Get Creative with Tomato Paste

Giorgia Goggi mixes this slow-cooked tomato sauce with octopus and saffron into paccheri pasta di Gragnano, a thick, air-dried Italian macaroni. But any robust pasta shape will do. Get the recipe for Pasta with Octopus Ragu and Stracciatella »

From the tortelli family, anzelottos are rectangles often with ridged edges. “They’re made with a thicker, bright white dough of plain semola flour and hot water, which penetrates the proteins in the rustic flour more easily,” chef Evan Funke of Felix in Los Angeles says. Get the recipe for Swiss Chard Anzelottos with Pomodoro Sauce »

Flavored with shrimp, garlic, and zingy flakes of red pepper, this pasta dish is devilishly good.

Yogurt and tomato combine to create this delicious, creamy sauce with hints of peppery zest. This sauce is a main component to manti, a Turkish spiced lamb dumpling dish. Get the recipe for Turkish Yogurt and Brown Butter Tomato Sauce »

Earthy sweet cauliflower adds body to this comforting pasta baked in a comforting, spicy tomato-cream sauce. Get the recipe for Pasta with Cauliflower in a Spicy Pink Sauce »

Chef Rachael Grossman of Artigiano in Portland produces a flawless version of this Italian pasta classic, which uses a slow-simmered tomato sauce infused with lots of bacon. This recipe first appeared in our June/July 2012 issue along with Dana Bowen’s story Food of the People. Get the recipe for Spaghetti all’Amatriciana »

This dish is flavored with guanciale, or cured pork jowl, though pancetta is a fine substitute. Get the recipe for Hollow Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce (Bucatini all’Amatriciana) »

On October 17, 1982, the Bolognese chapter of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, “after having carried out long and laborious investigations and conducted studies and research”, decreed the following recipe to be the official one for classic ragu alla bolognese. We’re not necessarily convinced of that, but it’s a fantastic recipe nonetheless. Get the recipe for Classic Ragù alla Bolognese »

In this Umbrian ragù, fennel pollen adds a sweet aroma and a flavor similar to that of the fennel-laced sausages found in Italian butcher shops. Get the recipe for Farro Gnocchi with Pork Ragù »

This flavorful pesto from Sicily is traditionally served with homemade busiate, a spiral-shaped pasta; you can substitute dried fusilli in a pinch. Get the recipe for Corkscrew Pasta With Sicilian Tomato Pesto »