Are you looking for Italian pasta recipes that are delicious and easy to prepare at the same time? Then, you’ve come to the right place.
You won’t need to be in the boot-shaped country to enjoy these delicious dishes. With utensils and ingredients you have at home, you can make them for your guests.
Let’s be honest, pasta isn’t just loved by Italians. In reality, around the world, we go crazy for those unique flavors.
In this list, you’ll find some very famous preparations and others not so much for their regional origin. However, you’ll love them all. Prepare them and tell us about your experience.
These are the best Italian pasta recipes:
1.Pasta al Pomodoro
We start with the easiest and most well-known proposal. If we tell you its base is tomato, can you guess which one it is? Yes, it’s Pasta al Pomodoro.
Let’s see the recipe for this traditional and popular dish.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of pasta
- 4 medium-sized peeled tomatoes
- 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
- 3 sprigs of fresh basil
- Salt
- Extra basil and parmesan for garnish
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Preparation
Use a large skillet to heat the olive oil. Make sure to set the heat to medium-low.
Add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Then, add the red pepper.
After a minute, add the tomatoes to the preparation and season with salt. Stir slowly. The idea is for them to soften so you can crush them.
With that texture, let the sauce thicken. That will take a maximum of 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add the basil.
Cook the pasta. When it’s ready, drain it and reserve half a cup of water.
Retrieve the sauce and reheat it over medium heat. Add the reserved water, so you achieve the necessary fluidity.
Finally, combine with the pasta and mix for two minutes. This way, it will absorb the flavor.
Serve and garnish with basil leaves and parmesan.
2.Lasagna Bolognese
Of so many Italian pasta recipes, this is one of the most complicated. Yes, it has many preparations. However, you just need patience.
The result will be worth it. Here’s the step-by-step.
- Ingredients
- Lasagna pasta
- Bolognese sauce
- 4 ½ cups of milk
- ½ cup of all-purpose flour
- ½ cup of butter
- Parmesan cheese
- Pepper
- Nutmeg
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Preparation
Start by preparing a béchamel sauce. To do this, melt the butter in the skillet. Then, add the flour and stir to prevent it from burning.
Warm the milk and then add it to the previous mixture. Whisk continuously until it boils. Don’t turn it off! Set the heat to minimum and leave it for 15 minutes.
Season with salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Reserve.
Preheat the oven to 375 ℉.
Now, let’s start with the lasagna! Grease a mold with butter. Start with a layer of Bolognese sauce and alternate with a layer of pasta, another of Bolognese, and béchamel.
Sprinkle with parmesan and repeat the process several times.
Top the last layer with both sauces, some butter cubes, and more parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes.
To serve, place a portion on the plate and garnish with olive oil and a little more parmesan cheese.
3.Italian Pasta Recipes: Gorgonzola Gnocchi
This is a truly tasty and quick option. Keep in mind, while gnocchi are not made with the same ingredients as pasta, they are considered part of the family.
This is because they are prepared and served like all the Italian pasta recipes we know. That is, they have the same dressings.
As for the gorgonzola, it is undoubtedly the star ingredient. It is a cheese that adds a lot of creaminess and an unmistakable flavor to the sauce.
Ingredients
- A batch of gnocchi, preferably homemade
- 250 g of gorgonzola cheese
- 100 g of parmesan cheese
- 500 ml of heavy cream
- 25 g of butter
- 100 ml of milk
- Nutmeg, salt, and pepper – To taste, no restrictions
- Preparation
This recipe has a great protagonist: the sauce. Let’s make it, it’s very easy!
In a saucepan or skillet, combine the milk with the butter, cream, and chopped gorgonzola. Add salt and pepper to season. Let it cook over low heat.
It’s gnocchi time. In a pot, put a lot of salted water. When it boils, add the gnocchi. Stir occasionally.
They’ll be ready when you see them on the surface. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the sauce. Stir to cover and soak them with flavor.
Season with pepper and parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately.
