There are few things more satisfying to master than homemade pasta dough and a repertoire of sauces to go with it. Discover our favourite cookbooks to help you make your best plate of pasta yet.
Discover the stories, histories and recipes behind 50 different pasta shapes.
Learn to make fresh pasta dough from scratch and how to roll, shape and cut everything from spaghetti to ravioli.
Match your favourite shapes to sauces, from carbonara to ragù
An A-Z of Pasta
In An A-Z of Pasta, food writer Rachel Roddy weaves together the potted histories and recipes behind different essential pasta shapes, from alphabeto to zito. Managing to be both practical and inspirational, it can be used as a guide to quick midweek suppers using shop-bought pasta or a manual for learning to make each pasta shape from scratch. Either way, it is a joyful addition to any cookbook collection and a true love letter to everyone’s favourite carb.
Delicious recipes from the chef behind Trullo and Padella
Serious cooking with a laidback approach
A British take on Italian cuisine
Trullo
Tim Siadatan is the chef behind Trullo and sister pasta restaurant, Padella, where hungry Londoners will happily wait in hour-long queues to get their hands on a plate of his pici cacio e pepe or pappardelle with ragù. Unsurprisingly, Tim’s first cookbook features an entire chapter on pasta, beginning with invaluable wisdom on the pasta-making process and instructions for making dough. It then moves on to recipes including tagliarini with dressed crab and that all-important pici cacio e pepe. This is restaurant-level pasta cooking made acheivable at home and a must-have cookbook for any Trullo and Padella devotee.
Pasta
In Pasta, Theo Randall shares a collection of 110 recipes, all within the reach of the home cook. Using a mix of fresh and dried pasta and the freshest ingredients according to the season, Pasta features a wide variety of dishes, many achievable in minutes, from tagliarini with peas, prosciutto and parmesan to cappaletti with slow cooked veal and pancetta.
Comforting Italian cooking at its finest
Timeless recipes from the celebrated London restaurant
Classic desserts and delicious cakes
River Café 30
Marking 30 years of one of London’s most inconic Italian restaurants, River Cafe 30 is packed with brilliant pasta recipes, from a guide to making fresh pasta, to instructions on how to master their famous slow-cooked tomato sauce. Bold and fresh flavours take centre stage in this masterclass on elegant simplicity. Think penne with zucchini and lemon zest and linguine with fresh and dried oregano.
Home-style Italian comfort food
Authentic and simple pasta recipes
Delicious dessert classics
Simply Italian
The Chiappa sisters grew up in the heart of a close-knit Italian community where food was always at the centre of family and social gatherings. This cookbook is all about accessible Italian home cooking, complete with an extensive selection of pasta recipes including everything from how to colour pasta dough to making ravioli.
