Italian food is a way of life for Giada De Laurentiis, TV host of Everyday Italian and author of her first cookbook by the same name. "I love the passion and value that Italian food brings - for me, it’s about being with my family and friends, it’s about engaging all the senses, and it’s about pure enjoyment," says Giada, who recalls making pasta in her family’s Italian kitchen when she was five years old. Learn more about Giada>>

Delight your senses with these pasta recipes that Giada created especially for Barilla:
Farfalle with Creamy Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce
Penne with Spicy Tomato
Spaghetti alla Pirata
More>>

There are certain Barilla pasta shapes that Giada De Laurentiis holds dear to her heart because she associates them with special childhood memories. "I love Penne Rigate, because my mom would make a sauce and that had peas and tomatoes in it and they would slide inside, and when I bit into it the sauce would squirt in my mouth," she recalls. Giada also loves Spaghetti because as a child, it took her a long time to learn how to roll it up on her fork and suck up the last strand.

Read an interview with Giada

Ditalini, which means "little thimbles" in Italian, is perfect for cold-weather soups like pasta e fagioli, the classic Italian pasta-and-bean soup. This beloved soup cut is also great in these authentic Italian recipes:

Chick Pea and Cannellini Soup with Sage and Ditalini (Zuppa di Cannellini e Ceci alla Salvia)

Chick Pea and Ditalini Soup (Zuppa di Ceci con Ditalini)

Pancetta & Pea Soup with Ditalini (Zuppa di Pancetta e Piselli con Ditalini)