16 Roman Pasta Recipes That Celebrate Lazio’s Best Flavors From cacio e pepe and carbonara to Alfredo and arrabbiata, these recipes capture the enduring appeal of Roman pasta. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on July 15, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Jacob Fox / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addy Evans The traditional pastas of Rome are marked by elegant simplicity. While we may associate them with high-end trattorias today, these dishes were born of necessity — true relics of cucina povera. Minimalist by nature, they rely on inexpensive, high-impact ingredients to stretch resources without sacrificing flavor. Four key sauces form the Roman pasta tree, beginning with cacio e pepe, the mother sauce, made with just Pecorino Romano and black pepper. Gricia brings guanciale into the mix; made from pork jowl, this once-overlooked cut renders enough rich fat that expensive olive oil isn’t needed. Add egg yolks to gricia and you have silky carbonara; add tomatoes instead, and it’s amatriciana. Not every Roman pasta belongs to the cucina povera tradition, however. Dishes like fettuccine Alfredo originated in Rome, showcasing another side of the city’s pasta tradition. Here, we highlight these classics and their variations, along with a handful of the region’s other beloved pasta dishes and chef-driven creations. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 16 Spaghetti Carbonara Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Table-ready in just half an hour, this is the best carbonara you’ll ever make. The classic sauce gets its silkiness from egg yolks, rendered guanciale fat, and cheese; here, we use a blend of sweet, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano and sharp, salty pecorino for a balanced bite. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 16 Pasta Cacio e Pepe Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Traditionally made with only Pecorino Romano cheese and cracked pepper plus starchy pasta water, our modern version includes a generous pat of butter to ensure the otherwise difficult-to-execute sauce comes together cleanly — while adding a rich, velvety finish. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 16 Rigatoni Amatriciana Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Though it traces its roots to the mountain town of Amatrice, this beloved pasta dish became a favorite of Roman trattorias. Our recipe calls for pancetta rather than guanciale for easier sourcing. Simmer it with onion, crushed tomatoes, and red pepper flakes for a swift, savory sauce, then finish with pecorino, butter, and starchy pasta water to bring it all together. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 16 Perciatelli alla Gricia Food & Wine / Photo by Jacob Fox / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addy Evans Chef Michael Romano starts with rendered guanciale before adding pasta, a splash of starchy cooking water, and a shower of Pecorino Romano, which emulsifies into the silky, pork-rich sauce. Be generous with the pepper grinder. It’s Rome’s simplest and — perhaps — most satisfying pantry pasta, ready in under 30 minutes. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 16 Fettuccine Alfredo Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Fettuccine Alfredo can feel fancy with upgrades. Scatter a mix of crisp panko, garlic, parsley, and Parmesan atop a velvety swirl of noodles coated in a creamy butter sauce for a salty, crunchy, herbaceous edge. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 16 Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas) Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley This classic Italian dish comes together in just 30 minutes (in one pot, to boot) with pantry staples like canned chickpeas, ditalini pasta, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Keep it vegetarian, or do as they do in Rome and melt a few anchovy fillets into the garlic blend for extra umami. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 16 Spaghetti Carbonara with Green Peas Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Charlie Worthington / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali Top Chef contestants Elia Aboumrad and Sam Talbot take a few liberties with classic carbonara, adding cream, peas, and garlic, and swapping in Parmesan for pecorino. The result is a rich, velvety sauce with bright pops of green throughout. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 16 Rigatoni with Pecorino and Crispy Guanciale © Andrea Wyner Chef Nabil Hassed of Rome’s lauded Salumeria Roscioli offers his own take on pasta alla gricia, the essential Roman pasta of guanciale and pecorino, by rendering the pork until crisp rather than soft. He finishes the dish with a blend of black peppers, including aromatic Malaysian Sarawak, for added depth and fragrance. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 16 All’Amatriciana with Extra Umami © Christina Holmes James Beard Award-winning chef Sarah Grueneberg intentionally breaks the rules by adding minced anchovies to her sauce’s base of guanciale, onion, and garlic. The result is an amatriciana with unmatched, mouthwatering umami and a massive punch of savory depth. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 16 Rigatoni with Pork Ragù and Fresh Ricotta Food & Wine / Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood Chef Maria Paolillo serves this ragù at Rome’s Enoteca Ferrara, simmering ground pork with tomatoes, wine, and herbs until aromatic, then spooning the sauce over al dente rigatoni nested on a bed of lemon-marjoram ricotta. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 16 Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This quick, luscious one-pot wonder is made by adding asparagus spears to the boiling pasta in the last minutes of cooking. Once drained, the fettuccine-asparagus mixture is tossed with butter, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and Parmesan to form a creamy sauce. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 16 Penne all’Arrabbiata Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This Roman pasta lives up to its name — arrabbiata means “angry” — with a fiery kick from Calabrian chiles. Honey balances the heat, highlighting the natural sweetness of tomatoes. Quick enough for a weeknight (it’s ready in just 15 minutes), this recipe delivers bold flavor with minimal fuss. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 16 Three-Pepper Cacio e Pepe Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio A trio of Tellicherry, pink, and Sichuan peppercorns infuses a glossy sauce of Pecorino Romano and Parmesan, olive oil, and starchy pasta water, which coats curly fusilli col buco in its floral, peppery heat. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 16 Bucatini Amatriciana © Abby Hocking Chef Hugh Acheson balances rich pancetta with fiery crushed red pepper in a slow-simmered tomato sauce that’s perfect for bucatini. Grated carrot adds subtle sweetness. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 16 Spaghetti with Shrimp, Lemon, Mint, and Pecorino © Con Poulos Roman chef Angelo Troiani adds shrimp, lemon, pecorino, almonds, and mint to the classic spaghetti dish ajo, ojo, e peperoncino (garlic, oil, and chile), turning it into a satisfying main with plenty of character. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 16 Fava Bean Pasta e Fagioli © Paul Costello Chef Mike Lata replaces borlotti or cannellini beans with fresh fava beans — a staple of springtime Roman cooking — and rounds out the soup with tubetti and savory bacon slices. Get a head start by blanching and peeling the fava beans a day in advance. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food World Cuisines European Cuisines Italian Cuisine Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit