While I am a firm believer that pure and simple is often best, there are times when a gal just needs to mix things up a bit! Such is occasionally the case in the world of pasta. Marinara is my rock. For years I have relied on it to carry me through Little League spaghetti dinners and church potlucks. It's a staple in my recipe repertoire, but recently it's gotten some tasty company in the form of jazzy pasta dishes that veer far left of your standard fare.

Take Brunswick, GA cook Laura Yoder, for example. Her Mexican Manicotti My Way is a kicky Latin-influenced take on traditional manicotti. "I was undecided on what to fix for supper," Laura explains about the night her recipe was born. "I was teetering between Mexican and Italian so I decided to experiment and this is what I came up with. I must say.... I did good!"

One of this recipe's biggest fans is most definitely Louisiana gal Debbie Wright, an honorary member of the Just A Pinch Kitchen Crew and an accomplished cook in her own right. When she first tried this dish, she was bowled over to say the least. "Oh my goodness!! This dish is fabulous," dishes Debbie. "Laura was right when she said she did good! The meat and bean mixture inside the pasta was perfect, and the creamy cheese and sour cream was the ideal touch on top." Pasta shells stuffed with Mexican seasoned beef and black beans? Now there's a way to spice things up!

Valerie Reeves of Murfreesboro, TN was also looking to up the ante when she came up with her deliciously hearty recipe for Sausage Stuffed Shells. "For years, I tried to find a recipe for stuffed shells and/or manicotti that included meat in the filling, so after lots of experimenting, I came up with my own!" says this saucy Blue Ribbon cook. We recently served Valerie's stuffed shells for a birthday get-together and the serving platter was scraped clean! What does Val's family think of her pasta invention? "My husband and kids beg me to make this," she admits. "They say it is the best pasta dish ever!" Now what mom could ask for a better endorsement than that? Way to go, Valerie!

Kids of all ages will most definitely love Angie Webb's go-to pasta mash-up: Mama Ang's Cavatini! A fairly new concept to me, cavatini is simply a pasta bake comprised of all different pasta shapes. Angie embraces the shapely penne, rotini and elbow pasta varieties for her yummy bake... a tradition in her family. "My mother used to make Cavatini for me on special occasions," says Angie. "Unfortunately, I never got her recipe. So, I came up with the closest I could find and added some lower fat options since I try to make healthy food for my family. My kids LOVE it (had seconds AND thirds!) I hope you like it, too!"

Not only do we love Angie's recipe, but we also loved the lighter ingredient options. Angie uses part-skim mozzarella and she also replaces the more traditional (and fattier) ricotta cheese with low-fat cottage cheese instead. This is such a handy trick for taking a bit of the bulge out of heavier pastas. The cottage cheese provides a creaminess similar to ricotta but with far less fat. Oh and it tastes good, too!

Go and and start mixing things up in your own kitchen! Try these delish dishes... or perfect a pantry-clearing pasta masterpiece of your own. Pasta is the canvas on which you can paint limitless combinations. Buon appetito!