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

FAQs

What is Italy most famous pasta dish? ›

Spaghetti Bolognese

It is commonly served with parmesan cheese. The dish is one of Italy's most popular exports, and thought to have originated in Imola, a northern Italian city west of Bologna some time around the late 1800s - when the first reference to the dish's ragu sauce was recorded.

The iconic quartet of carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and gricia make up the four most famous and beloved Roman pasta dishes.

Spaghetti alla Gricia is one of the oldest pasta dishes in Roman history! It uses pecorino romano and guanciale to create a mouthwatering flavor. My favourite way to describe it is as the love child of Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe.

Always bring water to the boil before adding pasta. Otherwise the exterior will start to turn mushy before the center softens. Once boiling, add plenty of salt: about 7 grams per liter of water; this doesn't just flavour the pasta, but also shortens its cooking time.

Commonly known around the world as spaghetti bolognese, in its authentic form 'Ragu alla Bolognese' is recognised as the national dish of Italy. Its origin can be traced back to Imola, a town near the city of Bologna, where a recipe was first recorded in the 18th century.

Etymology. Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning 'thin string' or 'twine'.

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.

Su filindeu pasta is the stuff of legends. For over 300 years, only a handful of women from the remote Sardinian town of Nuoro have known the secret to making this unfathomably intricate pasta. That makes it the rarest and one of the most expensive pasta shapes on earth.

What did Italians eat before tomatoes and pasta? ›

The diet would have varied depending on region, as well: fish featured heavily near the coast, while inland communities would rely more on pork and wild game. Foods would be flavored with things like garlic, onion, and pepper, and olive oil has always held a central role in the region's cuisine.

However, some pasta shapes that are not commonly found in Italian cuisine include alphabet pasta, spaghetti-o's, and macaroni and cheese. These dishes are more commonly associated with American or processed foods.

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.

Barilla. Barilla is one of the leading pasta brands in Italy and worldwide, known for its wide range of pasta shapes and sauces.

Number one on our list of the best traditional foods in Italy has to be pizza. Everyone knows what pizza is, it needs no introduction, but what you probably know as pizza isn't quite the same as in Italy.

Pasta is a relatively inexpensive and versatile ingredient, making it a staple in Italian households. It can be dressed up with elaborate sauces or enjoyed simply with olive oil and garlic, catering to different budgets and preferences.