Italian sauces to accompany the pasta

The most traditional sauces that you should know if you are going to accompany Italian pasta.

What came first the chicken or the egg? Rather, what was before: pasta or sauce? 

Difficult to answer any of the two questions, but we are going to the one that interests us the most.

When we make Italian pasta it is important to choose the type of pasta that we are going to prepare (spaghetti, macaroni, farfalle or colored fusili, noodles, garofallo, gnocchi, fetucine, ravioli …), but almost as important (or more) is to choose the sauce with which we will accompany her .

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Furthermore, it is often the sauce itself that determines the choice of pasta that we are going to cook. But calm down. We have some tips to best match pasta with sauces that suit you best.

Types of Italian sauce according to the pasta it accompanies

• Light sauces . These are the ones that carry fresh tomato, oil, garlic, even shellfish. It is recommended to use medium or thin spaghetti.
• Thick sauces . Those seasoned; also the meat ragout, for example. They go well with long thick pastas and striped macaroni.
• Green or white sauces . Also those with mushrooms. Noodles and ribbons are perfect for this type of sauce.
• Sauces with bacon, ham or sausages . Ideal for macaroons and feathers.

So it’s time to tell us, but … it’s more difficult than it seems! Well, to those of us who consider ourselves pasta lovers, we think so … But to the trouble, there is a lot!

Bolognese, carbonara, arrabiatta, pesto, quattro formaggi, puttanesca … and so we could be almost to infinity … There are as many sauces as tastes on the market.

And as many ways to prepare them , even the most basic ones, such as cooks in front of the stove . We are going to choose a selection of simple and always effective sauces to enjoy at home with or without company. Because pasta, we already know, gives us moments of full happiness.

And we also present the ideal accompaniment to pasta from Garofalo, a world benchmark in Italian pasta. A selection of ready toppings and sauces, the perfect solution for making excellent pasta dishes with minimal effort.

We start with the usual ones, the most common and recurring in our homes:

Bolognese sauce

We could define this sauce as a symbol of the Italian gastronomic tradition. At least that’s how we perceive it.

This sauce, the Bolognese sauce is the favorite of the little ones! It is an easy resource to always hit. And although as in everything, each teacher has his booklet, here we tell you the typical way of preparing it in the neighboring country.

A recipe from the Emilian tradition, the Garofalo Bolognese sauce , combines a harmony of textures and flavors to prepare a Bolognese pasta recipe, including lasagna or cannelloni, in a plis plas.

Preparation of homemade bolognese sauce

Ingredients for four people: 40 g of butter, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped celery stick, 1 chopped carrot, 250 g of minced meat, 1 tablespoon of tomato concentrate, salt and pepper.

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a small saucepan.
2. We add the onion, celery, carrot and meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mix well and cook over low heat for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender and the meat begins to brown. Mix the tomato with a little water and pour it.
4. Cover the casserole and cook the sauce over low heat for an hour and a half. We must watch and add hot water if we see that it is dry.
5. The type of meat you use will determine the final result when mixed with the pasta. You can also add mushrooms to enrich the recipe.

Carbonara sauce

Another of the most popular sauces, the carbonara sauce . Egg, Parmesan and Pecorino cheese, bacon, butter, garlic, salt and black pepper are the ingredients of this famous sauce. Do you miss something? Exactly !, it does not have liquid cream .

So in this case we must tell you that, in reality, you add something extra . And that an Italian does not know … If we want to add creaminess to the sauce, just add a little water to cook the pasta. 

And if you want to prepare it at home. Carbonara sauce

Ingredients for four people: 25 g of butter, 100 g of diced bacon or guanchale, 1 clove of garlic, 2 beaten eggs, 40 g of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 40 g of freshly grated Pecorino cheese, salt and black pepper.

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the bacon and garlic until the garlic is golden, which we will remove.
2. Meanwhile, we cook the pasta with which we want to accompany the sauce, drain and add to the bacon.
3. Remove the casserole from the heat, add the egg, half the Parmesan, half the Pecorino and a pinch of pepper.
4. We mix well. Add the rest of the cheese, stir again and serve.

Neapolitan sauce

It is a tomato sauce enriched with garlic and different types of herbs, such as oregano, basil or parsley. In Italy it is also called marinara sauce .

Simple, for those who do not want to complicate life without giving up the taste of Italy, and perfect when we sprinkle abundant Parmesan or Pecorino cheese on it.

From the traditional cuisine of Campana, the sauce to Garofalo’s Neapolitan mixes the sweetness of fresh Italian tomatoes and the consistent flavor of red wine. A recipe with onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and rosemary that will take you to Italy. You know, if you don’t have the day you cook, you can also open their sauce and that’s it.

And if you want to make it at home . Neapolitan S alsa

Ingredients for four people: 4 minced garlic cloves, 500 g of whole peeled tomato, 1 onion, 25 g. celery, 1 carrot, 1 bay leaf, some fresh basil leaves, a touch of rosemary, salt, freshly ground black pepper, 100 ml. of red wine and 50 ml of extra virgin olive oil.

