Happy National Pasta Day! Make Restaurant-Grade Pasta at Home With These 3 Recipes

Calling all pasta lovers! Today is the day we get to celebrate with all the pasta we can eat, because carbs and calories can't possibly count on National Pasta Day, right? Right...? Well, either way, we love pasta on any day of the year, and we're betting you do, too.

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To help you take full advantage of this glorious day, we snagged recipes from the top chefs, who told us exactly how to make their dishes at home. This is the best-case scenario, people: restaurant-quality pasta that you can cook up and eat at home in your sweatpants, if you so desire. Read below for the deets!

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Creste di Gallo with Beef Ragu (above)

Recipe courtesy of Michael Fiorelli, Executive Chef of Love & Salt (317 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, Calif.)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
Mirepoix (2/3 cup each chopped onion, carrot, and celery)
8 cloves of garlic
6 mushrooms (quartered)
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
16-oz can whole plum tomatoes
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
4 oz butter

Grind all the vegetables in a food processor (or finely chop if you don’t have a food processor). Brown the ground beef in a pot until fully cooked and well-browned. Remove the meat from the pot and add in the vegetables. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft and aromatic, stirring frequently to scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add in the tomato paste and continue to stir. After the mixture has cooked for five minutes, deglaze with wine and reduce until thick. Add the meat back into the pan and stir before adding in the canned tomatoes. Stir before letting the sauce simmer for three hours, or until everything is fully incorporated and tender.

Cook your pasta according to instructions* on the package. Before serving, add the parmesan and butter to the bolognese and stir until the butter and cheese are melted. Season to taste. Top the pasta with the beef ragu and enjoy.

*Chef’s Note: At Love & Salt, we use creste di gallo pasta, but you can also use elbow macaroni or shells.

Cacio e Pepe

Recipe courtesy of Cruz Goler, Executive Chef of La Pecora Bianca Midtown (950 2nd Avenue at 50th Street, N.Y.C.)

Ingredients:

1 portion (4.5 oz) of gluten free pasta (for traditional tastes, use fresh tonarelli or spaghetti)
1 tbs fresh cracked, course black pepper
2 tbs pasta cooking water
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs finely grated pecorino romano cheese
1 tbs finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Directions:

Cook the pasta to an al dente texture in rapidly boiling water (seasoned with salt). While the pasta is cooking, lightly toast the black pepper in a saute pan. Deglaze with the pasta water, add butter, and begin to emulsify. Add the cooked pasta and the olive oil. Quickly toss pasta and take off the heat, then add the cheese as the pan is being tossed. Allow for the pasta to be a bit saucy to account for some water that will be absorbed by the pasta as it sits in the pan and on the plate. Add more pasta water if necessary.

Pasta Pomodoro

Recipe courtesy of Scott Conant, Owner of Fusco (43 East 20th Street, N.Y.C.)

Directions:

5 oz spaghetti
6 oz pomodoro sauce*
2 tbsp butter
6 basil leaves, sliced
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
Olive oil as needed
Chile flakes as needed

Drop pasta in boiling salted water. In separate saute pan over medium heat, add tomato sauce and reduce slightly. Season with chile flakes and salt. When pasta is 80% cooked, transfer to pan with sauce and a small amount of pasta water. Finish cooking the pasta in sauce, then finish with olive oil, butter, parmesan and basil. Toss to coat, and serve.

*Pomodoro Sauce:

5 lbs ripe plum tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp chile flakes
1/4 bunch basil

Remove cores of tomatoes. Blanch tomatoes and shock in ice water. Remove skin and discard. Deseed the tomatoes and strain the liquid from the seeds through a fine mesh strainer. Reserve the liquid. Discard the seeds. Put peeled tomatoes, juice, and salt in a large bowl. Mix the salt into the tomatoes and set aside. Place garlic in a saucepot and cover with the olive oil. Cook over very low heat until garlic is golden and soft. Strain and reserve oil. In a heavy bottom, large stockpot, add the infused garlic oil and chili flakes. Turn heat to low for about 2 minutes, slowly blooming the chili flakes. Add the salted tomatoes and its liquid into the pot and turn heat to medium-high. Bring to a slight boil and skim foam that rises to the top. Lower heat to medium low or until a simmer. Smash the tomatoes with a potato masher during the cooking. Cook until reduced by 1/4, about 25-30 min. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt. Remove from heat and submerge basil to infuse in the sauce as it cools down.