World Pasta Day: Celebrate by creating these 15 famous pasta recipes
Classic spaghetti pasta dish. Picture: iStock
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Carb lovers of the world, today is your day. Today is World Pasta Day and everyone in the world will be joining forces to celebrate one of the tastiest foods known to man.
Join in on the global celebration by recreating these delicious and easy pasta dishes for yourself and your loved ones.
Choose the yummy pasta recipe you would like to celebrate with on this day, and then recreate the other pasta dishes throughout the week.
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Pasta carbonara
Pasta carbonara. Picture: iStock
Ingredients
6 eggs
400g of rigatoni pasta
¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup of shredded smoked ham (off the bone)
100g of unsalted butter, chopped
½ cup of finely grated parmesan
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve
Instructions
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, carefully add eggs and cook for 6 minutes 30 seconds for soft-boiled. Remove immediately and transfer to a bowl of iced water. When cool enough to handle, peel and chop.
Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving ¼ cup (60ml) pasta cooking water.
Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until softened but not coloured. Add stock, increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds. Stir through ham and butter, and bring back to the boil for 30 seconds or until ham is warmed through. Remove from heat and gently fold through the pasta, reserved pasta water, parmesan eggs and some of the parsley. Serve immediately scattered with remaining parsley.
4 tablespoon of fresh pesto or vegetarian alternative
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Fry the onions for 10 mins until softened and beginning to caramelise. Add the kale and 100ml water, then cover and cook for 5 mins more, or until the kale has wilted.
Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the onion mixture, cream cheese and pesto, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. Season.
70g of pack dried black olive with herbs, roughly chopped
shaved parmesan, to serve
Instructions
Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and chilli for 3-4 mins to soften. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min, then add the pilchards with their sauce. Cook, breaking up the fish with a wooden spoon, then add the olives and continue to cook for a few more mins.
Drain the pasta and add to the pan with 2-3 tabelspoons of the cooking water. Toss everything together well, then divide between plates and serve, scattered with Parmesan.
1 onion, finely chopped (we used Woolworths Macro)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
½ bunch sage, roughly chopped, plus extra whole leaves
1 tablespoon of plain flour
900ml of pure cream
200g of smoked cheese, coarsely grated
1¼ cups of finely grated parmesan
1 large cauliflower, blanched until just tender, cut into wedges
¼ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a 2.5L baking dish. Cook pasta according to packet instructions, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Heat butter in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and add bay leaves, onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until onion is softened and butter is lightly browned. Discard bay leaves.
Add sage and flour, and stir for 2 minutes to cook out flour. Gradually add cream, stirring until smooth, then add half smoked cheese, parmesan and cooked pasta, stirring to combine. Crumble in two-thirds of the cauliflower. Add nutmeg and season.
Transfer to prepared dish. Top with remaining cauliflower and remaining 100g smoked cheese, and scatter with extra sage. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the garlic gently for a few minutes. Add the chilli flakes and cook for a minute more, then tip in the tomatoes and sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes until thickened.
8 tablespoons of olive oil, plus extra for the dish
½ quantity tomato sauce (see below)
300g of fresh lasagna sheets
½ quantity white sauce (see below)
125g of ball mozzarella (or vegetarian alternative)
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Lightly oil two large baking trays and add the peppers and aubergines. Toss with the olive oil, season well, then roast for 25 mins until lightly browned.
Reduce the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly oil a 30 x 20cm ovenproof dish. Arrange a layer of the vegetables on the bottom, then pour over a third of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of lasagna sheets, then drizzle over a quarter of the white sauce. Repeat until you have three layers of pasta.
Spoon the remaining white sauce over the pasta, making sure the whole surface is covered. Scatter over the mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. Bake for 45 mins until bubbling and golden.
25g of parmesan (or veggie alternative), finely grated
½ teaspoon of black peppercorns ground
flat-leaf parsley a small bunch, roughly chopped
Instructions
Tip the cottage cheese, milk, cornflour, garlic granules and a little seasoning into a high-powered blender or food processor, and whizz until completely smooth. Pour into a frying pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce until the consistency of pouring cream.
Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water following pack instructions, drain well, reserving some of the cooking water, then tip into the sauce in the frying pan with the parmesan and black pepper. Toss well, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it’s a little claggy. Divide between two plates and finish with the parsley.
Prawn, calamari and chorizo pasta. Picture: iStock
Ingredients
400g of orecchiette
⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 chorizo, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
600g of medium uncooked prawns, peeled, deveined, halved lengthways
500g of small calamari, cleaned, cut into 5mm rings, tentacles trimmed
½ cup white wine
1 cup cooked peas
1½ tablespoon of red wine vinegar
120g of baby spinach
½ bunch each of flat-leaf parsley and mint, leaves roughly chopped
Instructions
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving ½ cup (125ml) of cooking water. Return pasta to saucepan, drizzle with 1 tbs oil, toss to coat and set aside.
