Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating to 1154 in Sicily. It is also commonly used to refer to the variety of pasta dishes. Pasta is typically a noodle traditionally made from an unleavened dough of durum wheat flour mixed with water and formed into sheets and cut, or extruded into various shapes, then cooked and served in several dishes. It can be made with flour from other cereals or grains, and eggs may be used instead of water.
Each traditional pasta dish is defined by a specific kind of pasta, a specific cooking style, and a specific sauce or condiment. There are large number of evolutions and variants of the traditional dishes. Pasta is also often used as a complementary ingredient in some soups, but these are not considered “pasta dishes” (except for the category pasta in brodo or “pasta in broth”).
The cooking styles are categorized in: pasta asciutta (or pastasciutta, in which the pasta is boiled and then dressed with a complementary sauce or condiment), pasta al forno (baked pasta, in which the pasta is incorporated into a dish, along with the sauce or condiment and subsequently baked), and pasta in brodo (pasta in broth, in which the pasta is cooked and served in a broth, usually made of meat). Pasta sauces (mostly used for pasta asciutta and pasta al forno) are categorized into two broad groups: sughi rossi (red sauces, with tomatoes) and sughi bianchi (white sauces, without tomatoes).
Mac and cheese, USA
One of the most popular dishes here. The beloved American combination includes curved macaroni pasta and cheese sauce and crispy breadcrumb topping. There are plenty of varieties including additional vegetables, or fancy ingredients such as crab, lobster, or truffles.
Fun fact : It was Thomas Jefferson who popularized it, when he had the pasta machine shipped home to Virginia and served the dish at his lavish banquets, while in 1824, his distant cousin Mary Randolph published the first mac and cheese recipe.
Tagliatelle al ragù alla Bolognese, Italy
Even though they are often thought to be synonymous, tagliatelle al ragù—one of Bologna’s signature dishes—bears little or no resemblance to the dish known as spaghetti Bolognese in the rest of the world. In fact, the world famous Italian ragù alla Bolognese meat sauce is never served with spaghetti in Bologna.
Instead, when it is not served over fresh tagliatelle, you will most often find it topping a bed of some other ribbon-like pasta, such as fettuccine or pappardelle. Regardless of the type of pasta used, what makes or breaks this classic Emilian dish is the ragù itself.
Lasagne alla Bolognese, Italy
Worldwide symbol of Italian cuisine, Piatto unico dish (lit. single plate; one-dish meal) is traditionally made from layers of homemade, (typically spinach-flavored fresh egg lasagna pasta), topped with béchamel sauce and a rich meat sauce called ragù alla Bolognese. Lasagne alla Bolognese is generously sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano and baked until tender on the inside with a perfectly crisp, browned top.
Spaghetti Alle vongole, Italy
Quick and easy to prepare, yet packing some serious flavor, spaghetti alle vongole is a traditional Neapolitan dish consisting of only two key ingredients: vongole clams and pasta. However, there is a heated debate considering secondary ingredients, primarily the tomatoes.
Purists adore the original dish, made without tomatoes, known as bianco version, while the others prefer a version with crushed tomatoes, or a version with a tomato sauce, known as spaghetti alle vongole con la salsa di pomodoro.
Baked Ziti, USA
The dish is believed to be a hybrid of Italian and American cuisines. essentially an Americanized variety of a typical Italian dish, pasta al forno, which is commonly compared to baked ziti. Casserole-type dish consisting of tubular pasta called ziti, is baked together with a variety of ingredients: chunky meat sauce, cheese, meat, mushrooms, peppers, and onions. The casserole is every so often served as a casual appetizer, cut into big slices, and it is best accompanied by a bowl of green salad. However, it can also be served as a meal on its own.
Spaghetti and meatballs, USA
Contrary to popular belief, this is not an Italian dish. In fact, it is created fully, here in America by Italian immigrants who came to America in the 19th century. Canned tomatoes were used to prepare a rich marinara sauce with garlic, oil, and tomatoes. Spaghetti pasta, as the only one available was incorporated into the dish making. Combined with flavorful, big meatballs, this hearty meal was created as one of the true symbols of Italian American cuisine, although the dish is not Italian in origin.
