Skip to content

A good plate. A little further.Recipes, people & good things.

Explore by pasta

From familiar favourites to your next discovery. Browse classics and variations by the dish you want to make.

Choose a dish for tonight →

Search dish or ingredient

43 styles

About this order

The catalogue begins with useful everyday classics and sauce styles, then opens into regional dishes and ingredient variations. This is an editorial order, not a measured popularity ranking.

Carbonara A cream made from just egg, cheese, pork fat, and black pepper. The dividing line is where you bring the egg up to temperature, and it splits cooks into three schools: over direct heat, in a bain-marie, or off the heat with residual heat.

Aglio, olio e peperoncino Just garlic, oil, chili, and pasta water. With so few ingredients, whether the sauce emulsifies is the whole flavor. Schools diverge on how much pasta water to use and when to pull it off the heat.

Ragù alla bolognese A dish built on time — browning the meat, then simmering it. Schools diverge on how the ground meat is browned, the use of wine and milk, and how long it simmers.

Pesto Choose basil pesto or a variation made with other nuts or leaves. Each recipe retains its own ingredients.

Amatriciana Tomato simmered in guanciale fat. The order in which you render the fat, and when you add the Pecorino, change the flavor.

Vongole Choose clam pasta in a white sauce or a tomato-based rosso.

Cacio e pepe Just Pecorino Romano and black pepper. Everything comes down to temperature control — turning the cheese into a cream without it clumping.

Pomodoro Pasta in tomato sauce. The same dish becomes a different one depending on which canned tomatoes you use, the simmer time, the amount of oil, and how the basil is added.

Penne all'arrabbiata An 'angry' sauce of nothing but garlic, chili, and tomato. Its date of origin has several competing accounts (a claim that the cook Giovanni Cortellessa was serving it as a spaghetti dish in a Rome restaurant in the early 1900s; its inclusion in Ada Boni's 'Il talismano della felicità', which the Italian Wikipedia dates to the 1927 edition and RomaToday to 1929; and its appearance in 'Il cucchiaio d'argento' in 1950, cited alongside the others). Schools split over fresh versus dried chili, whether the garlic is left whole or chopped, and whether cheese is added at all.

Lasagne and baked pasta Explore lasagne and other baked pasta dishes. Follow each recipe for its filling and baking method.

Spaghetti alla puttanesca A southern Italian dish built entirely from pantry staples: anchovies, capers, and olives. The main forks are when and how the anchovies hit the heat, and whether the olives and capers are sautéed before the sauce comes together or stirred in afterward.

Pasta alla Norma A Sicilian dish from Catania finished with fried eggplant, tomato sauce, and salted sheep's-milk cheese. Named, as the story goes, after Bellini's opera Norma, and chefs diverge on how the eggplant is cut, which oil it's fried in, how the tomato is passed, and which cheese finishes the dish.

Pescatore and seafood pasta Explore pescatore and other seafood pasta recipes, keeping the seafood and the choice of sauce distinct.

Cheese pasta Choose a cheese sauce, from a blend of cheeses to Gorgonzola or macaroni cheese. Each recipe has its own ingredients.

Fettuccine Alfredo The original is 'burro e Parmigiano,' a Roman dish emulsified from nothing but butter and Parmigiano. After crossing to America it picked up heavy cream and garlic, branching into a dish that only superficially resembles the original — that branching is the biggest fork in the dish's history.

Pasta alla gricia Just guanciale, pecorino, and black pepper. It's considered the 'ur-dish' behind carbonara minus the egg and amatriciana minus the tomato, and schools diverge over whether the emulsion is built directly over the flame or in a bain-marie, and how much pasta water is worked in.

Pasta al Limone A simple dish where lemon zest and juice emulsify cheese and fat into a light cream. The key divides are whether cream is used, and whether the emulsion is built with butter, olive oil, or a cacio e pepe-style cheese-and-water method — spanning everything from Amalfi's rustic home cooking to richer modern takes.

Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia A pasta dyed black with squid ink, born of a fisherman's habit of using every part of the squid. The key divides are whether the ink is taken directly from the squid or bought as a commercial paste, and how far the tomato is pushed before it overwhelms the flavor of the ink.

Napolitan A thick-noodle ketchup pasta that grew up in Japanese kissaten (coffee shops). Boiling the noodles ahead, reducing the ketchup, and the order of the ingredients are what get you to that flavor.

Tarako pasta Choose a classic tarako pasta or its spicy mentaiko variation.

Pepetama A Japanese pasta that brings egg to garlic-and-chilli peperoncino. Egg is essential: it turns the spicy oil emulsion into a rounded, silky sauce.

Japanese-style Meat Sauce A familiar yoshoku dish of spaghetti topped with minced meat and onion simmered briefly in a sweet, ripe tomato sauce.

Pasta con le Sarde A Sicilian seafood pasta combining fresh sardines, fennel, raisins, pine nuts and saffron. Toasted breadcrumbs on top stand in for cheese as the "poor man's cheese." The forks are whether saffron and white wine are used, and whether the fennel's cooking water is used directly as the pasta water.

Spaghetti all'Assassina The pasta is never pre-boiled: it's seared raw, directly in a cast-iron pan, in a tomato broth until parts of it char. It's a relatively recent regional dish, invented in 1967 by a cook in Bari, and the main forks are how concentrated the broth is and how it's topped up, and how far you let the char go.

Pesto alla trapanese Raw tomato, almonds, basil, and garlic, crushed together in a mortar or a blender with no cooking involved — a no-cook relative of pesto genovese, also known as pesto rosso or pasta cull'agghia. The main forks are the tool used to crush it (mortar or blender) and whether the tomato and almonds are used raw or first blanched and roasted.

Bigoli in salsa A tomato-free Venetian pasta made with nothing more than onion and anchovies (or salt-cured sardines). Tradition holds that it originated in Venice's Jewish quarter as a dish for meatless "giorni di magro" (lean days). Bigoli are thick long noodles extruded through a bigolaro, often from wholewheat flour.

Penne alla Vodka A pink-sauced pasta made with tomato, cream and vodka. The Italian-origin theory and the New York Italian-restaurant-origin theory still compete, and the forks between schools are the type of pork used (pancetta, guanciale, prosciutto, or none), whether cheese and chili are used, and when the cream goes in.

Butter pasta Explore butter-based pasta with sage, truffle or other aromatic ingredients. Follow the separate recipes for each combination.

Spaghetti alla Nerano Thin zucchini rounds are fried and scented with basil, then emulsified gently with spaghetti, pasta water, and Provolone del Monaco.

Pasta alla boscaiola Fresh mushrooms and porcini simmer with sausage, pancetta, white wine, and tomato for a red boscaiola without cream.

Soup and one-pot pasta Explore pasta soups and one-pot dishes with beans or vegetables. Each recipe specifies its own broth and cooking method.

Cold pasta Explore cold pasta recipes and Chef Ogura’s fruit variations in one collection, with ingredients kept distinct.

Curry Pasta A yoshoku-style spaghetti that turns meat sauce into a creamy curry sauce with eggplant, courgette, cherry tomatoes and broccoli.

Butter Soy Sauce Pasta A plain Japanese home-style pasta that tosses spaghetti with butter, soy sauce and pasta water, finished with shredded nori.

Spaghetti alla Bottarga Spaghetti tossed in olive oil scented with garlic and parsley, then layered with bottarga and lemon zest.

Pasta alla Carrettiera Hot spaghetti emulsified with raw garlic, chilli, olive oil, Pecorino and parsley.

