Turn an ordinary dinner into a festive and memorable buffet-style feast. All you need for a make-it-your-way pasta party are a few staples from your pantry and a little sense of adventure. You can also go all-out fancy with gourmet fixings or keep things fun, simple and kid-friendly—even scale things up for a larger group.

• For décor, throw on a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth and repurpose common household items to add a charming, yet practical touch. Try serving breadsticks in a glass vase or basket and offering sliced meats, vegetables or cheese right off a cutting board.
• Invite a few friends and ask each of them to bring something. An extra slow-cooker or two can be great for keeping sauces warm. Or, have your guests bring a bottle of wine or their favorite salad dressing to share.
• Boil up two, three or more kinds of pasta. Try green spinach noodles, whole grain pasta or an interesting shape you’ve always wanted to try. If your guests are going to be holding their plates and standing, go with smaller pieces over longer, trickier-to-eat varieties.
• Heat up a few different sauces to give your guests some variety. See the "Pasta Pairings Primer" at the right for hints on choosing the perfect sauce for your pasta.

Here’s where things really get fun. In addition to pastas and sauces, give guests a variety of tasty extras to mix in with the pasta and really make it theirs. Go with at least one from each group below:

• Vegetables: Steamed broccoli or asparagus spears, roasted red pepper strips, baby spinach, sautéed mushrooms or onions, grape tomatoes.
• Cheeses: Shredded Parmesan, mozzarella and Romano. You can also try bleu, goat or feta varieties.
• Meats: Cooked, cubed chicken breast or Italian sausage crumbles. Sliced pepperoni, Canadian bacon and anchovies (for the truly adventurous!) are also good choices.
• Other Mix-Ins: Sun-dried tomatoes, capers, pine nuts, cannellini beans, sliced olives, red hot pepper flakes and freshly-chopped herbs.

Don’t forget these finishing touches to make your DIY dinner party even more complete.

• Serve a big mixed-green salad. Keep ingredients and dressing choices simple so this leafy side will complement all the pasta creations your guests are stirring up for themselves.
• Be sure to offer plenty of bread for sopping up those yummy sauces. Crusty rolls, soft breadsticks or hot-from-the-oven garlic bread are all great choices.
• For an easy dessert, set out a plate of pretty Italian cookies or cannoli. You can also tempt guests with a make-your-own sundae or coffee drink bar to keep the culinary creativity—and the conversation—flowing late into the night!