↗Lazio · Roman classic
Spaghetti Carbonara
Silky eggs, Pecorino Romano and crisp guanciale — no cream, no shortcuts, and a calm method that keeps the sauce glossy.
Authentic Italian Pasta Recipes
Explore carefully classified Italian pasta recipes by region, with traditional technique, ingredient context and transparent South African substitutions.
Authenticity here is a useful label, not decoration. These recipes preserve the defining regional method and explain exactly what changes when a specialist ingredient is replaced in South Africa.
35editorially reviewed recipes
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↗Lazio · Four ingredients
Cacio e Pepe
A peppery Roman pasta with a smooth Pecorino emulsion and zero clumps.
↗Lazio · Amatrice
Bucatini all’Amatriciana
Tomato, guanciale and Pecorino cling to hollow bucatini in this focused central Italian classic.
↗Campania · pantry classic
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Garlic, olive oil, chilli and parsley coat spaghetti in a sauce that rewards calm heat and good timing.
↗Lazio · Roman heat
Penne all’Arrabbiata
A direct Roman tomato sauce with garlic and chilli, finished with parsley and enough heat to justify its name.
↗Sicily · Catania
Pasta alla Norma
Fried aubergine, tomato, basil and ricotta salata come together in one of Sicily’s defining pasta dishes.
↗Campania · bold pantry sauce
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Tomato, olives, capers and anchovies make a salty, lively sauce with no need for a long simmer.
↗Liguria · Genoa
Trofie al Pesto Genovese
Fresh basil pesto coats twisted trofie with potato and green beans in the Ligurian manner.
↗Emilia-Romagna · Bologna
Tagliatelle al Ragù
A slow beef and pork ragù served with broad egg tagliatelle, where the pasta matters as much as the sauce.
↗Central Italy · pasta and chickpeas
Pasta e Ceci
Chickpeas and small pasta share one rosemary-scented pot, landing somewhere between soup and sauce.
↗Campania · bright and silky
Pasta al Limone
Lemon zest, butter and Parmesan make a fragrant sauce that stays light when the emulsion is handled gently.
↗Campania · coastal classic
Spaghetti alle Vongole
Clams, garlic, parsley and white wine make a clean, briny sauce that belongs on hot spaghetti, not at the bottom of the bowl.
↗Puglia · bitter greens
Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa
Orecchiette, broccoli rabe, anchovy, garlic and chilli create a Puglian bowl built on bitterness rather than sweetness.
↗Italy · regional bean pot
Pasta e Fagioli
Borlotti beans, small pasta and rosemary meet in a thick, spoonable dish shared by several Italian regions.
↗Campania · Sorrento peninsula
Spaghetti alla Nerano
Fried baby marrow and aged provolone melt into a silky Campanian sauce whose pale colour hides a demanding technique.
↗Emilia-Romagna · festive broth
Tortellini in Brodo
Tiny meat-filled tortellini float in clear, deeply flavoured broth in this patient special-occasion dish.
↗Sicily · fennel and sardines
Pasta con le Sarde
Sardines, wild fennel, raisins and saffron make one of Sicily's most distinctive sweet-savoury pasta dishes.
↗Lazio · Roman foundation
Spaghetti alla Gricia
Guanciale, Pecorino and black pepper coat spaghetti in the tomato-free ancestor of Amatriciana.
↗Lombardy · Alpine buckwheat
Pizzoccheri della Valtellina
Buckwheat ribbons, potato, cabbage, butter and mountain cheese make a substantial pasta from the Valtellina valley.
↗Sardinia · saffron and sausage
Malloreddus alla Campidanese
Ridged Sardinian gnocchetti carry a tomato and fresh sausage ragù scented with saffron and finished with Pecorino.
↗Emilia-Romagna · Traditional bake
Lasagne alla Bolognese
Green pasta sheets, slow ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano form restrained, distinct layers in Bologna's celebrated baked pasta.
↗Umbria · Norcia sausage pasta
Pasta alla Norcina
Fresh sausage, white wine, garlic and Pecorino coat short pasta in a restrained Umbrian cream sauce with black pepper.
↗Tuscany · Val di Chiana
Pici all'Aglione
Thick hand-rolled pici meet a gentle fresh-tomato sauce perfumed with aglione-style garlic and a little chilli.
↗Campania · Baked gnocchi
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Potato gnocchi, tomato, basil, fiordilatte and Parmigiano bubble in a shallow dish until the cheese just bronzes.
↗Sicily · Palermo classic
Pasta con Broccoli Arriminati
Cauliflower, saffron, anchovy, raisins and pine nuts create Palermo's sweet-savoury sauce for bucatini.
↗Lazio · Roman trattoria pasta
Pasta alla Zozzona
Sausage, guanciale, tomato, egg yolk and Pecorino combine in a deliberately abundant Roman rigatoni.
↗Veneto · Onion and anchovy
Bigoli in Salsa
Slowly softened onion and anchovy cling to thick bigoli in a spare Venetian pasta traditionally associated with lean days.
↗Campania · Naples onion ragù
Ziti alla Genovese
Beef and a remarkable quantity of onion cook down into Naples' amber, tomato-light Genovese sauce for broken ziti.
↗Southern Italy · Pasta and lentils
Pasta e Lenticchie
Small pasta cooks with lentils, vegetables and olive oil into a thick, spoonable dish rather than a sauce ladled over noodles.
↗Southern Italy · Pasta and potatoes
Pasta e Patate
Potato cubes and mixed short pasta cook together until starch creates a creamy, sustaining dish without cream.
↗Naples · Pasta and peas
Pasta e Piselli
Ditalini and peas cook in one pot with onion and Pecorino until sweet, green and lightly creamy.
↗Bari · Toasted, fiery spaghetti
Spaghetti all’Assassina
Spaghetti cooks risotto-style in a frying pan with tomato and chilli until parts become dark, crisp and intensely savoury.
↗Emilia-Romagna · Sausage pasta
Gramigna alla Salsiccia
Curled gramigna and fresh sausage meet in a restrained cream and tomato sauce from Emilia-Romagna.
↗Northern Italian simplicity
Ravioli with Butter and Sage
Filled ravioli are coated in nutty brown butter, crisp sage and Parmigiano with careful timing that protects every parcel.
↗Sicily · Garlic, chilli and Pecorino
Pasta alla Carrettiera
Spaghetti meets raw garlic, parsley, chilli, Pecorino and olive oil in a bold Sicilian pantry sauce mixed away from direct heat.
Cook with context