Poor man’s spaghetti Explore the ingredients and watch Chef Ogura’s official video for the cooking method. Tomomi Ogura official video

Marinara Explore the ingredients and watch Chef Ogura’s official video for the cooking method. Tomomi Ogura official video

Ragù bianco Explore the ingredients and watch Chef Ogura’s official video for the cooking method. Tomomi Ogura official video

Alla panna Explore the ingredients and watch Chef Ogura’s official video for the cooking method. Tomomi Ogura official video

Scarpariello Explore the ingredients and watch Chef Ogura’s official video for the cooking method. Tomomi Ogura official video

Japanese-style pasta Explore Japanese-style pasta with soy sauce, ume, natto, whitebait and other ingredients.

Vegetable pasta Choose a vegetable-led pasta dish. Each recipe explains whether its vegetables are sautéed, simmered or used in a sauce.

Search all dishes (103)

You can also browse regional dishes and ingredient variations.

01 Carbonara 20 min Egg Guancialeor Pancettaor Bacon Pecorinoor Parmigiano

02 Aglio, olio e peperoncino 15 min Garlic Chilli Parsley

03 Ragù alla bolognese 90 min Tomato Onion Red wine Parmigiano Carrot Celery+1

04 Pesto alla Genovese 20 min Parmigiano Garlic Basil Pine nuts

05 Amatriciana 25 min Tomato Pecorino Guancialeor Pancettaor Bacon

06 Spaghetti alle vongole 20 min Garlic Chilli Parsley Clams White wine

07 Cacio e pepe 15 min Pecorino Black pepper

08 Pomodoro 25 min Tomato Garlic Basil

09 Penne all'arrabbiata 20 min Tomato Garlic Chilli Parsley Olive oil

10 Lasagne alla Bolognese 300 min Beef Pancetta Tomato Onion Celery Carrot+7

11 Spaghetti alla puttanesca 20 min Tomato Garlic Parsley Anchovy Capers Olive oil

12 Pasta alla Norma 30 min Ricotta Tomato Garlic Basil Aubergine Black pepper

13 Spaghetti allo scoglio 35 min Tomato Garlic Parsley White wine Mussels Prawns+4

14 Pescatore 22 min Prawns Squid Clams Tomato Onion Garlic+2

15 Vongole Rosso 35 min Clams Tomato Onion Garlic White wine Olive oil

16 Pasta ai quattro formaggi 20 min Gorgonzola Milk Pecorinoor Parmigiano

17 Fettuccine Alfredo 20 min Parmigiano Butter Cream

18 Pasta alla gricia 20 min Pecorino Guanciale Black pepper

19 Pasta al Limone 20 min Butter Lemon Pecorinoor Parmigiano

20 Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia 20 min Tomato Onion Garlic Squid Squid ink Olive oil+1

