What to Cook With Just Pasta and Eggs: 12 Easy Ideas

Open the cupboard, find a box of pasta and half a dozen eggs, and most people think there is nothing for dinner. There is. Pasta and eggs is the backbone of one of Italy's most famous dishes, and it stretches a lot further than that. You can have something genuinely good on the table in about 15 minutes.

Before you start, take ten seconds to see what else is around. A wedge of hard cheese, a clove of garlic, a knob of butter, a splash of oil, or a handful of frozen peas each open up a different dinner. None are required. Pasta, eggs, salt, and pepper already make a meal.

The 2-Minute Setup That Makes It Work

Egg-based pasta sauces fail for one reason: the eggs hit direct heat and scramble. Set yourself up so that cannot happen.

1. Salt the pasta water well. It should taste like a light broth, because this is the only seasoning the pasta gets.
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them before the pasta is done, so they are ready to go.
3. Before you drain, scoop out a mug of the starchy pasta water. It is the glue for every sauce below.
4. Take the pan off the heat before the eggs go in. Residual warmth cooks them into a sauce. A live flame scrambles them.

1. Carbonara-Style (The Classic)

The original uses cured pork, but the magic is the egg-and-cheese sauce. You can make a beautiful version with nothing but eggs, cheese, and pepper.

1. Beat 2 eggs with a big handful of finely grated hard cheese and a lot of black pepper.
2. Cook the pasta, then drain it, keeping that mug of water.
3. Off the heat, tip the hot pasta into the pan, wait 30 seconds, then pour in the egg mix.
4. Toss hard and fast, adding splashes of pasta water until it turns glossy and coats every strand.
5. If it looks dry, more water. If it looks loose, keep tossing and it will tighten.

2. Crispy Pasta Frittata (Best for Leftovers)

Got cold pasta from last night? This is the move. It turns leftovers into a crisp, sliceable cake that is great hot or cold, for dinner or lunch the next day.

1. Beat 4 eggs with grated cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir in about 2 cups of cooked pasta until coated.
2. Heat oil or butter in a nonstick pan over medium. Pour in the mix and press it flat.
3. Cook undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes until the bottom is golden and set.
4. Slide it onto a plate, flip it back into the pan, and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Let it rest a minute, then cut into wedges.

3. Garlicky Pasta With a Jammy Egg

The laziest of the lot and still a proper meal. A soft, jammy yolk acts as the sauce when you break it over hot, garlicky noodles.

1. Lower 1 or 2 eggs into boiling water and cook for exactly 6 and a half minutes, then cool under cold water and peel.
2. While they cook, warm a generous glug of oil with a sliced clove of garlic until just golden, not brown.
3. Toss the drained pasta in the garlic oil with a splash of pasta water and a pinch of chilli if you have it.
4. Plate the pasta, halve the egg on top, and break the yolk through it.

4. Egg-Drop Noodle Soup

When you want something warm and brothy, this is a 10-minute bowl. It works with any pasta, even spaghetti snapped in half.

1. Bring 3 cups of water or any stock to a gentle simmer and season it.
2. Add a small handful of pasta and cook until almost tender.
3. Beat an egg and pour it into the simmering broth in a thin stream while stirring, so it sets in soft ribbons.
4. Finish with a splash of soy sauce, a drop of oil, and anything green you have.

8 More Quick Ideas

• Fried egg on buttered noodles with cheese and pepper, ready in the time the pasta cooks.
• Soft scrambled eggs folded through pasta with a little butter for a comforting, creamy bowl.
• Pasta salad with chopped hard-boiled egg, mustard, and whatever crunchy vegetable is in the drawer.
• Cacio e pepe base with a beaten egg stirred in off the heat for extra richness.
• Toasted pasta cooked risotto-style, finished with an egg yolk stirred in at the end.
• Spicy garlic noodles topped with a crispy fried egg with lacy edges.
• Pasta omelette: a thin frittata rolled around a few noodles for a portable lunch.
• Brothy pastina with a beaten egg and cheese, the bowl you make when you feel under the weather.