12 Sicilian Pasta recipes.
Bring a taste of Sicily to your table with these 12 Sicilian pasta recipes from my hubby’s homeland .
20 regions, 20 different kitchens.
Italy is a beautiful country and every region has fabulous landscapes and places to visit. However, when it comes to food, Italian cuisine is really made up of 20 often very different regional kitchens. And, despite the availability nowadays of the same food products throughout the Italian peninsula, many Italians still have a preference for their local cuisine and locally grown produce. The same goes for local types of pasta and pasta recipes.
My favourite regional cuisine is ...
I love all things Sicilian (including my hubby!). If I had to choose my favourite regional cuisine (very difficult choice!), I guess I’d have to say Sicilian. And not because that’s where my hubby comes from! Most probably because I love seafood and the fresh seafood in Sicily is Amazing with a capital ‘A’! Pasta with seafood is pretty awesome in Sicily as you’ll see in this collection of 12 Sicilian pasta recipes.
However, Sicilians love their meat, veggies and cheese too! So, these 12 Sicilian pasta recipes include some delicious non-fishy dishes. These recipes are all made with typical Sicilian ingredients and mostly pasta that is traditional in Sicily, for example busiate, spaccatelle and anelletti! I hope you’ll give some of these recipes a try and bring a taste of Sicily to your table!
12 Sicilian pasta recipes: seafood.
Fresh tuna meatballs with giant penne. Made with pine nuts, mint and lemon zest, these Sicilian fresh tuna meatballs are also fabulous served as an antipasto or snack or with potatoes. However, I think they’re best with pasta!
Pasta with sardines and wild fennel. This Sicilian seafood pasta recipe is one of the oldest pasta recipes on the island. Dating back to 827A.D. this recipe is a delicious fusion of ingredients from Arab and Mediterranean cultures. A reminder of Sicily’s fascinating history.
Reginette with swordfish, eggplant and mint. I particularly like this recipe because it really is a treat for the taste buds! It includes fried eggplant, giving it that authentic Sicilian flavour, along with fresh mint and some grated lemon rind.
Busiate with bottarga, almonds and prawns. Sicilian seafood pasta doesn’t get much better than this busiate pasta with bottarga (tuna roe) and prawns from Trapani. The sweetness of the Mazzara prawns and almonds, combine with the salty taste of the bottarga and the fresh basil and parsley to produce a flavour that says Sicily in every mouthful!
12 Sicilian pasta recipes: vegetarian.
Occhi di lupo with ricotta and pistachios: This pasta with ricotta and pistachio is a delicious example of how beautifully these two very typical Sicilian foods can be combined to make a divine creamy plate of occhi di lupo pasta.
Rigatoni alla Norma: I have lost count of how many times I’ve enjoyed this famous classic Sicilian pasta dish. My hubby has cooked it for me, his mum and sisters have cooked it for me and I’ve eaten it in Sicily! Made with tomato sauce, eggplant, salted ricotta and basil this pasta dish is so incredibly satisfying and full of Mediterranean flavour.
Anelletti eggplant boats: These anelletti pasta eggplant boats are a fabulous Sicilian version of stuffed eggplant! Made with typical Sicilian ingredients, this pasta dish is not only seriously yummy but it looks great too. Your guests will love it!
Spaccatelle with Sicilian sun-dried tomato pesto: There are a number of Sicilian pesto recipes including pistachio pesto and pesto Trapanese. However, I think this is my favourite. I’m a big sun-dried tomato fan! I just love the intense flavour they have and combining them with the garlic, pecorino, olive oil, pine nuts and almonds in this recipe really brings out the flavour!
12 Sicilian pasta recipes: meat.
Pasta al forno: This recipe is based on the wonderful ‘pasta al forno’ (baked pasta) my Sicilian mother-in-law makes! It’s actually THE most popular recipe here on The Pasta Project so definitely worth making and tasting!