Pastitsio, Greece
Pastitsio is to Greeks what Lasagne is to the Italians. Extremely aromatic, rich, and gooey layers of tubular pasta in a hearty sauce made of tomatoes and ground lamb meat, topped with béchamel sauce and, ideally, sprinkled with grated cheese (mainly kefalotyri or kasseri). It is a wonderful dish for a cold winter night with its intense flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. In Greece, pastitsio is often enjoyed in February, during the weeks that precede Lent, and on the Sunday of Apokreos, the last day on which the observant can eat meat.
Pasta Primavera, USA
Pasta primavera is an American invention, a combination of pasta and lightly sauteed vegetables together with some fresh herbs and spices. The original pasta primavera incorporated ingredients such as ripe tomatoes, chopped basil, parsley, and garlic, olive oil, and spaghetti. Even thou, the height of popularity, this dis has around 1976, it is still quite popular today.
Fideuà, Spain
colorful Spanish dish often depicted as a pasta version of the paella. Like its more popular colleague, Fideuà uses a variety of seafood ingredients, but instead of rice, it combines them with thin and short pasta called fideo. The choice of seafood includes many fish and shellfish varieties. Pasta is shortly fried, and only later added and cooked in the flavorful saffron-spiced seafood broth. Like paella, Fideuà is cooked in a shallow iron pan and it is typically not mixed to allow a crispy crust to be formed on the bottom. Before serving, the dish is often topped with chopped parsley and lemon juice, while some prefer to pair it with an aromatic aioli sauce
Kushari, Egypt
Kushari (koshari, kosheri, koshary, and koushari), is an easy, yet tasty Egyptian national dish. Build of basically three main ingredients: rice, pasta, and lentils. The name itself, comes from the Hindu word khichri, implying a dish of rice and lentils. Small yellow lentils and rice are slowly simmered in a rich stock with the addition of crunchy, fried vermicelli and butter-browned onions. Before serving, Kushari is topped with wine vinegar and a spicy sauce based on tomatoes or chilis, adding even more flavor to the hearty dish. For a heartier dish, ground lamb or beef is added to the mix, while macaroni is added to the Alexandrian version.
Pasta e fagioli, Italy
(Pasta fagioli Pasta fazool Pasta e fasule) Traditional Italian, thick Pasta and beans soup coming from Italian regions of Emilia-Romania and Campania. Ingredients of Pasta E Fagioli may vary from one region to another, but the basics always remain the same: tiny ring-shaped pasta, beans, olive oil, onion, garlic, and tomato paste.
Käsespätzle, Germany
You can call it a German version of Mac and cheese. dish that combines spätzle (pasta or noodles are also called knöpfle, meaning little buttons, and are made with eggs, flour, milk or water, and seasonings such as salt, pepper and (sometimes) nutmeg,). The noodle mixture is traditionally pressed through a specially designed spoon or colander directly into boiling salted water. The cheese, which is usually a combination of two or more types of cheese such as Edam, Gouda, Fontina, Gruyère, Appenzeller, or Emmental cheese. the dish is typically enjoyed with additional grated cheese and caramelized onions on top.
Penne alla Vodka, USA
Popular American meal. The dish is made of pasta penne, heavy cream, tomato sauce, and vodka, which gives a unique taste to the whole dish. Throughout the years, it remains a popular pasta dish that is served hot, often garnished with a few basil leaves, and grated parmesan.
Tortelli di zucca, Italy
Tortelli pasta with a pumpkin filling. The stuffing for Tortelli is usually made with sweet pumpkin, bitter amaretto cookies, savory parmesan cheese, and fruit mustard, resulting in a unique, extraordinary flavor that is favorite by many. People from the region traditionally prepare the dish for special occasions, such as Christmas Eve, when Tortelli di zucca are paired with a butter and sage sauce.
