World Pasta Day 2025 lands on 25th October this year, and a new study by Italian Street Kitchen has revealed exactly what pasta recipes are trending in the lead up to the big day, with the creamy classic, macaroni and cheese, leading as the nation’s favourite to make at home.
To mark the occasion, revealing its secret, nonna-approved recipe for mac and cheese, guaranteed to wow the family this October.
Coming in second is Rome’s cult-favourite dish, cacio e pepe, with 14,800 searches, followed by the Italian-American crowd-pleaser spaghetti with meatballs (8,100 searches). Rounding out the top five are fettuccine Alfredo and Greek-inspired pastitsio, both with 5,400 searches apiece.
Perhaps most surprisingly, Germany’s Spätzle ranked at number six, while Sicilian staple pasta alla Norma came in at number seven, showing Australians’ growing appetite for regional and international takes on pasta.
Italian Street Kitchen’s ‘ Nonna Approved’ Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Brothers and Executive chefs at Italian Street Kitchen, Guilio and Enrico Marchese, said, “We’d love people to try our take on this popular dish, this is a Smoked Pancetta & Provolone Mac n Cheese. Traditionally, this is made with cheddar in a béchamel base and simple breadcrumb topping, but at Italian Street Kitchen, we switch to Italian cheeses. Provolone, Fontina and Parmesan, and add vermouth instead of cream for balance, and finish with a smoky pancetta and rosemary crust.”
Ingredients
- Maccheroni or rigatoni
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- dry vermouth
- provolone piccante
- Fontina
- Parmesan
- Nutmeg
- Pancetta
- Rosemary
- fresh breadcrumbs
- olive oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Cook the pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente.
- In a saucepan, melt butter, whisk in flour and cook briefly to form a smooth roux.
- Slowly pour in milk followed by the vermouth, whisking until thickened and glossy.
- Remove from the heat and fold through the cheeses and nutmeg until melted and velvety.
- For the crust, fry pancetta until crisp, then stir through breadcrumbs, rosemary and olive oil.
- Toss the pasta through the cheese sauce, spoon into an oven dish and scatter the pancetta crust evenly over the top.
- Bake until bubbling, golden and fragrant. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving to allow the sauce to settle.