Heat remaining 3 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add chorizo and fry, turning once, for 3 minutes or until browned. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, for 4 minutes or until softened. Add prawns and calamari and cook, stirring regularly, for 2 minutes. Add wine and reduce by half. Stir in peas and vinegar, then remove from heat and season. Add pasta, reserved pasta water, spinach and herbs, stir to combine and serve.
Garlic spaghetti with kale and chilli. Picture: iStock
Ingredients
200g of spaghetti
150g of curly kale, chopped
olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
Instructions
Cook the pasta following packet instructions. Put the kale in a colander and pour over a kettle-full of water. Leave to drain.
Heat 3 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and chilli and cook gently for 3 minutes without browning. Add the kale and cook for about 3-4 minutes until tender. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Toss everything well, then serve.
2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus a little for the dish
750g of lean beef mince
90g of pack prosciutto
tomato sauce
200ml of hot beef stock
a little grated nutmeg
300g of pack fresh lasagna sheets
white sauce
125g of ball mozzarella, torn into thin strips
Instructions
To make the meat sauce, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and cook 750g lean beef mince in two batches for about 10 mins until browned all over.
Finely chop 4 slices of prosciutto from a 90g pack, then stir through the meat mixture.
Pour over 800g passata or half our basic tomato sauce recipe and 200ml hot beef stock. Add a little grated nutmeg, then season.
Bring up to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins until the sauce looks rich.
Heat oven to 180C/fan/160C/gas 4 and lightly oil an ovenproof dish (about 30 x 20cm).
Spoon one third of the meat sauce into the dish, then cover with some fresh lasagne sheets from a 300g pack. Drizzle over roughly 130g ready-made or homemade white sauce.
Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta. Cover with the remaining 390g white sauce, making sure you can’t see any pasta poking through.
Scatter 125g torn mozzarella over the top.
Arrange the rest of the prosciutto on top. Bake for 45 mins until the top is bubbling and lightly browned.
Jamie Oliver’s world’s most elegant winter pasta. Picture: iStock
Ingredients
1 large leek
6 cloves of garlic
2 large handfuls of cavolo nero, dark curly kale or savoy cabbage
100ml of extra virgin olive oil
500g of dried pasta , such as penne, linguine or spaghetti
100g of Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Trim, halve and chop the leek into chunks, and peel the garlic.
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil, then drop in the leek and garlic cloves. Cook for 3 minutes, then add your cavolo nero, kale or cabbage. Cook for another 3 to 3½ minutes, but no more! Don’t be tempted.
Using tongs or a slotted spoon, move the veg to a liquidiser – it’s OK if a bit of water comes with it. Add your oil and liquidise until you’ve got a vivid green purée, the same consistency as double cream. If it’s a bit too dry, add a splash of the cooking water. Have a taste, season with sea salt and black pepper, then put aside.
Bring the water back to boil, and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
Drain and return the pasta to the pan, add the sauce and allow it to simmer over a medium-low heat for 30 seconds.
As it comes back to the boil, remove from the heat and finely grate in the Parmesan. Be quick, so your pasta doesn’t overcook, then check the balance of cheese, salt and pepper.
Finely grate over extra Parmesan, then serve on a big platter and eat as soon as possible.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse it under cold water to stop it from cooking any further. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
Season the steak generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat the skillet on high heat then add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted and the pan is really hot, you should see wisps of smoke, add the steak and cook the first side for 5 minutes, flip over and cook for another 5 minutes. See recipe notes on cooking time.
Transfer the steak to a cutting board or plate and cover with aluminum foil. Do not slice it right away as all the juices will come out and you’ll end up with a dry steak. Wait at least 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into it.
Drain the skillet and add another tablespoon of butter to it. Once the butter has melted add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds until the garlic becomes really aromatic.
Add the tomatoes, olives and capers to the skillet then season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes soften and the skins begin to wrinkle a bit.
Add the pasta, reserved pasta water, Parmesan cheese and parsley to the skillet then toss everything together.
Remove the foil from the steak and slice it across the grain using a sharp knife that will cut cleanly through the meat. Slicing across the grain will yield the most tender slices.
Place the steak slices over the pasta and serve warm.
450g of large shrimp you can either remove the tails or leave them on for a more elegant presentation, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons of butter divided use
250g of smoked sausage such as andouille or kielbasa cut into slices
2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning or more to taste
½ cup of yellow onion minced
1 cup of sliced bell peppers I used red and yellow
300g of linguine pasta other long pasta varieties will also work
⅓ cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the onions and peppers and cook for 4-6 minutes or until softened. Season with 1 teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning.
Add the sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Season the shrimp with the remaining teaspoon of Cajun seasoning and add them to the pan, cooking for 2-3 minutes or until pink and opaque.
Drain the pasta and return to the pot it cooked in. Turn the heat on medium high and add the cream and butter along with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until sauce has started to thicken. Stir in parmesan cheese.
Place the shrimp and sausage mixture on top of the pasta and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add salt to your water, at least 2 tablespoon of salt. After draining your pasta add a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.
In a small bowl or jar add all the dressing ingredients together and whisk well. If using a jar, put the lid on and close it, then shake well.
Toss all salad ingredients together, mix in dressing. Chill before serving.
