Top 10 Most Famous Pasta Dishes

A Roman pasta recipe made with a sauce based on fried pancetta (bacon), eggs, cheese (ideally Pecorino Romano, of course), generously mixed with black pepper. The pasta should always be served in warm dishes topped with some additional grated Pecorino.

Trenette al Pesto

A typical Ligurian recipe (from the north west of Italy) that consists of a basil based sauce - including garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmigiano cheese - served rigorosly without tomato sauce. Small potato cubes may be added to the pesto sauce. Grated parmigiano is added on top of the dish just before serving it.

Spaghetti alla Norma

This dish from Catania (Sicily) was named after an opera (Norma) written by the famous Sicilian composer Vincenzo Bellini. The recipe is usually made with Ricotta Salata cheese, eggplants - previously fried - and tomatoes, flavored with herbs such as origan, parsley and a bit of basil.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

The traditional recipe originated in Amatrice, a small town in Abruzzi 100 kms east of Rome, after which the dish is named. The recipe is based on sauteed onions mixed with guanciale (ideally, pork cheek meat, but bacon may also be used) and tomato. Once ready, the pasta is topped with grated cheese (either pecorino or parmigiano according to the taste). Serve with a glass of strong red wine.

Spaghetti con le vongole

This spaghetti recipe with clams (vongole) is a classic of Southern Italy. The original recipe is "tomato free", but it can now often be found combined with fresh pachino tomatoes. The sauce is based on fresh clams prepared with olive oil, garlic and a glass of white wine. Some flat leaf parsley and peperoncino can be added, but never grated cheese !

Note that Italians do not usually mix seafood with cheese, especially not in pasta recipes. To replace cheese and add a refined touch, bottarga (dried eggs of muggine fish) can be added as a final touch, either grated or sliced, just before serving the dish.

Linguine allo Scoglio

A typical pasta recipe from the Lazio and/or Campania region(s), based on a perfect combination of fresh tomatos - ideally "Pachino" type (cherry tomatoes) - and seafood (muscles, shrimps, squids…). The traditional recipe includes garlic, some white wine, and "peperoncino" (hot red pepper). Always add some persil to the pasta dish just before serving. Typically this dish is combined with a glass of good white wine, served very cool, ... sitting on a terrace by the seaside.

Fettucine all'Alfredo

A "secret" recipe created by the famous chef Alfredo (in Rome) consisting of a double-butter based sauce mixed with cream and parmigiano cheese. What seems a simple recipe at first sight results in the perfect combination of the ingredients combined with the perfect al dente cooking of the fettuccine (egg-based home-made pasta).

Farfalle al salmone

Another typical dish from Southern Italy, prepared with smoked salmon, properly sliced, and a sauce of fresh cream. Do not forget to add persil and black pepper at the end. A variation to this recipe is to add two spoons of Vodka when preparing the sauce….

Spaghetti Aglio e Oglio

The most simple and traditional Italian pasta recipe. For this recipe garlic is fried in pure olive oil together with some peperoncino (red hot pepper). The key is to cook the pasta perfectly al dente.

Penne alla Bolognese

The typical pasta recipe of Bologna (in Emilia Romagna). This meat-based pasta recipe is prepared with tomatoes, fried garlic, olives all prepared with crunched (?) meat, normally a mix of beef (or veal) and pork. When served top it with Parmigiano cheese and peperoncino.

See also:
Matching each sauce with the right type of pasta
Types of pasta
Italian cuisine

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