21 Napolitan 20 min Tomato Onion Mushrooms Green pepper

22 Mentaiko Spaghetti 18 min Butter Mentaiko Nori

23 Tarako Pasta 15 min Tarako Butter Soy sauce Shiso Olive oil

24 Tarako Carbonara 15 min Tarako Egg

25 Pepetama 15 min Egg Garlic Chilli Olive oil

26 Japanese-style Meat Sauce 20 min Beef Minced pork Tomato Onion Olive oil

27 Wafu Kinoko Pasta (Japanese-style Mushroom Pasta) 20 min Bacon Garlic Butter Mushrooms Soy sauce Olive oil

28 Shrimp Tomato Cream Pasta 20 min Prawns Tomato Cream Garlic White wine Butter+1

29 Salmon Cream Pasta 30 min Salmon Spinach Onion Milk Flour Olive oil

30 Mushroom Cream Pasta 15 min Mushrooms Onion Bacon Milk Olive oil

31 Uni Cream Pasta 20 min Sea urchin Cream Tomato Garlic White wine Olive oil

32 Mac and cheese 35 min Cheddar Fontina / Casera American cheese Milk Butter Onion+1

33 La Genovese napoletana 280 min Onion White wine Carrot Celery Beef Pecorinoor Parmigiano

34 Orecchiette con le cime di rapa 30 min Garlic Anchovy Broccoli rabe Breadcrumbs Olive oil

35 Pasta con le Sarde 35 min Onion Anchovy Sardines Pine nuts Saffron Fennel+3

36 Spaghetti all'Assassina 25 min Tomato Garlic Chilli Olive oil

37 Ragù napoletano 300 min Sausage Tomato Onion Red wine Olive oil Pecorinoor Parmigiano

38 Pesto alla trapanese 25 min Tomato Garlic Basil Almonds Olive oil

39 Pasta alla Norcina 25 min Ricotta Sausage Garlic Truffle Olive oil Black pepper+1

40 Bigoli in salsa 30 min Egg Onion Anchovy Sardines Breadcrumbs Olive oil+1

41 Tajarin al tartufo bianco 90 min Egg Beef Butter Mushrooms Truffle

42 Penne alla Vodka 25 min Pecorino Pancetta Tomato Garlic Vodka Parmigiano+1

43 Spinach and ricotta lasagna 60 min Ricotta Spinach Milk Butter Flour Parmigiano+6

44 Spinach and ricotta cannelloni 110 min Ricotta Spinach Egg Garlic Parmigiano Milk+3

45 Ricotta and spinach ravioli 100 min Ricotta Spinach Egg Flour Parmigiano Nutmeg+2

46 Tortellini in broth 350 min Pork loin Mortadella Ham / prosciutto Parmigiano Egg Flour+6

47 Tortellini with ham and cream 165 min Cream Ham / prosciutto Butter Parmigiano Minced pork Veal+5

48 Gnocchi alla Sorrentina 70 min Potato Flour Egg Tomato Mozzarella Basil+3

49 Gnocchi with Gorgonzola 90 min Potato Flour Egg Gorgonzola Cream Black pepper

50 Gnocchi with butter and sage 105 min Potato Flour Butter Sage Parmigiano Lemon+1

51 Baked ziti 70 min Tomato Mozzarella Parmigiano Milk Butter Flour+6

52 Pasta primavera 30 min Courgette Asparagus Tomato Peas Onion Garlic+5

53 Pasta e fagioli 125 min Beans Tomato Ham / prosciutto Onion Carrot Celery+5

54 Pasta e ceci 60 min Chickpeas Pancetta Tomato Onion Carrot Celery+4

55 Pasta e lenticchie 70 min Lentils Pancetta Tomato Onion Carrot Celery+5

56 Pasta e patate 45 min Potato Shallot Rosemary Thyme Olive oil Black pepper

57 Pasta e piselli 50 min Peas Scallion Parmigiano Olive oil Black pepper

58 Pasta with broccoli 40 min Broccoli Garlic Flour Olive oil Black pepper

59 Pasta with cauliflower 30 min Cauliflower Garlic Chilli Olive oil

60 Zucchini pasta 30 min Courgette Shallot Garlic Chilli Pecorino Lemon+3

61 Spaghetti alla Nerano 35 min Courgette Provolone Garlic Basil Olive oil Black pepper

62 Pasta alla Sorrentina 60 min Tomato Mozzarella Parmigiano Garlic Basil Olive oil

63 Pasta alla boscaiola 50 min Mushrooms Porcini Sausage Pancetta Onion White wine+4

64 Smoked salmon and lemon farfalle 15 min Smoked salmon Butter Lemon Black pepper

