Viral pasta recipes you need to try

If the past few months have seen you spend a little more time than usual on social media, you most definitely won’t be the only one!

One thing that’s currently taking the Instagram and TikTok world by storm, apart from dancing, is none other than the cult Italian favourite…pasta!

We’re seeing lots of Italian home cooks and chefs showcasing how to whip up their traditional recipes correctly, and you’d be surprised how quick and easy most of these dishes are to make.

So, if you’re looking for a little inspiration for this week’s dinners, look no further as we’ve put together some of our favourite viral social media pasta recipes.

Cacio e Pepe

Literally translated, cacio e pepe means “cheese and pepper” in Italian, and comprises of just four ingredients: pasta, Pecorino (or Parmesan), salt and pepper.

Although this dish has been around for decades, it’s become somewhat of a foodie trend lately -with the likes of Chrissy Teigen and TikTok star The Pasta Queen, rediscovering the recipe and turning it into a viral food obsession.

Rich, comforting and super speedy to make, here’s an easy to follow recipe for this delicious dish:

https://www.greatitalianchefs.com/recipes/cacio-e-pepe-recipe

Traditional Carbonara

Carbonara is an Italian classic originating from Rome. The dish has many different variants, even in Italy itself, however traditionally only five ingredients are used.

The trick is to make sure you don’t overcook and subsequently scramble your eggs! An easy tip for beginners to prevent this would be to separate the eggs and just use the yolks, making the texture a lot easier to work with.

Up for the challenge, here’s a simple recipe to get you started:

https://www.recipesfromitaly.com/spaghetti-carbonara-original-recipe/

Penne Alla Vodka

Penne Alla Vodka is a deliciously hearty pasta dish made up of a creamy and vibrant tomato base and vodka infused sauce, that’s seasoned with fresh herbs and parmesan.

Made obvious by its name, vodka is a key ingredient in this dish with its purpose to release flavours in the tomato that are normally inaccessible. Don’t worry though, as with cooking with any alcohol, the alcohol in the liquid is cooked off, so while you're left with the subtle taste of the alcohol used, the amount of alcohol actually remaining in the dish is incredibly small.

This dish gained popularity in Italy and the USA in the 1980s however thanks to social media – it’s making a comeback.

Check out this recipe from The Pasta Queen herself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?edufilter=NULL&v=waiQw92pZKU

Spaghetti Aglio Olio & Peperoncino

This classic spaghetti dish, aglio, olio e peperoncino translates to garlic, oil and chili flakes, and is the ultimate pasta fast food! Don’t be fooled by the lack of ingredients, this dish is packed full of flavour plus, in the time it takes to cook the pasta, you can have the sauce prepared and ready for the table.

If you’re not into spicy food, just go easy on the peperoncino (chili flakes) or skip them altogether and make it Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. It will be delicious regardless!

If you need to whip up a weeknight meal in a hurry, this is the dish for you:

https://www.filippoberio.co.uk/recipes/spaghetti-with-chilli-and-garlic/

We hope this has given you some inspiration to get creative with your own pasta favourites. If you do decide to make any of the dished featured above, we’d love to see your pictures. Tag us on social media using @MillerHomesUK.