Toasted Ravioli, USA
Toasted ravioli is a St. Louis American specialty. Crunchy, breaded pasta that is topped with grated parmesan and served with a marinara-style sauce on the side. The dish is served hot as an appetizer. Despite the name, toasted ravioli is deep-fried, not toasted. The ravioli can be filled with a variety of ingredients, and some of the most popular ingredients include eggs, cheese, spinach, and beef.
Alteria, Portugal
This traditional Portuguese pasta dessert. Typically prepared with a thin variety of pasta (angel hair or capellini), which is cooked in sweetened milk mixed with cinnamon and lemon. The cooked pasta is mixed with egg yolks and is then placed in a flat baking pan and left to set. Before serving, the top is decorated with cinnamon, usually in a crisscross pattern. Aletria is a Christmas staple that can be enjoyed warm or well-chilled.
Spaghetti al nero di seppie, Italy
Spaghetti covered with a cuttlefish ink sauce is one of the classic Italian dishes. The sauce is usually created of cut up cuttlefish, fried together with garlic and olive oil. Later combined with white wine and cuttlefish ink, with the sporadic addition of tomatoes. Pasta is tossed with the sauce until it is completely coated, and the dish is traditionally garnished with parsley and enjoyed as a warm appetizer.
Pasta Saltata, Ethiopia
Traditional Ethiopian dish that was created because of Italian occupation of the country in the 1930s. The dish is made with a combination of potatoes, oil, garlic, onions, lemon juice, penne pasta, arugula, basil, and harissa spices. The potatoes are cooked, and the sauce is made with all the other ingredients. It is then tossed with cooked penne pasta and the potatoes, while the arugula is folded in. Once done, pasta saltata is sprinkled with basil and the dish is always served hot.
Pasta carbonara, Italy
This dish and the list of its ingredients looks extremely simple – spaghetti, eggs, pecorino cheese, cured guanciale ( Italian bacon) , and black pepper, but the truth is that it’s take a great skill and practice to master this simple looking dish. Because of its simplicity, the cardinal sun, is to start adding more ingredients to fix it up ( like adding cream or butter , using just a bacon) , and make it better, while in fact you will take all that amazing classic taste away.
Bajan Macaroni Pie and Flying Fish, Barbados
popular Barbadian pasta dish is made with long, tubular macaroni, butter, cheese, eggs, milk, onions, mustard, ketchup, and either red pepper sauce or cayenne pepper for extra spiciness. The dish is baked as a casserole and is usually garnished with breadcrumbs and grated cheese on top. Flying fish is typically served on the side.
Mljetski Makaruli, Croatia
Croatian pasta dish from the island of Mljet, (that is how the name came to be). It is a poor man’s dish that used to be prepared in winter, when people could not go fishing due to storms and bad weather. The dish consists of a simple pasta (Makaruli). The pasta is cooked, arranged on a plate, then combined with olive oil, garlic, and grated goat cheese in alternating layers. Mljetski Makaruli are commonly garnished with fresh thyme on top.
Makawoni Au graten, Haiti
Haitian comfort dish, that is not an ordinary mac & cheese. What differentiates the dish, is that there is no elbow macaroni here. They are replaced by larger pasta (rigatoni and penne), along with some unusual additives such as mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and white pepper.
All the ingredients are placed in a casserole dish and sprinkled with grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar). Some variations ask to add other flavorful additions such as ham or shredded chicken.
Älplermagronen, Switzerland
Alpine macaroni straight from Swiss Alps, commonly known as herdsman’s macaroni. The key ingredients include macaroni pasta (usually hörnli– small, curved, tubular pasta variety), cheese, onions, and potatoes. Even thou there are numerous variations of this Swiss classic. The basic version is prepared by layering cooked pasta and potatoes with cheese and cream, and the combination is then baked in the oven and served topped with onion rings, applesauce, and bacon.
