Recipes "Pasta"

Pasta al pomodoro is pasta in a simple tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil and basil. It is the base of Italian home cooking: once you can make this sauce, you can make dozens of others from it…

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is pasta tossed with garlic gently fried in olive oil and a little chili. It is the dish to make when the cupboard is nearly empty, when you come home late, or…

Macaroni and cheese is short pasta in a creamy cheese sauce, baked until the top is crisp. It is pure comfort food for cold evenings and a reliable dish for children and big tables.

Minestrone is a thick Italian vegetable soup with beans and a little pasta or rice. It is a meal in a bowl and a good way to use whatever vegetables are in season: there is no single correct recipe…

Pesto alla genovese is a raw green sauce of basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil. Tossed with pasta, it is a summer dish that needs no cooking apart from the pasta. In Genoa it is served…

Pasta al tonno is spaghetti in a quick tomato sauce with canned tuna, garlic, capers and parsley. Everything in it keeps in the cupboard, it costs very little, and the sauce is ready in the time the…

Ragù alla bolognese is a thick meat sauce, cooked slowly for hours, with only a little tomato. It is the real ancestor of what the world calls "spaghetti bolognese". In Bologna it is served with…

Carbonara is spaghetti coated in a creamy sauce made only from egg yolks, cheese, crisp pork and lots of black pepper. There is no cream: the creaminess comes from the eggs, the cheese and the pasta…