10. Smoky brinjal pasta with creamy tahini

When a world-renowned chef asks you to make a dish using one of his products, you listen! TASTE's head of content Kate Wilson (and an unapologetic Ottolenghi superfan) took up the challenge posed by  Yotam Ottolenghi and made this smoky brinjal pasta with creamy tahini. While it's technically not Italian (this dish has more of the Mediterranean and Levantine flavours Ottolenghi is known for), there is pasta. So, this totally counts as a contributor to the strong Italian theme of this list.

 

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Smoky brinjal pasta with creamy tahini recipe

9. Butter chicken pasta

Here's another pasta fusion recipe, this time using Indian flavours. We created this recipe as part of a campaign for Woolworths' Indian-inspired range. Thanks to Woolworths' butter chicken paste, you can make this rich, warming dish in just 20 minutes! We used fusilli pasta so that the creamy sauce clings to the pasta better, but you can use your favourite pasta shape when you make it.

Butter chicken pasta recipe

ALSO READ: 10 most popular recipes from July 2025

8. Sourdough pizza dough

If you have a sourdough starter, you should use it to make Jason Lilley's sourdough pizza dough! This recipe heroes one of the key principles of Italian cooking by using the best ingredients available. Stay tuned to see which pizzas Jason made using this dough.

 

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Sourdough pizza dough recipe 

7. Tiramisu-style zuppa Inglese

If this doesn't look like a traditional zuppa Inglese to you, that's because Abigail Donnelly created a deconstructed version. Trust us, it's as delicious as it looks. It features pears poached in Amaretto, yielding a poaching liquid that's poured over a simple sponge cake. There's also a coffee-and-chocolate mascarpone that gives this dessert its tiramisu flavour.

Tiramisu-style zuppa Inglese recipe 

6. Lello’s mortadella, pistachio and burrata panino

This may be the most delectable sandwich we've ever featured.  Chiara Turilli of Lello’s Deli in Cape Town shared one of their most popular panini. We only posted this on 22 August, but you were clearly as obsessed with it as we were! That's why you flocked to this recipe and rocketed it up to the sixth spot on this list.

 

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Lello’s mortadella, pistachio and burrata panino recipe 

ALSO READ: Top 10 recipes that kept you warm in June 2025

5. Banana-and-strawberry loaf cake

How do you make store-bought banana loaf fancy? You transform it with Bianca Strydom's epic instruction! She made a whipped blush-pink buttercream and used it to make a stacked cake. To make it fancier, she topped it with playful pink sweets and Woolworths' strawberry-flavoured multigrain puffs. BTW, for all those who asked on social media, the cereal is what gives this cake its strawberry flavour. P.S. This is the one non-Italian-inspired recipe on this list.

Banana-and-strawberry loaf cake recipe

4. Creamy fennel polpette with soft polenta

This recipe by Abigail wins the award for the easiest meal that looks the most bougie. The polpette, a.k.a. meatballs, are Woolies pork-and-beef frikkadels, making the dish come together in just 35 minutes. In fact, the most work you'll do is slicing garlic and fennel bulbs and stirring while cooking!

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Creamy fennel polpette with soft polenta recipe 

3. Arista di maiale

Roast pork, but make it Italian! This simple roast uses humble ingredients, but delivers big on flavour. It's cooked in verjuice, but if you can't find that, Abigail says you can use white wine instead.

Arista di maiale recipe 

ALSO READ: Top 10 recipes you loved in May 2025

2. Caramelised onion, blue cheese and hot honey Neapolitan-style pizza

Remember the sourdough pizza dough at number 8? Once you've made it, you can use it for Jason's caramelised onion, blue cheese and hot honey Neapolitan-style pizza. In fact, you can make the toppings and put it on any pizza base of your choice. It features sweet onions, salty blue cheese and a spicy honey drizzle, making for a proper flavour kick!

Caramelised onion, blue cheese and hot honey Neapolitan-style pizza recipe

1. Carbonara Roman-style pizza

Pizza definitely trumped pasta on this list! It was a close call between the pizza at number 2 and this one. Our theory is that the lack of a tomato base created more curiosity around this recipe, sending it to first place. P.S. The video below shows you how to make both pizza toppings. You're welcome.

 

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Carbonara Roman-style pizza recipe