12 Classic Italian Pasta Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Make

Go beyond Bolognese: We have all the heavy hitters, the big names of pasta plus sauce. You'll find the classic Italian recipes you know from restaurant meals, from that spring on the Amalfi Coast, or maybe from nonna. Yes, you can and should make spaghetti Bolognese, but try these other time-honored Italian pasta recipes too.
 

Pasta Pomodoro

Pomodoro, it's Italian for tomato, and that's just what this sugo tastes of. It's the mother lode of pasta sauces and a total crowd-pleaser.

Utterly simple, totally irresistible, classically Roman -- yes, this is famed pasta with cheese and freshly cracked pepper. We opt for two types of cheese and add a squeeze of lemon.
See our step-by-step guide to cooking this classic.

Of course, we had to include this favorite. Depending on where your nonna is from, you might call this thick meat sauce a ragu. Our version uses both ground beef and ground pork, as well as the essential milk, nutmeg, and white wine.

Bacon and eggs -- and Parmesan -- meet pasta. Spaghetti is the traditional choice for this velvety sauce, but feel free to go alla carbonara with other noodles.

Made with ingredients you likely already have on hand, this spicy melange of tomatoes, capers, anchovies, and olives is fast to make and lively on the palate. There's also an oven-roasted version of this sauce.

Legend has it that these little twists of filled pasta were inspired by the navel of the famous beauty Lucrezia Borgia as viewed through a keyhole by a curious cook. Here they are served simply in broth, a traditional festive first course.

A hearty vegetarian penne recipe with eggplant, tomato, and ricotta from Sicily. It might have been inspired by the opera "Norma," by Sicilian composer Vincenzo Bellini.