49 Super Comforting Noodle Recipes From All Around The World
Consider the pasta-bilities.
Is there any ingredient as satisfying and cozy as noodles? I think not. And while there's nothing wrong with a piping hot bowl of mac 'n' cheese or spaghetti and meatballs, it's time to expand our carb-loving horizons. Here are a bunch of noodle recipes from all over the world you can work into your dinner routine.
This spicy seafood pasta is loaded with shrimp, scallops, and clams, but you could always use whatever fresh or frozen fish and shellfish you can get your hands on like calamari, mussels, lobster, etc...
Recipe: Seafood Fra Diavolo
2. Pasta al Limone
Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest, like in the case of this tangy, creamy pasta in lemon sauce.
Recipe: Pasta al Limone
Just as good as take-out, this Thai classic can be whipped up in about 30 minutes flat.
Lots of Bolognese sauce recipes require hours and hours of slow cooking, but this one takes about half an hour, making it totally realistic for busy weeknights.
Recipe: Easy Bolognese
5. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
There's a secret ingredient that gives this puttanesca sauce it's delightfully umami flavor: chopped anchovies or anchovy pasta.
Recipe: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Think of spaetzle as the German take on mac 'n' cheese, which is made of tiny little egg noodles coated in an Emmental cheese and cream sauce.
Recipe: Cheese Spaetzle
Nutty, spicy, and savory, dan dan noodles are a Sichuan classic you should be making in your own kitchen. These noodles are topped with ground pork or beef and tossed in a sauce made of Chinese sesame paste, Sichuan peppers, black rice vinegar, soy sauce, and chili oil.
Recipe: Dan Dan Noodles
Sort of like the eastern European version of Bolognese, this quick stroganoff recipe calls for egg noodles cooked in a savory ground beef gravy.
Recipe: Ground Beef Stroganoff
Keep a bag of store bought tortellini on hand to instantly transform any average weeknight dinner into something that tastes restaurant-quality.
Recipe: Creamy Sausage Tortellini
10. Penne Alla Vodka
In the kingdom of pasta sauces, vodka sauce reigns king. This easy, super silky, and totally decadent version comes together in about 20 minutes with just a few simple ingredients: tomato paste, vodka, cream, and onions.
Recipe: Penne Alla Vodka
11. Soba Noodle Salad With Miso Dressing
This soba noodle salad is full of fresh vegetables and coated in a thick and luscious miso, tahini, maple, and citrus dressing. It's refreshing yet totally satisfying.
This Middle Eastern soup gets its name from reshteh, enriched flour noodles that are starchier than your typical pasta. This recipe uses udon noodles instead, which tend to be easier to find. They're served in an herb-packed broth with chickpeas, beans, and spinach.
13. Noodles and Cabbage (Haluski)
This eastern European dish is made up of noodles, cabbage, and bacon, which are sautéed in plenty of butter then finished in the oven.
Be warned: once you make mac 'n' cheese from scratch you'll never ever go back to the boxed stuff.
Recipe: Skillet Mac 'n' Cheese
15. Quick Chicken Pho
Pho, or Vietnamese rice noodle soup, is only as good as the broth. A blend of star anise, cinnamon, ginger, soy sauce, and fish sauce give it the perfect balance of saltiness and sweetness.
Recipe: Quick Chicken Pho
It may sound totally fancy, but linguine with clams in white clam sauce is incredibly budget-friendly. Start with small clams in their shells like Littlenecks or Cockles, and from there you only need a handful of simple ingredients to toss it all together.
Recipe: Linguine con Vongole
This Thai-inspired recipe happens to be dairy-free, but thanks to a mixture of coconut milk, red Thai curry paste, and vegetable broth, it's still seriously creamy.
Recipe: Thai Red Curry Noodles
18. Pastitsio Bake
The Greek take on baked ziti, this cozy dish is made up of layered pasta, ground beef or lamb, creamy béchamel sauce, and grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe: Pastitsio Bake
19. Saucy Gochujang Noodles
This Korean noodle dish gets its flavor from gochujang, a spicy red chile paste (which you can find in most markets) that's mixed with hoisin sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and lime juice to form a pasta sauce that packs some heat.
Recipe: Saucy Gochujang Noodles
This affordable and comforting dish is made with shrimp, which are are coated in spicy Cajun seasoning and tossed in a creamy pasta that takes just a few minutes to whip up.
Recipe: Cajun Shrimp Pasta
21. The Easiest Pad Thai
Rice noodles, veggies, peanuts, scrambled egg, and your pick of protein are tossed in a sweet and spicy blend of peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, and Sriracha.
Recipe: The Easiest Pad Thai
22. Chicken Yakisoba
Try to get your hands on fresh yakisoba noodles, which are available at most Asian grocery stores. And feel free to get creative with whatever veggies and proteins you stir-fry.
Recipe: Chicken Yakisoba
23. Pasta With Meat Sauce with Burrata
There's nothing overly complicated about this dish: it's just pasta simmered in ground beef, onion, and crushed tomatoes with some spices. Top it off with some creamy burrata cheese for a real treat.
Italian and Mexican flavors collide in this ultimate comfort food dish. Try using a pasta like shells, elbow noodles, and penne that really sop up the cheesy meat sauce.
Recipe: Cheesy Taco Pasta
25. Sopa de Fideo
A quintessential comfort food in many Mexican kitchens, this Latin American take on noodle soup with shredded chicken and parsley in a broth of roasted tomato, onion, garlic, and jalapenos is the definition of cozy.
Recipe: Sopa de Fideo
26. Jollof Spaghetti
Jollof, a dish popular throughout West Africa, is usually made with rice. This one-pot recipe, however, swaps the rice for spaghetti cooked in a tomato-based sauce with curry powder and thyme.
Recipe: Jollof Spaghetti
27. Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
If you have an Instant Pot, use it to whip up this savory Taiwanese soup in no time. The recipe calls for beef shank, which gets seriously tender when slow cooked or pressure cooked.
This recipe is 50% party dip, 50% cheesy baked pasta, and 100% mouthwateringly delicious.
Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake
29. Pad See Ew
This Thai street food happens to be surprisingly simple to whip up in your own kitchen. The key is starting with thick, wide rice noodles that'll sop up all the sauce.
Recipe: Pad See Ew
30. Pasta With Braised Pork Ragu
This hearty recipe requires a bit of time, but most of it is just waiting around for the pork shoulder to slow cook until it's fork-tender. It's then simmered in tomato paste, red wine, veggies, canned whole tomatoes, and herbs, and served over your choice of pasta.
Recipe: Pasta With Braised Pork Ragu
You can get this restaurant-style lo mein on the dinner table in about 20 minutes flat. It's filled with your favorite veggies and protein and tossed in a simple hoisin, soy, garlic, and ginger sauce.
Transport yourself to a Roman trattoria with this traditional Italian dish. The ingredients are basic and cheap, but the flavor is unequivocally decadent.
Recipe: Spaghetti Carbonara
33. Sichuan Chili Oil Wontons
Whether you're making wontons from scratch or opting for a store-bought version, they're going to taste next-level tossed in this spicy, Sichuan chili oil. If you want to make things really easy on yourself, pick up a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp and call it a day.
Recipe: Sichuan Chili Oil Wontons
34. Summer Roll Noodle Bowl
These deconstructed summer roll bowls are made with rice noodles, crispy vegetables, and your choice of protein. Try it with seafood like shrimp, smoked salmon, or seared tuna.
Recipe: Summer Roll Noodle Bowl
35. Shish Barak
If you've never heard of shish barak, it's like the ravioli of Middle Eastern/Arab cooking. They're little dumplings filled with minced meat (typically beef or lamb) and served in a thick and creamy yogurt sauce.
Recipe: Shish Barak
The crucial ingredient in this fancy-tasting recipe is a layer of whipped ricotta, which you can make in about five seconds by pulsing store-bought ricotta in a food processor or blender until light and fluffy.
Recipe: Unstuffed Spicy Tomato Basil Shells With Whipped Ricotta
37. Coconut Curry Ramen
A combination of Thai and Japanese flavors make this creamy, slightly sweet ramen a must-try addition to your dinner rotation.
Recipe: Coconut Curry Ramen
This Russian dumpling recipe takes a little bit of patience to make from scratch, but the end result is worth it. Or, if you're feeling lazy, pick up a bag of Trader Joe's frozen pelmeni.
Recipe: Russian-Style Ravioli (Pelmeni)
39. Chile Oil Garlic Noodles
This homemade garlic chili oil is out of this world. Make a whole bunch and store it in the fridge to put on anything from roasted vegetables to grilled shrimp.
Recipe: Chile Oil Garlic Noodles
There are some dishes that never go out of style, like a classic beef and broccoli noodle stir fried in garlic sauce. Make a big batch and enjoy it throughout the week, since this Chinese-inspired dish tastes better and better the longer it sits in the fridge.
Recipe: Beef and Broccoli Noodles
This Japanese-Italian fusion recipe calls for thick, chewy udon noodles and bacon in an indulgent sauce made with egg yolks, cream, and Parmesan cheese.
Recipe: Weeknight Udon Carbonara
42. Spicy Pork Ramen
If you can swing it, grab a package of fresh ramen noodles like Sun noodles, which you'll find refrigerated at many markets like Whole Foods or H Mart.
Recipe: Spicy Pork Ramen
If you want to go all out, try making potato gnocchi from scratch. But if you're just trying to get dinner on the table in a hurry, any store-bought gnocchi will taste great.
Recipe: 20-Minute Creamy Pesto Gnocchi
Look for Korean glass noodles, which are actually made from sweet potato starch, in any major grocery store. They're a delicious texture and taste amazing stir-fried with veggies in a four-ingredient sauce.
This Japanese noodle dish can be served hot or cold and jazzed up with your favorite protein from tofu to salmon.
Recipe: Sesame Soba Noodles
46. Catalan Fideua
This Catalonian recipe is similar to paella, except instead of rice it's made with thin Spaghetti noodles, which are broken apart into small pieces.
Recipe: Catalan Fideua
Use whatever kind of noodles you like best to make this creamy, cozy meatball bake. The key element is the Swedish meatball gravy, which is made with beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, butter, and cream.
Recipe: Swedish Meatball Pasta Bake
48. One Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake
Imagine if French onion soup and baked pasta had a baby. Yeah, the result is just as good as you're probably imagining.
49. Pasta Alla Norma
Made with roasted eggplant in a bright and zesty tomato sauce, this vegetarian pasta recipe still tastes totally filling.
Recipe: Pasta Alla Norma