Astakomakaronada, Greece
Exquisite Greek lobster dish. Lobster meat that is combined with a tasty tomato-based sauce and served over pasta. The dish is typically prepared with spaghetti, while the sauce is usually enriched with wine and various herbs and spices. Lobster meat is traditionally served in shells, and the whole dish is liberally garnished with parsley. Though it can be found in other Greek regions, Astakomakaronada is mainly associated with the island of Skyros
Chicken Riggies, USA
Italian American pasta dish invention, which story starts in the late 1970s at the Clinton House restaurant in Clinton, NY. Rigatoni pasta, peppers (hot or sweet), chicken, and a spicy, tasty cream and tomato sauce.
Fun fact* Chicken Riggies even has its own annual festival in the city, where the cooks change up the recipe by adding ingredients such as steak, shrimp, and heavy cream.
Łazanki z kapustą, Poland – Belarus
Łazanki is the name of type of pasta used in Polish and Belarusian cuisine. It is a poor man dish. The pasta dough (wheat, rye, or buckwheat flour, water, salt, and oil). The rolled out flat dough is shaped into squares or rectangles and boiled. Onions, shredded cabbage are sauteed in lard, with salt and pepper. Cooked pasta squares are added to the mix and served hot. During Lent, the pasta is enriched with the addition of mashed berries or ground poppy seeds. The dish can also be combined with meat, or sour cream to enhance the flavors and make it more significant.
Rosto, Gibraltar
simple pasta dish popular in Gibraltar. There are many versions of Rosto, but it is most served in all places is prepared with pasta (usually penne), tomato sauce, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, onions, white wine, and chicken or beef. The pasta is combined with the meat and the accompanying sauce, which should never be too liquid. It is recommended to top Rosto with lots of grated cheese for extra flavor.
Macaroni Béchamel, Egypt
Egyptian dish known as macaroni béchamel, real comfort food. Two layers of pasta (penne, angel hair, or elbow macaroni) with a ground beef filling placed between them and topped generously with creamy béchamel sauce. The combination is baked in an oven as a layered pasta casserole until it develops a golden-brown color, and it is then sliced and served. This dish is quite common at religious festivities, especially during Ramadan.
Ají de Fideos, Bolivia
Spicy Bolivian comfort dish. Pasta noodles, potatoes, ground locoto chilis, ground meat, carrots, peas, and fresh herbs (cumin, oregano, and parsley). The dish is quite easy to prepare and it can be made in a single pot, which makes it quite popular at festivities and celebrations.
Timpana, Malta
pasta casserole from Malta. Puff pastry sheets, macaroni or penne pasta, beef, pork, chicken liver, bacon, onions, garlic, grated cheese, eggs, tomatoes, stock, and butter. The onions and garlic are sautéed in olive oil with the bacon, livers, and ground pork and beef. The mixture is covered with the stock and simmered with tomato paste or tomato purée. The pasta is cooked and mixed with grated cheese and beaten eggs. A baking dish is lined with the puff pastry sheets, then filled with the pasta and the sauce. The top is covered with another layer of pastry, which is typically pricked to let the steam escape while Timpana is baked until golden brown.
Seffa, Morocco
Traditional Moroccan. Reserved for celebrations and festivities. It consists of either vermicelli noodles or couscous combined with a savory-sweet onion sauce and a topping of icing sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and ground almonds. Dish is quite easy to prepare, and it is usually served as a side dish.
Spaghetti pie, USA
American pie originating from Colorado, that is savory and not sweet, like most other iconic state pies. It is made with a combination of spaghetti, ground beef, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, butter, whisked eggs, and cheese (mozzarella, ricotta, or parmesan). Parsley, basil, and oregano are often added to elevate the flavors. Once assembled, this savory pie is topped with cheese and baked in the oven until the cheese melts and the pasta becomes golden brown.
American Chop Suey, USA
American invention, created in New England, somewhere in 1950s. It can be prepared stovetop in a pot or baked as a casserole. Chop suey is a savory combination of baked pasta, ground beef, and tomato sauce. Many will add shredded cheese to the mix, making it even healthier. Elbow macaroni or other tubular pasta shapes are the most common, although ingredients such as Worcestershire sauce, onions, and garlic are included in most recipes. When the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbling, this New Englander comfort food staple is ready to be served.