65 Soup Pasta 15 min Chicken Onion Mushrooms Tomato Bacon

66 Chilled Tomato Pasta 20 min Tomato Green pepper Onion Lemon Garlic Olive oil

67 Chilled Mentaiko Pasta 15 min Mentaiko Cream Lemon Shiso Nori Olive oil

68 Chicken Cream Pasta 15 min Chicken Mushrooms Lemon Milk Olive oil

69 Spinach and Bacon Pasta 20 min Spinach Bacon Onion Flour Milk Olive oil

70 Cabbage Anchovy Pasta 15 min Cabbage Anchovy Onion Mushrooms Bacon Garlic+2

71 Curry Pasta 25 min Curry Tomato Aubergine Courgette Broccoli Garlic+2

72 Tuna Tomato Pasta 15 min Tuna Tomato Olive oil

73 Japanese-style Tuna Pasta 15 min Tuna Komatsuna Mushrooms Bonito stock / flakes Soy sauce Daikon+1

74 Natto Pasta 15 min Natto Chicken

75 Ume Shiso Pasta 10 min Umeboshi Shiso Tuna Bonito stock / flakes Onion Garlic+1

76 Shirasu Pasta 15 min Whitebait Soy sauce Chilli Olive oil

77 Sakura Shrimp Pasta 15 min Sakura shrimp Mushrooms Garlic Soy sauce Olive oil

78 Butter Soy Sauce Pasta 10 min Butter Soy sauce Nori

79 Spaghetti alla Bottarga 25 min Bottarga Garlic Parsley Lemon Olive oil

80 Tuna and Lemon Pasta 30 min Tuna Lemon Chilli Garlic Basil Olive oil

81 Pistachio Pasta 35 min Pistachios Tomato Lemon Parmigiano Garlic Basil+2

82 Red Pesto Pasta 15 min Tomato Sun-dried tomatoes Almonds Pecorino Garlic Basil+2

83 Arugula Pesto Pasta 20 min Arugula Pine nuts Parmigiano Garlic Olive oil

84 Walnut Pesto Pasta 45 min Walnuts Pine nuts Breadcrumbs Milk Parmigiano Garlic+1

85 Sicilian Pesto Pasta 25 min Ricotta Tomato Almonds Basil Garlic Parmigiano+2

86 Pasta alla Carrettiera 25 min Pecorino Garlic Chilli Parsley Olive oil

87 Seafood Spaghetti al Cartoccio 60 min Mussels Clams Prawns Tomato Garlic Parsley+1

88 Pasta alla Zozzona 40 min Guanciale Sausage Tomato Egg Pecorino Olive oil

89 Pasta alla Cenere 20 min Gorgonzola Olives Cream Black pepper

90 Tomato Sausage Pasta 30 min Sausage Tomato Onion Garlic White wine Pecorino+2

91 Porcini Pasta 50 min Mushrooms Garlic Parmigiano Milk Thyme Olive oil+1

92 Asparagus Pasta 40 min Asparagus Garlic Parmigiano Olive oil Black pepper

93 Artichoke Pasta 50 min Artichoke Shallot Mint Olive oil Black pepper

94 Pumpkin Pasta 60 min Pumpkin Pancetta Ricotta Shallot Rosemary Olive oil+1

95 Bell Pepper Pasta 45 min Bell pepper Anchovy Tomato Onion Basil Olive oil+1

96 Spaghetti with Mussels 75 min Mussels Tomato Garlic Parsley Olive oil Black pepper

97 Calamarata 70 min Squid Tomato Garlic Chilli Parsley Olive oil

98 Lobster Spaghetti 50 min Lobster Tomato Garlic White wine Parsley Shallot+1

99 Pasta Frittata 30 min Egg Milk Parmigiano Pancetta Garlic Scamorza+1

100 Pizzoccheri della Valtellina 60 min Buckwheat Flour Butter Fontina / Casera Parmigiano Cabbage+3

101 Zucchini Carbonara 40 min Courgette Egg Pecorino Olive oil Black pepper

102 Seafood Carbonara 75 min Mussels Clams Squid Egg Parmigiano Cream+5

103 Sweet Corn Spaghetti 30 min Sweet corn Spreadable fresh cheese Garlic Butter Olive oil

Explore by region and origin

Where the dishes come from La mappa

Places associated with each dish. Touch a pin to raise the plate; click for its page.

Dishes not plotted on this map

Rome & Lazio 1

Pasta alla Zozzona

Naples & Campania 5

Sicily 2

Emilia-Romagna 3

Liguria 1

Walnut Pesto Pasta

Lombardy 1

Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

Across Italy 44

Japan 17

United States 4

Other 1

Sweet Corn Spaghetti

Map data: Natural Earth 50m（public domain）

Where these dishes come from