My husband and I took a cooking class in San Gimignano on our honeymoon a few years ago and still talk about the class to this day. All of the food we made was incredible, but the ragù was the standout dish. I’ve been making my slightly revised version of the ragù for years and it tastes just like I remember in Italy. The recipe has minimal ingredients, but is packed with flavor. I decided to make homemade fettuccine for this post, but by all means, use store-bought pasta if you’re in a pinch! Although I will say, the thin and silky smooth homemade noodles do make a difference in this dish and are worth making if you have the time.

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I know this isn’t the most ‘summer’ dish, but I would gladly eat it year-round. I mean, what’s not to love – fork-tender, 4-hour braised short rib, creamy ricotta drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper…need I continue? This pasta dish is definitely hearty, but serve it alongside some salad and it balances out, right?!

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Is there anything more comforting and delicious than lasagna? Better yet, homemade lasagna? This recipe is made completely from scratch (well, almost) and is worth every hour it takes to make. The dish is layered with homemade noodles, followed by a 3-hour ragu, a spinach and ricotta mixture, and shredded mozzarella cheese. I’m drooling just trying to explain it – SO good!

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Now that I’ve made lasagna entirely from scratch, I can honestly say I never want to go back to store-bought noodles – which is somewhat unfortunate, because this recipe will take hours of your time. But if you enjoy cooking (and lasagna) as much as I do, it won’t matter because it is SO worth it in the end! The homemade noodles make all of the difference and take this lasagna to another planet. The ingredient list and instructions may appear a bit daunting, but please don’t let that deter you from making this delicious dish!

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One of my favorite gifts I received for my birthday the other week was The L.A. Cookbook, which includes delicious recipes from some of LA’s best restaurants. My husband and I have yet to make the trek to Union Pasadena, but now that we have this cookbook, we can make their incredible pasta with pork ragu whenever we want. The original recipe calls for tagliatelle, but we used pappardelle since that was what we had!

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