16 Classic Italian Pasta Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Make (2024)

Make noodle night extra special by dipping into our collection of classic Italian pasta recipes. You'll find dishes you know from your favorite restaurants, spring vacation on the Amalfi Coast, or Sunday nights spent sitting around your nonna's table.

In addition to recipes like Bolognese that require slow cooking on the stovetop, we've included classics that are much quicker to put together—like the 15-minute wonder that is our famous One-Pan Pasta. Other time-honored pastas have a short ingredient list but pack a lot of flavor, such as rich and creamy Spaghetti Carbonara and spicy options like Linguine Arrabbiata.

These classic Italian pasta recipes are popular for good reason—make them all to taste why these dishes are such favorites.

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Fettuccine Alfredo

16 Classic Italian Pasta Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Make (1)

This classic has a sauce made with just Parmesan and butter. Since it's so simple, it's key to use quality ingredients. Our recipe uses chef Missy Robbins' homemade fettuccine, but you can swap in store-bought fresh noodles.

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One-Pan Pasta

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This is a revolutionary technique that hails from the region of Puglia. The dried pasta is cooked in a skillet—not the usual large pot—along with the other ingredients. The result is maximum flavor and minimal dirty pots.

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Red-Wine Pasta

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In Italy, this distinctive dish is called spaghetti all'ubriaco or "drunken" pasta. It's a quick recipe that combines thin strands of spaghetti with a reduced red wine-shallot sauce finished with pancetta and grated pecorino.

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Cacio e Pepe

Utterly simple, totally irresistible, and classically Roman—yes, this is that famed pasta with cheese and freshly cracked pepper. We opt for two types of cheese and add a squeeze of lemon to set our recipe apart. Don't be intimidated by the process; our step-by-step guide to cooking this classic makes it simple.

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Pasta e Fagioli

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You might just call this "pasta fagioli," but Italians would never drop the "e" in this hearty soup made with pasta, cranberry beans, and vegetables.

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Pasta Carbonara

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Bacon and eggs—and Parmesan—meet pasta. Spaghetti is the traditional choice for this velvety sauce, but feel free to go alla carbonara with other noodles.

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Lasagna

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Like much else in Italy, there are different takes on lasagna from different regions. This version features a hearty meat sauce made with ground beef and pork sausage and layers of a rich cheesy filling. There are also versions made with greens and vegetables.

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Pasta Puttanesca

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Made with ingredients you likely already have on hand, this spicy melange of tomatoes, capers, anchovies, and olives is fast to make and lively on the palate. There's also an oven-roasted version of this sauce.

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Pasta Bolognese

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Of course, we had to include this favorite. Depending on where your nonna is from, you might call this thick meat sauce a ragu. Our version uses both ground beef and ground pork, as well as the essential milk, nutmeg, and white wine.

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Linguine with Clams

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A combination of oil, clam broth, and white wine creates an almost creamy sauce for this pasta "con le vongole." The clams are left in their shells, and a generous sprinkling of parsley provides the finishing touch. If, like in Campania and the south of Italy in general, you prefer a red clam sauce, try this recipe.

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Penne alla Norma

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Here's a hearty vegetarian penne recipe with eggplant, tomato, and ricotta from Sicily. It might have been inspired by the opera "Norma" by Sicilian composer Vincenzo Bellini.

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Tortellini en Brodo

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Legend has it that these little twists of filled pasta were inspired by the navel of the famous beauty Lucrezia Borgia as viewed through a keyhole by a curious cook. Here, they are served simply in broth, a traditional festive first course.

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Pasta Pomodoro

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Pomodoro, which is Italian for tomato, is a fitting name for this crowd-pleasing dish.

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Bottarga Pasta

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From Sardinia comes this elemental pasta with a true taste of the sea. It's made with just the pressed dried roe of tuna or mullet roe (bottarga) and a little oil, garlic, parsley, and breadcrumbs. Bucatini or perciatelli? Your choice.

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Spaghetti with Sicilian Pesto

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Not the usual Genoese pesto, this Sicilian take uses roasted red pepper, fresh tomatoes, anchovies, capers, and golden raisins for sweetness. Toasted almonds replace the pignoli used in basil pesto but Parmigiano is a constant. It's quick to make and wonderfully flavorful

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Linguine Arrabbiata

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A fiery dose of crushed red-pepper flakes gives this pasta dish its name, which means "angry" in Italian. A simple and flavorful tomato, garlic, and white-wine sauce provides a base for the spicy seasoning.

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16 Classic Italian Pasta Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Make (2024)

FAQs

What are 4 famous Italian pasta dishes? ›

There are four classic Roman pasta dishes: carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, and alla Gricia. Each uses slightly different techniques and ingredients and has its own place in the canon of Italian food. Here is a brief breakdown of these iconic Italian pasta dishes. 1.

What is the most traditional pasta dish in Italy? ›

Top 5 of the most traditional pasta from Italy
  • Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino. Originated in the Abruzzo region in central Italy, this is a classic dish with a very basic composition. ...
  • Fettuccine Carbonara. ...
  • Lasagne al ragú ...
  • Ravioli. ...
  • Cacio y Pepe.
Nov 11, 2021

What is Italy's number 1 pasta? ›

Barilla Pasta is Italy's largest dry pasta brand and dominates the European and American markets. With a long-standing reputation as one of the best Italian pasta brands in the United States, Barilla's products are made with high-protein durum wheat flour, ensuring top quality.

What are the 3 pastas of Rome? ›

There are four classic Roman pasta dishes: cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana, and alla gricia. Each one is a variation on the other — alla gricia is cacio e pepe plus guanciale, carbonara is gricia plus egg, and so on. These four dishes are famous in all of Italian cooking, not just in Rome.

What is eaten before pasta in Italy? ›

Antipasto. This traditional Italian meal starts with something to nibble on before the main courses commence. These appetizers can include cold and hot dishes like cheese, soppressata, and bread.

What pasta do Italians like the most? ›

Among the most popular types of pasta follow penne rigate and fusilli. The wooden medal goes to the rigatoni and the ranking also includes farfalle, linguine, bucatini and lasagna. In Southern Italy ziti and ditalini, orecchiette and mixed pasta also triumph, almost impossible to find in the North.

What is the golden rule for pasta? ›

To be sure that your pasta is cooked correctly, it is enough to follow a few, simple rules. To begin with, you should keep in mind the right quantities. In Italy, the golden rule for cooking pasta is 1, 10, 100 or 1 liter of water, 10 grams of salt for every 100 grams of pasta.

What not to do when making pasta? ›

Cooking pasta: 5 mistakes
  1. Toss the pasta when the water is cold. This is probably the most common and also the most serious mistake you can make in cooking pasta. ...
  2. Using the wrong measure of salt. ...
  3. Cooking pasta in a small pot. ...
  4. Overcooking the pasta. ...
  5. Drain the pasta too much.
Sep 14, 2023

What does more egg do to pasta? ›

The more egg white, the more pliable the dough; the more yolk, the richer the pasta will be. There are endless variations, but for a dough that works every time use: 1 whole egg plus 2 yolks for every 150g of flour.

Why do Italians use cold water for pasta? ›

Because starch needs to be heated to gel properly, soaking pasta in cold water will allow you to hydrate it without worrying about it sticking together. Once it's fully hydrated, you've just got to finish it off in your sauce and you're ready to serve.

Do Italians rinse pasta after cooking? ›

Don't rinse the pasta.

Remember the pasta will continue to cook while it's being drained, so allow for that extra minute when you're testing for doneness. At this point, turn off the heat, drain but do not rinse and sauce immediately.

How do Italians stop pasta from sticking? ›

1) Never add oil to your water

The oil separates and floats on the top of the water, and won't keep your pasta from sticking together. Also, when you drain the pasta, the oil will coat it, preventing the sauce from sticking to it. The only way to avoid having blobs of pasta sticking together is to use a lot of water.

What are the top five Italian dishes? ›

5 Of The World's Most Famous Italian Dishes
  • Pizza Napoletana. Italian cooking's very essence can be summed up on how they make pizza. ...
  • Lasagna. Lasagne in Italian, this classic pasta recipe is on everyone's list of comfort food. ...
  • Gelato. ...
  • Spaghetti Carbonara. ...
  • Risotto.
Dec 15, 2021

What are 3 Italian dishes? ›

Top 10 Traditional Foods in Italy
  • Pizza.
  • Pasta.
  • Arancini.
  • Focaccia.
  • Italian Cheese.
  • Lasagna.
  • Ossobuco.
  • Risotto.

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