored salad a day ahead and chill it overnight for best flavor.

Prepare this a day ahead so all of the elements can meld and the ladyfingers to soften fully.

Ask your butcher to butterfly the leg of lamb for you.

Let guests mix their own Bellinis — it's a great ice-breaker, and allows everyone to custom-blend their drinks.

These little appetizer pizzas are perfect finger food.