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic cloves until golden. We reserve.
2. We make the rest of the sofrito, onion, celery and very finely chopped carrot, in the same olive oil that we have in the pan and cook well. Add the garlic.
3. We crush the tomatoes and add them to the casserole. Season with salt and pepper and add the red wine.
4. Cook for 30 minutes over medium heat with a bay leaf and a little rosemary. It is important to taste the sauce in order to rectify the salt or pepper.
5. A trick if the sauce is acidic is to add a little sugar. When we find the perfect point of our Neapolitan tomato sauce, we add the basil, stir and we can use it.

Parmesan sauce

For cheese lovers , how can you not? A creamy sauce that makes us sooo happy.

The salsa parmigiana Garofalo is a classic Sicilian cuisine that evokes the flavors of summer. A creamy and original recipe prepared with aubergines, ripe tomatoes, salt, basil, extra virgin olive oil and salty ricotta cheese.

Genovese pesto sauce

This Genoese pesto sauce is one of the sauces with the most flavor and personality . Simple and quick to prepare. But he has as many lovers as he hates.

Ingredients for four people: 1 bunch of fresh basil (large leaf), 2 tablespoons of grated dry pecorino cheese, 1 handful of pine nuts, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, olive oil and salt.

Making the pesto sauce

1. Crush the garlic with the pine nuts and the basil in the mortar until a fine paste is obtained.
2. Then add the grated cheese, mix well and add olive oil little by little, until you get a thick cream. We can also crush all the ingredients in the mixer.
3. When serving, add to this thick sauce a stream of the pasta cooking water to make it more liquid and mix well.
4. We can change the pine nuts for another dried fruit. There is also a pesto rosso (red) , which is prepared by replacing basil in whole or in part with dried tomatoes rehydrated and preserved in oil.
5. I have chosen these recipes, perfect to accompany with a good Italian pesto. The casarecce with pesto , delicious roasted tomatoes a pizza or a simple courgettes .

A perfect sauce for a romantic dinner or a party at home with friends, it goes well with everything. This recipe has two versions, one fast and one slow.

If you don’t have time, Garofalo makes it easy for you, because in addition to its pasta they have a good selection of sauces, including  pesto sauce , open and ready.

And we go with some not so popular … special sauces

Arrabiata sauce

Not suitable for all audiences. In this case, diners. This sauce is for lovers of spicy . 

Ingredients for four people: a kilo of peeled, chopped or crushed tomatoes, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, 3 or 4 fresh chillies or dried cayenne, oregano, oil, salt and fresh basil.

Preparation of the arrabiata sauce

1. We crush the garlic and put them in a pan or saucepan with oil. When they have left all their aroma, we add the chopped chilli and the chopped or crushed tomato.
2. Season with salt and pepper and cook for half an hour, first over high heat and then soft.
3. Halfway through cooking we add a little boiling water to the pasta so that the sauce does not dry out (the same solution we use to give creaminess to our carbonara sauce).
4. We rectify with salt and add the oregano and the chopped basil.
5. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, stir so that it is well impregnated and serve accompanied, of course, with grated cheese.

Funghi sauce

The mushroom sauce is the perfect sauce for this time of the year: the autumn . But do not spread panic. Of course, the ideal is to prepare it with fresh seasonal mushrooms, but the rest of the year we can do it with dehydrated mushrooms . 

Ingredients for four people: 25 g of dried mushrooms, 1 small onion, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 5 tablespoons of dry white wine, 3 tablespoons of tomato concentrate, salt and 40 g of grated Parmesan cheese.

Preparation of the funghi sauce

1. We put the mushrooms in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave to soak for 1 hour.
2. Drain well and chop finely with the onion. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the mushrooms and onion, and fry over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
3. We pour 120 ml of water and salt slightly. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates.
4. Add the tomato and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Finally we incorporate the Parmesan cheese and add it to the pasta.

Amatriciana sauce

One of the sauce with more history, tradition and flavor . With ingredients such as tomato, onion, chilli and bacon we can achieve a sauce with a different flavor than the ones we are used to using for our pasta dishes. 

Ingredients for two people: olive oil for greasing, 100 g diced bacon, 1 thinly sliced ​​onion, 500 g peeled, peeled and diced tomatoes, 1 fresh chili pepper, peeled and chopped, salt and pepper.

Elaboration of the amatriciana sauce

1. Grease a pan with oil, add the bacon and fry over low heat until the fat is released.
2. Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned.
3. Add the tomato, chilli, salt and pepper, and continue cooking for 40 minutes, adding warm water if necessary. Mix with the pasta and serve.

Puttanesca sauce

It is one of the most complete accompaniments for pasta. It is easy and quick to prepare, but the best thing is that it is tasty and powerful . Its origin, in southern Italy, seems to be linked to brothels, where it was prepared to satisfy and seduce customers. Hence its peculiar name …

Ingredients for four people: 2 garlic cloves, 5 anchovies in brine, 1 red chilli, 40 g of capers, 60 g of pitted black olives, 250 g of canned natural tomato (chopped), extra virgin olive oil, salt and ground black pepper.

Preparation of puttanesca sauce

1. Chop the garlic, chilli, anchovies and olives. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic with the chilli and the anchovies, crushing the mixture so that it integrates well and releases all its aromas.
2. When the garlic is golden, add the capers and olives and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the tomato and cook over low heat until reduced. Finally season with salt and pepper and add a little cooking water if necessary to better bind the sauce.

I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry … Guess what I’m going to prepare?

Bon Appetite!