Maltagliati with braised veal and onions: This maltagliati con l’aggrassatu involves slow cooking or braising veal and onions together in a wine and stock sauce. Although this isn’t a very colourful looking dish, it tastes amazing. I especially liked the addition of cloves and the thick oniony sauce! I’m sure if you try it, you’ll agree with me!
Sicilian broccoli pasta with sausage and chard: My Sicilian hubby introduced me to pasta with broccoli and it really was love at first bite! Since then, I have made different versions of this typical Southern Italian dish. All delicious! However, this version with sausage is definitely one of my favourites!
Baked anelletti timballo: A timballo of oven-baked anelletti is the most popular 'pasta bake' in Sicily, particularly in Palermo the island’s capital. It takes a little time to make but the looks on your guests’ faces will make it worth it!
If you do try any of these 12 Sicilian pasta recipes, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon Appetito!
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Lathiya says
Wow, this sounds like an awesome collection of pasta recipes. Fantastic. Will be trying some.
katie says
I love Sicily!! I've only been once but I fell head over heels for the place. I can't wait to work my way through these recipes,
Katie xoxo
The Pasta Project says
That's lovely Katie, I hope they bring back lovely memories for you!
Sophie says
Love this awesome compilation of pasta recipes. Thanks for sharing this amazing pasta recipes.
Lorie says
Oh my goodness these all sound so amazing. The hardest part right now is deciding on which one to start with!
Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli says
What a wonderful collectional of Sicilian pasta dishes! Some of them I know and, despite being Italian, some I don't. You're right, Italian cuisine is regional and so different from one region to the other. They all look fantastic!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you Nicoletta! It's wonderful that there is always something left to discover!
Tammy says
I'd love to try them all! Delicious collection of recipes ^_^ I've never heard of timballo before but my goodness, I need to make it asap!
The Pasta Project says
It's good to have a goal! Let us know if you do, we love to hear about it!
Mikayla says
AH! Where do I even start I need to try all of these! I'm particularly eager about the Occhi di lupo with ricotta and pistachios, we're BIG pistachio lovers in my house but I've never tried it with pasta. Thanks for making my meal planning easier for a while 🙂
The Pasta Project says
Glad to be of service Mikayla!
Sharon says
All these Sicilian pasta recipes are making my mouth water! I love that there are so many different types to try.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Sharon! We love sharing everything we know about pasta with you!
Jenni LeBaron says
This list of Sicilian pasta recipes is mouthwatering good! I love that each recipe really enhances the best flavors of the region and there are so many fun new pasta shapes that I'm seeing for the first time here!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Jenni! You could definitely tour Sicily from your kitchen with these recipes!
Paula Montenegro says
I'm dying with wanting to try the pasta with ricotta and pistachios! What a great idea! And the sun-dried tomato pesto never fails. Ever. Lovely ideas!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Paul! We agree - sun-dried tomato pesto is delicious!
Jeannette (Jay Joy) says
What a great idea for 12 Sicilian pasta recipes all in one place! It is like a pasta marathon!
Erika says
I love all types of pasta, and this roundup is awesome!
Colleen says
So much deliciousness to choose from! I don't know how I'll choose which pasta to try first! Thanks so sharing.
Stine Mari says
I love how you categorized this wonderful pasta round-up! Everything looks so good, but I think I'm going to start with the ricotta pistachio one!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you! Hope you love it! (and try them all 🙂
Renu says
All the recipes here look so good and the different types of pasta. Need to try a few for sure.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Renu! There are so many different types of pasts to experiment with!
Kacie Morgan says
There are some mouth-watering recipes here, but the pasta with clams is especially calling my name. Fresh clams taste so good in pasta!
The Pasta Project says
Absolutely Kacie! We are huge fans of clams in pasta!
Aleta says
Wow, all of these Sicilian pasta dishes look incredibly delicious! It's hard to choose with one I am going to try first!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Aleta! They truly are delicious - you can't go wrong with trying any of them!