4.Italian Pasta Recipes: Spaghetti alla Norma
This proposal is of Sicilian origin. Does it surprise you? Impossible, because it is a region that has contributed delicious Italian pasta recipes to world cuisine.
In fact, with this dish, you will enjoy a unique mixture: pasta and eggplants. However, it is so versatile that the sauce accommodates everything from spaghetti or penne to route di carro.
Likewise, it also goes well with pecorino or parmesan if you don’t have ricotta in your fridge.
Ingredients
- 350 g of spaghetti
- 2 eggplants
- 400 g can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- Bunch of chopped basil
- A pinch of chili flakes
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons of salted ricotta or pecorino/parmesan
- Olive oil
Preparation
As pasta is easy to prepare, let’s start with the sauce.
Cut the eggplants. Ideally, get slices of 2 cm. Fry them for about 20 minutes. You’ll see that in that time they’ll soften. With that texture, remove them from the skillet.
In the same skillet, place the capers and garlic. Let them cook for a minute to make way for the tomatoes, chili, and some of the basil.
This cooking will take about 20 minutes over medium-low heat. After this time, add the eggplants and let everything mix.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti.
Are they ready? Add them to the sauce and wait a minute.
Serve them. This quantity is enough for 4 servings.
To finish, sprinkle with ricotta cheese and what’s left of the basil.
5. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Undoubtedly, this is another proof that Italian pasta recipes don’t have to be difficult.
But where does it come from? Obviously, its name is somewhat provocative. Yes, in Italian, puttana means prostitute. There’s more!
According to legend, the dish was created in the brothels of Naples, where these women used to serve it to their clients.
Stop! Like all legends, there is no evidence to confirm it; however, it is confirmed to be a Neapolitan dish.
So, are you looking for a Neapolitan recipe? You definitely have to try this one.
Ingredients
- 500 g of spaghetti
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 1 kg of crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of capers
- 1 cup of olives
- 4 cloves of garlic
Preparation
First, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet. When it’s hot, add the garlic and, after a few minutes, fry the anchovy fillets.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes along with the capers and olives. How long? Wait for the sauce to thicken.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in abundant salted water.
When both are ready, mix them. Taste, adjust the salt level, and season with pepper.
Serve with a topping of parmesan and fresh basil. It serves four people.
Pesto Pasta
We had to end with an Italian classic. And, of course, we chose pesto pasta.
The reason? It is one of the most traditional, popular, healthy, easy, and quick Italian pasta recipes to prepare.
You just need a good handful of basil and a couple more ingredients that you’ll discover here.
A plus is that it goes well with all seasons of the year and important occasions.
Also, we are sure you will be fascinated by the smell of this green sauce because it is very aromatic.
Ingredients
- 1 box of pasta (spaghetti, penne, fusilli, etc.)
- 2 ½ cups of fresh basil
- 2 ½ tablespoons of toasted and lightly golden pine nuts
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 4 tablespoons of pecorino romano
- Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup of Parmigiano Reggiano
- Sea salt
Preparation
Add the toasted pine nuts, fresh herbs, garlic, and cheese to a mortar. Crush all those ingredients until a creamy and smooth mixture is produced.
Add salt and pepper to season. Reserve.
Prepare the pasta. Add the noodles only when the salted water boils. Let them cook for about 7 or 10 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re al dente. Drain them.
Serve them on a plate and cover them with the sauce. Enjoy!
Note: Did you have leftover pesto? Reserve it, but when you’re going to use it, never heat it.
Dare to cook any of these Italian pasta recipes!
These 6 dishes will get you out of trouble at any time. They are delicious, healthy, and evoke the authenticity of Italian flavors.
Get tomatoes, basil, a little parmesan cheese, a few eggplants or anchovy fillets, and do yourself a favor, don’t forget to try the gorgonzola.
As you can see, with few ingredients you can prepare these Italian pasta recipes. Dare to make them a reality!
Read more: