10 Italian Pasta Recipes I Cook Again and Again

I cook pasta two or three times a week, so I’ve gotten a few recipes down that never fail. The ones I turn to for flavour and ease. If I’m looking for fast and simple, slow and complex, there’s a recipe I’ll turn to again and again because it just works!

Pasta is one of my absolute must-haves on a weekly basis. Thanks to many journeys around Italy, I have a never-ending roster of recipes that I call upon for variety and flavour. Every time I visit Italy I discover new dishes, new combinations, new cuts of pasta and new ways to enjoy one of the world's most enduring staples.

Back at home, I take the challenge of recreating favourite travel meals very seriously and use my own experience, plus a lot of research, trial (and error) and endless adjustments until I'm 100% happy that it's as good as it's going to get. Many of these recipes I've been cooking for 20+ years and some are newer - all are delicious. Over the years, some recipes fade into the background, some are completely forgotten, but these are the ones that have endured. I hope you enjoy my ten most favourite pasta recipes. In no particular order...

1. spaghetti with cavolo nero & almonds

I've cooked this dish hundreds of times over the years. One because it's simple and also because it packs in a wonderful flavour too. The inspiration came from a Tuscan recipe but instead of leaving the leaves whole, I cooked and then blended them one time with some almonds into a pesto of sorts, and never went back to the original recipe. This is a staple in my household all year round, especially when the cavolo nero is in season.

2. Gramigna Pasta with Sausage

This dish fascinated me when I first sampled it in Emilia Romagna. It's a recipe of so few ingredients, yet is absolutely packed with flavour. Good ingredients go a long way, so when I get my hands on some top-quality Italian pork and fennel sausages, this dish is first on the menu. Gramigna pasta is hard to track down outside Italy, so it's often substituted - the flavour is consistently amazing. For Italian simplicity, this is a must-cook recipe.

3. Pesto Pasta with Potatoes & Green Beans (Trenette al Pesto)

Visiting Liguria in Italy opened my world to top-notch basil pesto. It's nothing short of miraculous just how delicious it can be. Over the years I've gotten as close as I'm going to get with my recipe, short of hopping on a plane. The recipe features pesto with potatoes and beans which make for the most spectacular combination. It's light enough to not feel heavy and hearty enough to leave you satisfied. It's possibly the perfect pasta dish.

4. Orecchiette with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

Italians love bitter flavours and this pasta appeals to me because I do too. Broccoli rabe is the star of the show alongside fennel-rich pork sausage. In the streets of Puglia where orecchiette originates I loved to watch the ladies making their own by hand, but at home a box of the dried variety is perfectly suitable. Whenever I see broccoli rabe in the store, this dish is next in line. It's a time-honoured combination and I am in complete agreement that it's one of Italy's greatest pasta dishes.

5. slow-cooked Lamb Ragù with PapPardelle

Winter is the season this one is made in giant quantities. There's nothing more I love than a cosy afternoon at home when it's cold outside with the aroma of this fail-safe ragù wafting through the house. It's so luxurious and savoury and thick ribboned pappardelle pasta is the perfect vehicle for the glossy sauce. This is one of my most favourite pasta dishes and the one I've been cooking the longest. The sauce makes an excellent lasagne too FYI!

6. Pasta Alla Norma

In Sicily, the Pasta Alla Norma is out of this world. Back in my world, at home, I recreate the magic regularly, when I want the best pasta without meat. It's silky and luxurious in texture and the eggplant really is the star of the show in its tangy tomato sauce. It's one of the tastiest vegetarian pasta dishes I cook and it's been a staple for many years.

7. Pasta with salami

This is the first pasta dish I learned to cook back in the 90s! I went for a cooking class at the fabulous Valvona Crolla deli in Edinburgh and I have been cooking this simple and flavourful pasta ever since. It's beyond simple and can be made with mild or spicy salami for a varied taste experience. I can't think of a month that goes by that I don't cook this pasta at least once. It's a quick lunch and a lovely dinner too. The O.G. pasta recipe.

8. Tajarin Al Ragù

Northern pasta sauces really hit the spot for me. I really love the non-tomato sauces of the region, especially this meaty and hearty sauce from Piedmont. I ate it on a wet and miserable day in Turin back in 2024 and was enamoured at the sauce, the thin pasta and the wonderful bed of cheesy fondue sauce that it sat on. I could have eaten it all day. Back home, I've cooked it countless times and it's fast become a go-to when the weather takes a turn.

9. Neapolitan Ragù with Paccheri

This Southern Italian sauce is a labour of love and packs a meaty and hearty punch. Various cuts of beef and pork are lovingly simmered for hours then either removed and enjoyed separately from the sauce, which is tossed through thick paccheri tubes or mashed and added to the sauce for a more hearty version. I prefer the latter and that's how I've been cooking it for all these years. It's a hefty and delicious sauce that never fails to impress.

10. Radicchio pasta with guanciale, gorgonzola and walnuts

This pasta features just about all my favourite Italian flavours. The bitterness of radicchio, saltiness of guanciale pork, the funkiness of gorgonzola and earthy nuttiness of walnuts. They are amazing together and this fail-safe recipe brings the magic for real. A personal favourite that I make on repeat.

I cook pasta two or three times a week, and over the years I've built up quite a collection of recipes I turn to again and again. Inspired by my many travels around Italy, these are the ten dishes that have stood the test of time in my kitchen. Some I've been cooking for over 20 years, others are more recent discoveries, but all have earned their place on my regular menu.

From quick and simple weeknight favourites to rich, slow-cooked sauces worth waiting for, there's something here for every occasion. If you're looking for a little Italian inspiration, you've come to the right place. Take a look through my ten favourites, pick one that takes your fancy and get cooking! I'm sure you'll find a few new favourites of your own.

Visit my Italian Hub for more delicious favourites, or my Italian Pasta Collection for all my pasta recipes.