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!
More recipes you may like:
- Pasta recipes from Sicily
- Pasta Recipes from Rome and Lazio
- Pasta Recipes from Naples
- Pasta recipes from Marche
- Pasta Recipes from Lombardy
- Pasta Recipes from Trentino-Alto Adige
- Pasta Recipes from Piemonte
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!
Pin for Later.
Jere Cassidy says
I just sit and drool over all your pasta dishes and wish I could taste them all.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Jere! We aim to please (and make you drool!).
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
And here I am only making mac and cheese, haha. I need to try at least one of these before the month ends!!
The Pasta Project says
There is nothing wrong with mac and cheese! Let us know if you do, we love to hear about it!
GUNJAN C Dudani says
Love this pasta round. I don't think I need to google anymore. I am saving your page so I can make one pasta dish everyday.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Gunjan! Hopefully, you will find some life long favourites!
Elaine Benoit says
Hubby could eat pasta every single day. I love that you gave me 12 new recipes to try for him. He's going to love them all, but my favorite will probably be the Sicilian seafood pasta!!
The Pasta Project says
That is one of my favourites too Elaine!
Kelly Anthony says
What a great collection of sicilian pasta recipes. Now the hard part is deciding what to cook first because they all sound so good!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you Kelly, don't make it difficult on yourself - make them all!
Jess says
What delicious pasta recipes! How do you pick which one to make first?
Chef Dennis says
All these Sicilian pasta recipes look soo delicious! Perfect for family meals. Especially that Busiate with bottarga, almonds and prawns. Would love to try making this.
Ben says
Well, I think I just found the best thing I'm ever going to find this week. I'm a huge pasta fan, so all these recipes are right up my alley.
Demeter says
Wow, what a fantastic group of recipes! Scrolling through is making me hungry. Thanks so much for sharing.
Megan Ellam says
So many great ideas in the one place. Thanks for a hearty selection of deliciousness.
Jessica Formicola says
Pasta is my middle name, and these all look wonderful! I can't decide which one to try first!
Cathy says
What a great post on so many delicious Italian dishes! Book marking this post to refer back and start making a few of these dishes this week! So much yum going on in this post! Thank you!
estelle | soulandstreusel says
OOOH the sun dried tomato pasta looks lovely! I’ve got to start experimenting with pasta shapes, and I would love to try making my own!
Amanda says
Yum! Everything on this list looks delicious. I can’t wait to start making my way through each recipe. Thanks for putting it together!
Jenni LeBaron says
This is the ultimate pasta roundup! I see so many delicious dishes here that I can't wait to try and I love that theres so much variety to keep things fresh and interesting.
Sara says
Yum! Bookmarking, pinning, saving this forever! It's hard to pick a favorite to start with but I think Occhi di lupo with ricotta and pistachios is the one I'm going to try first!
Andrea says
OMG! I'm in heaven with these. I need to do a 12 weeks of pasta and make one a week.
Edyta says
Such a great collection of pasta dishes. I can't wait to try them all!
Tara says
Such a wonderful collection of recipes! I can't wait to try the Maltagliati with veal and onions and the Spaccatelle. Yum!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you Tara! The veal recipe is delicious!
Beth says
What a great round up! I don't know where to start, they all look amazing!!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you Beth! Try them all!