15 Classic Italian Pasta Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Make

Utterly simple, totally irresistible, and classically Roman—yes, this is that famed pasta with cheese and freshly cracked pepper. We opt for two types of cheese and add a squeeze of lemon to set our recipe apart. Don't be intimidated by the process; our step-by-step guide to cooking this classic makes it simple.

This is a revolutionary technique that hails from the region of Puglia. The dried pasta is cooked in a skillet, not the usual large pot, along with the other ingredients. The result is maximum flavor and minimal dirty pots.

In Italy this distinctive dish is called spaghetti all'ubriaco or "drunken" pasta. It's a quick recipe that combines thin strands of spaghetti with a reduced red wine-shallot sauce finished with pancetta and grated pecorino.

You might just call this "pasta fagioli," but Italians would never drop the "e" in this hearty soup made with pasta, cranberry beans, and vegetables.

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.

Like much else in Italy, there are different takes on lasagna from different regions. This version features a hearty meat sauce made with ground beef and pork sausage and layers of a rich cheesy filling. There are also versions made with greens and vegetables.

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.

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.

A combination of oil, clam broth, and white wine creates an almost creamy sauce for this pasta "con le vongole." The clams are left in their shells, and a generous sprinkling of parsley provides the finishing touch. If, like in Campania and the south of Italy in general, you prefer a red clam sauce, try this recipe.

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.

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.

Pomodoro, which is Italian for tomato, is a fitting name for this crowd-pleasing dish.

Not the usual Genoese pesto, this Sicilian take uses roasted red pepper, fresh tomatoes, anchovies, capers, and golden raisins for sweetness. Toasted almonds replace the pignoli used in basil pesto but Parmigiano is a constant. It's quick to make and wonderfully flavorful

From Sardinia comes this elemental pasta with a true taste of the sea. It's made with just the pressed dried roe of tuna or mullet roe (bottarga) and a little oil, garlic, parsley, and breadcrumbs. Bucatini or perciatelli? Your choice.