Italian Pasta Recipes
Making pasta by hand is one of the highlights of our cooking classes in Tuscany, and one of the skills guests are proudest to take home. In this collection you’ll find fresh egg pasta, hand-rolled Tuscan pici, Ligurian trofie, potato gnocchi, ricotta and spinach gnudi and classic lasagna with ragù and béchamel.
You’ll also find the pasta dishes and sauces we cook most often, from pici all’aglione and porcini pasta to simple zucchini, broccoli and spring vegetable sauces. Most can be made with dried pasta too, so they work just as well on a busy weeknight.
Fresh egg pasta: how to make it with a pasta machine
Many people who come to our cooking school in Italy feel intimidated by the idea of making pasta from scratch. Once they see how easy and enjoyable it is, they become hooked! Put some music on in your kitchen, and take your time.
Baked butternut squash gnocchi in tomato sauce
These are not like boiled gnocchi at all, but are creamy balls of squash baked in a tomato sauce. Guests who come on our cooking courses in Italy say that they are one of their favorite fall dishes.
Asparagus and sausage pasta sauce
A quick spring pasta sauce of asparagus and Italian sausage, made creamy by blending part of the asparagus with olive oil. No cream needed. Ready in 30 minutes.
Homemade potato gnocchi (plus spinach gnocchi)
The less flour you use, the lighter the gnocchi will be, but the more likely it will be to go mushy while you wait to cook it, handle it and when it is cooking in the water.
How to make trofie: hand-rolled eggless pasta twists from Liguria
Make trofie at home: short, twisted Ligurian pasta made with just flour and water, shaped around a wooden skewer for easy results. Perfect with pesto.
Lemon pasta sauce: zesty, buttery and ready in 25 minutes
Gnudi: Tuscan “naked” ricotta and spinach dumplings
These are called "naked" dumplings since they are like ricotta and spinach ravioli without their pasta "clothing". They are easy to make and delicious!
Pici all’aglione: hand-rolled Tuscan pasta with garlic tomato sauce
This is a classic Sienese pasta dish: hand-rolled pasta with a tomato and garlic sauce.
Light asparagus and ricotta pasta sauce
Asparagus is available for only a very short season. We love it and try to eat it in as many ways as possible before the long wait for the next harvest.
Pasta with zucchini and ricotta: a quick, creamy summer sauce
Pasta with zucchini and ricotta: browned courgettes, garlic, fresh basil and creamy ricotta. A quick vegetarian summer pasta, ready in 20 minutes.
Orecchiette with broccoli, garlic, chili and capers
This is a quick, healthy and tasty dish originally from southern Italy which has many possible variations (some add anchovies, some boil the broccoli in the pasta water etc).
Fresh basil pesto: how to make it and serve it with pasta
In the summer, nothing beats the pungent, aromatic flavours and satisfying texture of a home-made pesto sauce.
Fresh porcini mushroom pasta sauce with garlic and parsley
Fresh porcini are wonderfully aromatic and just melt in your mouth.
Pasta alla puttanesca: quick sauce with olives, capers and chili
This is a great, quick pasta sauce to make while your pasta is cooking. The ingredients are typical of Southern Italy and it apparently became popular in the 1960s.
Tuscan ragù: slow-cooked meat sauce with vegetables and sage
There are dozens of versions of ragù which are favourites in different regions of Italy. During our cooking classes in Tuscany, we teach this Tuscan version (using not much tomato).
Spring vegetable pasta with artichokes, fava beans and peas
This is a light pasta dressing made with the freshest Spring vegetables
Classic Italian lasagna with ragù and béchamel
Classic Italian lasagna with homemade egg pasta, slow-cooked meat ragù, creamy béchamel and Parmesan. No mozzarella. Easy to make ahead for a crowd.
Quick fresh tomato and basil pasta sauce
During our cooking vacations in Italy, we teach you various tomato sauces, some that are packed with tasty vegetables and some that have a purer tomato taste. This simple sauce relies on good, tasty, ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and a good olive oil.
Artichoke pasta sauce with tomato, white wine and chili
Artichokes can seem daunting - what to do with all those leaves??!! But once you have conquered the fear, this nutritious and delicious vegetable will become a favourite.
Simple zucchini pasta sauce with Parmesan and basil
When the zucchini glut is upon us, we have this a couple of times a week. It’s light but fragrant and satisfying.
Pasta e fagioli: Tuscan pasta and cannellini bean soup
Since Italian cuisine is so regional, there are dozens of versions of this delicious, hearty soup. In Tuscany, white cannellini beans are used.
Sugo finto: a Tuscan meatless ragù with vegetables and red wine
This is a poor man’s meat sauce: the vegetables are cut finely to simulate a ground beef texture and the result is very tasty indeed.