Classic Pasta Dinners: An Italian Cooking Guide

Italian pasta dish topped with shredded cheese

In Italy, chefs and families alike elevate the humble noodle to high art in a variety of enticing pasta dishes. Tonight, try some tempting pasta recipes that borrow cooking traditions from every region of Italy. Make your favorite, or try a few new dishes — and celebrate pasta cuisine with a loaf of crusty Italian bread and a bottle of quality wine.

Want dessert? Buono! We’ve chosen three indulgent Italian recipes for you to try.

Pasta dinners: Cooking tips, dishes, and desserts

Pasta cooking instructions
Delightful pasta dishes
Iconic Italian desserts

Pasta cooking instructions

Italians cook pasta until just firm. This texture is called al dente, which means "resistance to bite.” When you purchase pasta, examine the cooking directions, and subtract 1 to 2 minutes from the cooking times on the package to attain an al dente texture.

Chef’s secret: Ensure your pasta is al dente by throwing a strand up against a semi-glossy, vertical kitchen surface such as an oven door or your microwave. If it sticks, it's al dente. Or, pick up a noodle or strand with a fork, blow on it until just cool and bite into it. If it is tender with a slight semi-firm texture, it's ready to serve.

Delightful pasta dishes

Prosciutto, a delicate, salty-sweet Italian ham and a staple of Tuscan cuisine, hails from central and northern Italy. Pair it with a peppery Mediterranean salad green, arugula in this flavorful dish, Spaghetti with Arugula, Roasted Peppers & Prosciutto

Cooking tip: Use freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano in the recipe for sharp, savory tang.
Tender eggplant and hearty, ripe plum tomatoes kissed with balsamic vinegar and garlic both star in this Eggplant Spaghetti with Fresh Mozzarella dish. The gooey Mozzarella cheese provides a velvety contrast.
Carbonara originated in Rome, and pleases food-lovers in Italian restaurants worldwide. Typically prepared with plenty of hot olive oil, this simple and better-for-you version is made with prosciutto, eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, and tender broccoli florettes. Make this recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara with whole wheat pasta as suggested in the recipe, or substitute durum-wheat semolina pasta for a more traditional presentation.
Known in America as "spaghetti with meat sauce," spaghetti alla bolognese originated in Bologna, Italy, and delights diners of all ages with its hearty, meaty flavor. This So-Easy Spaghetti Bolognese recipe prepared with ground beef takes just 10 minutes to cook, and provides a great source of iron for growing kids.

Cooking tip: Add one teaspoon each ground dried oregano and ground dried basil to the sauce mixture for vibrant flavor.
A vitamin-packed staple of many Italian dishes, tomatoes star in pomodoro sauce recipes. The chunkier, heartier cousin of traditional tomato sauces, pomodoro recipes rely on diced fresh or canned tomatoes rather than thinner sauce bases. Treat yourself to the goodness of Tuna Pomodoro, and add a dose of Vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids to your dinner table.
Fettuccine, a beloved variety of pasta noodle, appears in a wide variety of Italian dishes. The sturdy noodle holds up nicely whether drenched in cream sauce or crowned with fresh vegetables. Fragrant basil and savory shiitake mushrooms add kick to thick and hearty fettuccine noodles in this recipe for Fettuccine with Shiitake Mushrooms & Basil.
Manicotti, or thick, tube-like pasta, makes a great cooking staple because of its versatility. You can stuff manicotti with cheese, meat, veggies, or seafood — including shrimp, shredded crabmeat and lobster. This simple and delightful Florentine Manicotti recipe boasts spinach as its main ingredient.
Lasagne, a wide-sheet noodle, provides a hearty base for casserole-like pasta dishes. Though in Italy, the noodle itself is called lasagne, the layered noodle dishes we create with it are called lasagna in America. This noodle pairs well with a variety of ingredients, including assorted cheeses, ground beef or seafood, a plethora of garden-fresh vegetables – and even, unique add-ons like Mexican spices.

Wow your family and friends with one of these three easy lasagna dishes:
Want to create an easy weeknight dinner pleaser? This simple recipe for Cheesy Stuffed Shells takes just 25 minutes to prepare — and makes good use of low-cost kitchen staples like jarred tomato sauce and frozen spinach to create a tasty and nutritious meal.
If you crave a meatier Italian classic to serve over pasta, you’ll love making Chicken Parmesan. This hearty dish is ready in just 30 minutes — and you can boil the pasta of your choice while the chicken bakes in the oven.

Cooking tips: Reserve an additional half cup of tomato sauce for serving. Boil one and a half pounds of pasta according to directions on the package. Arrange cooked pasta on six dinner plates. Top pasta with chicken as prepared in recipe. Spoon the extra tomato sauce over pasta and sprinkle each plate with Parmesan cheese or freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

Iconic Italian desserts

Cannolis, or tubes of savory pastry dough filled with sweet cheese and fruit or chocolate, originated in Sicily. This simple recipe for Classic Cannolis, made with prepared cannoli shells, tastes delicious with its cinnamon chocolate-chip cream filling.
Crunchy, biscuit-like Italian cookies, called biscotti, became beloved favorites in tea shops and coffee houses around the world. This recipe for Orange-Almond Biscotti combines two classic Italian dessert flavors, almonds and oranges, to create a subtly sweet flavor that tastes outstanding alone or when dunked in espresso.
You’ll find ladyfinger-based Tiramisu, an elegant Italian dessert, on menus of distinguished restaurants from coast to coast. Simple and fun, this recipe French Vanilla Tiramisu is made with cream cheese and whipped topping, and lavishly garnished with semisweet chocolate shavings.