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Simple Pasta: Pasta Made Easy. Life Made Better.
A gorgeous collection of simple, tasty pasta recipes you’ll return to again and again, any night of the week, from the author of the beloved Simple Cake.
In Simple Pasta, Odette Williams makes homemade pasta easy, fun, and delicious. With just three base doughs, there are endless possibilities for creating memorable, transporting meals with friends and family. Of course, if you prefer (or just need the convenience of) store-bought pasta, that’s always an option too.
Discover new favorite and beloved classics, like:
• Beet and Carrot Agnolotti with Sage-Hazelnut Butter
• Creamy Wild Mushroom Gnocchi
• Cacio e Pepe
• Carbonara
• Beef Short Rib Ragù and Pappardelle
• Zucchini and Basil Casarecce
• Wicked White Bolognese
• Crispy Italian Sausage and Broccolini Orecchiette
Peppered throughout the book are recipes for side dishes, drinks, mains, and desserts, helping anyone recreate the laid-back elegance of la dolce vita at home. Seasonal menus showcase produce at its prime, creating pasta dishes that are singular and memorable. In Simple Pasta, Odette welcomes you to experience the everyday joy of pasta with the people you love.
In Simple Pasta, Odette Williams makes homemade pasta easy, fun, and delicious. With just three base doughs, there are endless possibilities for creating memorable, transporting meals with friends and family. Of course, if you prefer (or just need the convenience of) store-bought pasta, that’s always an option too.
Discover new favorite and beloved classics, like:
• Beet and Carrot Agnolotti with Sage-Hazelnut Butter
• Creamy Wild Mushroom Gnocchi
• Cacio e Pepe
• Carbonara
• Beef Short Rib Ragù and Pappardelle
• Zucchini and Basil Casarecce
• Wicked White Bolognese
• Crispy Italian Sausage and Broccolini Orecchiette
Peppered throughout the book are recipes for side dishes, drinks, mains, and desserts, helping anyone recreate the laid-back elegance of la dolce vita at home. Seasonal menus showcase produce at its prime, creating pasta dishes that are singular and memorable. In Simple Pasta, Odette welcomes you to experience the everyday joy of pasta with the people you love.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published August 30, 2022
105 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 1, 2022
Odette Williams had to postpone a trip to Italy because of the pandemic. So instead, she spent her lockdown time teaching herself how to make pasta at home. A long-time lover of Italian food, she realized that she had made it to the age of 40 without once making pasta herself. She set about to change that. And then she chose to teach us all how we can make homemade pasta too, even on a weeknight.
To me, Simple Pasta feels like it’s been written in two parts. The first part is all about the homemade pasta—the techniques, the recipes, the shapes, and the simple sauces and crunchy toppings that home cooks can use to make new dishes, to develop new skills, to open up new possibilities. Then the second half of the book is seasonal recipes for those new pastas you’ve learned to make alongside ideas for appetizers, salads, mains, sides, cocktails, and desserts. The first part of the book is the isolation of lockdown; the second is the enjoyment of reconnecting with family and friends. As the subtitle says, “Pasta made easy. Life made better.”
So Williams starts with her pasta recipes, and she makes them pretty accessible to a beginner. She only has three basic pasta recipes—egg, gnocchi, and semolina. The egg dough is a lighter, more delicate pasta that works well rolled into sheets and then cut into lengths like fettucine or pappardelle. The semolina dough is good for shapes like farfalle (bowties) or orecchiette, and it works well with heavier, meatier sauces. There are recipes for a ricotta and a potato gnocchi, so you can make a lighter one for warmer months and a starchier one for colder nights. These pages have lots of photos to go with the detailed instructions, so beginner and intermediate pasta makers can see the process, from the dough coming together to rolling it out and shaping and filling it.
But despite all of the intricate instruction of the hand-crafted pasta, Williams throws no shade to those who aren’t interested. If you want to use dried pasta, there is no shame. If you use jarred sauce, she’s okay with that. But if you want to make your own, she includes recipes for several tomato-based sauces, from quick ones you can throw together to Nonna’s Homemade Passata, which you can can and use as a base for your heartier sauces all winter long. There are also a selection of pestos with herbs, nuts, cheese, and even one with Tuscan kale. The she talks about cooked, flavored bread crumbs that will add a layer of flavor and texture to your pasta dish and includes her ultimate garlic bread recipe.
If that were the entire cookbook, that would be enough to keep pasta cooks busy for weeks with new skills to test and dishes to serve. But then Williams offers a collection of recipes for each season which read like a party menu. Some of these recipes are for the pastas you just learned, like summer’s Lobster Ravioli or winter’s Creamy Wild Mushroom & Potato Gnocchi or spring’s Artichoke, Pea & French Feta Farfalle. But there are other dishes to round that out. So with autumn’s Garganelli with Vodka Sauce, there are also recipes for a Marinated Peppers, Gruyere & Hazelnut Dip for a starter, Sanpelligrino 75, a citrusy cocktail with Prosecco, an arugula salad, Superior Schnitzel, Midnight Fettucine with Seared Scallops, “Yum, You’re Lovely” Classic Bolognese Lasagna, and a Sesame & Honey Panna Cotta to finish. Reading these seasonal recipes feels like seeing a menu for an amazing dinner party that I would love to attend.
There is a lot to love about Simple Pasta, but it does feel a little disjointed at times. The first part, teaching fresh pasta neophytes to whip up a fresh egg dough for a Tuesday night dinner is encouraging and instructive. The second half feels more aspirational, creating feasts of Italian food that include lots of the fresh pasta along with beautiful dishes that may pair well with the pasta or may overshadow the pasta. I do understand the journey that Williams is taking us on in this book, but I can see how some readers could be thrown by the transition and be put off the cookbook for that. I hope not, because this book is genuinely lovely, with lots of gorgeous photography, delicious dishes that feel like small celebrations, warmth and understanding in the directions, and the hospitality that Italian food evokes.
I’ve received a free copy of Simple Pasta from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review, with many thanks.
To me, Simple Pasta feels like it’s been written in two parts. The first part is all about the homemade pasta—the techniques, the recipes, the shapes, and the simple sauces and crunchy toppings that home cooks can use to make new dishes, to develop new skills, to open up new possibilities. Then the second half of the book is seasonal recipes for those new pastas you’ve learned to make alongside ideas for appetizers, salads, mains, sides, cocktails, and desserts. The first part of the book is the isolation of lockdown; the second is the enjoyment of reconnecting with family and friends. As the subtitle says, “Pasta made easy. Life made better.”
So Williams starts with her pasta recipes, and she makes them pretty accessible to a beginner. She only has three basic pasta recipes—egg, gnocchi, and semolina. The egg dough is a lighter, more delicate pasta that works well rolled into sheets and then cut into lengths like fettucine or pappardelle. The semolina dough is good for shapes like farfalle (bowties) or orecchiette, and it works well with heavier, meatier sauces. There are recipes for a ricotta and a potato gnocchi, so you can make a lighter one for warmer months and a starchier one for colder nights. These pages have lots of photos to go with the detailed instructions, so beginner and intermediate pasta makers can see the process, from the dough coming together to rolling it out and shaping and filling it.
But despite all of the intricate instruction of the hand-crafted pasta, Williams throws no shade to those who aren’t interested. If you want to use dried pasta, there is no shame. If you use jarred sauce, she’s okay with that. But if you want to make your own, she includes recipes for several tomato-based sauces, from quick ones you can throw together to Nonna’s Homemade Passata, which you can can and use as a base for your heartier sauces all winter long. There are also a selection of pestos with herbs, nuts, cheese, and even one with Tuscan kale. The she talks about cooked, flavored bread crumbs that will add a layer of flavor and texture to your pasta dish and includes her ultimate garlic bread recipe.
If that were the entire cookbook, that would be enough to keep pasta cooks busy for weeks with new skills to test and dishes to serve. But then Williams offers a collection of recipes for each season which read like a party menu. Some of these recipes are for the pastas you just learned, like summer’s Lobster Ravioli or winter’s Creamy Wild Mushroom & Potato Gnocchi or spring’s Artichoke, Pea & French Feta Farfalle. But there are other dishes to round that out. So with autumn’s Garganelli with Vodka Sauce, there are also recipes for a Marinated Peppers, Gruyere & Hazelnut Dip for a starter, Sanpelligrino 75, a citrusy cocktail with Prosecco, an arugula salad, Superior Schnitzel, Midnight Fettucine with Seared Scallops, “Yum, You’re Lovely” Classic Bolognese Lasagna, and a Sesame & Honey Panna Cotta to finish. Reading these seasonal recipes feels like seeing a menu for an amazing dinner party that I would love to attend.
There is a lot to love about Simple Pasta, but it does feel a little disjointed at times. The first part, teaching fresh pasta neophytes to whip up a fresh egg dough for a Tuesday night dinner is encouraging and instructive. The second half feels more aspirational, creating feasts of Italian food that include lots of the fresh pasta along with beautiful dishes that may pair well with the pasta or may overshadow the pasta. I do understand the journey that Williams is taking us on in this book, but I can see how some readers could be thrown by the transition and be put off the cookbook for that. I hope not, because this book is genuinely lovely, with lots of gorgeous photography, delicious dishes that feel like small celebrations, warmth and understanding in the directions, and the hospitality that Italian food evokes.
I’ve received a free copy of Simple Pasta from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review, with many thanks.
December 21, 2022
Made me feel fairly confident that I can tackle homemade pasta making. I love how the recipes are organized by season and that full menus complete with their recipes are offered.
September 12, 2022
This is a really comprehensive homemade pasta cookbook. The author covers different kinds of homemade pasta dough, how to make various shapes/kinds of pasta, and several kinds of pasta sauces. Then she gets into seasonal recipes. All the recipes are organized by season - spring, summer, fall, and winter. I really like that it's a seasonally focused cookbook. While I think this is a good cookbook overall, there weren't that many recipes I wanted to try. I do think it's great for someone who is interested in starting to make pasta from scratch or someone who has the basics down and is looking for a few more options with their homemade pasta. My next step is ravioli and I did get some good tips from this cookbook.
February 24, 2025
I gave this 5 stars because it exactly met my expectations. But those expectations were really specific so I'll describe them so you'll know if you would feel the same way.
First, this book is not necessarily for the new cook. I am not like, a chef, but I can get around my kitchen -- I know a lot of techniques and feel comfortable and am successful attempting most recipes. I say this because I think this book pre-supposes a certain knowledge of cooking that could be misread in the vague title "Simple Pasta". If you are looking for a "beginning" pasta book for a truly beginner cook, or a "quick and easy weeknight meals" book, this is not that. This is more of a "you are an adventurous cook who hasn't happened to delve into fresh pasta yet" definition of Simple.
The "Simple" translates more to "unfussy" or maybe "loosey-goosey", where lots of potential substitutions are suggested, there is room for error, and all levels of effort are encouraged -- the author recommends going all homemade of course but offers plenty of tips on good dried pastas and other shortcuts for when you're short on time.
I was feeling burned out by the flashing ad-infested world of online recipes and craving a "slow" book that was part primer, part recipe inspiration and part reference book. This filled that craving. The writing is engaging and makes you feel like you were invited over for dinner chatting with the author about her process. But there's not TOO much writing, so you can cut to the chase. The photos are beautiful, but they're not all food photos -- just kind of part of the whole package the book evokes of hanging out with the author, getting a glimpse of her life and process. You may not want that vibe!
The only real downside is I would've liked more instructional pasta-making photos. I ended up looking up some videos to make sure I was interpreting the directions correctly. I hesitate to call this a downside though because some things are just better illustrated in a video? Like I'm not sure my questions could have been answered by anything but a flipbook. So I didn't take off a star for that.
The physical book also has many of the practical features that I appreciate in a cookbook such as: no dust jacket, a wipe-off-able cover, a lay-flat binding.
TL;DR: This is a beautiful book and if you're already a fairly confident cook looking to get more creative with pasta, I recommend it.
First, this book is not necessarily for the new cook. I am not like, a chef, but I can get around my kitchen -- I know a lot of techniques and feel comfortable and am successful attempting most recipes. I say this because I think this book pre-supposes a certain knowledge of cooking that could be misread in the vague title "Simple Pasta". If you are looking for a "beginning" pasta book for a truly beginner cook, or a "quick and easy weeknight meals" book, this is not that. This is more of a "you are an adventurous cook who hasn't happened to delve into fresh pasta yet" definition of Simple.
The "Simple" translates more to "unfussy" or maybe "loosey-goosey", where lots of potential substitutions are suggested, there is room for error, and all levels of effort are encouraged -- the author recommends going all homemade of course but offers plenty of tips on good dried pastas and other shortcuts for when you're short on time.
I was feeling burned out by the flashing ad-infested world of online recipes and craving a "slow" book that was part primer, part recipe inspiration and part reference book. This filled that craving. The writing is engaging and makes you feel like you were invited over for dinner chatting with the author about her process. But there's not TOO much writing, so you can cut to the chase. The photos are beautiful, but they're not all food photos -- just kind of part of the whole package the book evokes of hanging out with the author, getting a glimpse of her life and process. You may not want that vibe!
The only real downside is I would've liked more instructional pasta-making photos. I ended up looking up some videos to make sure I was interpreting the directions correctly. I hesitate to call this a downside though because some things are just better illustrated in a video? Like I'm not sure my questions could have been answered by anything but a flipbook. So I didn't take off a star for that.
The physical book also has many of the practical features that I appreciate in a cookbook such as: no dust jacket, a wipe-off-able cover, a lay-flat binding.
TL;DR: This is a beautiful book and if you're already a fairly confident cook looking to get more creative with pasta, I recommend it.
January 18, 2026
A visually stunning cookbook that truly lives up to its title. The photography is gorgeous and inspiring, making you want to immediately head to the kitchen. While the book covers all the basics of pasta-making and includes detailed instructions with helpful step-by-step images, some recipes felt more complex than expected for a book called "Simple Pasta." That said, the recipes are well-written and approachable, and many made it onto my must-try list. It has an American interpretation of Italian pasta, clean and modern without feeling entirely authentic. A solid resource for pasta lovers, though next time I'm craving something written from a more traditionally Italian perspective.
September 8, 2022
This is a delightful cookbook full of homemade pasta dishes. It not only teaches one to make homemade pasta, but also to utilize that pasta into simple but heavenly meals. The book is divided into pasta dishes for each season of the year. There is something for any pasta lover. This book is a must for said pasta lovers. I've received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review and I thank you so much.
October 20, 2022
“Simple” this is not. The focus of the book is homemade pasta, though several of the recipes can be adapted to use dried pasta. (Other recipes are for filled pastas.) Many of the recipes are ingredient heavy.
It’s a gorgeous book, and many of the recipes are appealing weekend projects. I was just hoping for truly simple and weeknight-friendly dinners.
It’s a gorgeous book, and many of the recipes are appealing weekend projects. I was just hoping for truly simple and weeknight-friendly dinners.
January 23, 2023
Yes I read a pasta book! I often get a cookbook and don’t take the time to really read it, the methods, the backstory etc. and don’t take the time to look at the recipes and pick out the ones I want to try. Instead they end up just sitting on me shelf collecting dust. Not today! I’ve now got a list of seasonal pasta recipes I want to try and am excited to make them all from scratch 🍝
June 7, 2023
What a variety!
I love this book! Who knew there were so many variations in Italian pasta dishes!I have been reading recipes and looking at the pictures. Now I need to get brave and try to make some pasta!
I love this book! Who knew there were so many variations in Italian pasta dishes!I have been reading recipes and looking at the pictures. Now I need to get brave and try to make some pasta!
December 13, 2023
There's nothing wrong with this book or the recipes. The photography is a reminder of a family photo book. I found a few tips and some recipes might try however, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book.
January 6, 2025
I love reading cookbooks, but only occasionally find a recipe I am itching to try. This cookbook is packed with promise; I can’t wait to get all floury in the kitchen. I also found several little tricks for amping up the flavour of pasta recipes that I already make. This cookbook is inspiring!
October 8, 2022
Meh. I was hoping for recipes that aren’t as labor and ingredient intensive. Even though I love to cook, at my core I am lazy, work a crazy busy job, and am not above busting out a box of Barilla.
February 4, 2025
Only had a couple recipes worth copying.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews