Oh pasta, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways: orecchiette, linguine, spaghetti, bucatini... The list goes on and on. With so many varieties and so many ways to eat pasta, we could eat a different pasta every day for the rest of our lives and never get bored.
While we love getting creative with our pasta dishes, the classics are often where it's at. From spaghetti alla carbonara and bucatini all'amatriciana to fettuccine alfredo and penne alla vodka, the quintessential Italian pasta dishes win us over every time. They're iconic because they're traditional in Italy or have become some so through Italian American convention. They're all tried and true.
Comforting and exciting all at once, these classic pasta dishes will never let us down and will never get old. Here are 22 quintessential pasta recipes we love with all our hearts: