Video Cooking Tips
At Barilla, we practice the fine art of Italian cooking every day, drawing inspiration from the country's vibrant culture and wonderfully diverse regions. With over 130 years of experience making and cooking pasta, we would like to help you bring home the best that Italy's culinary traditions have to offer.
In the "Pasta Meals 101" cooking video series, our own Executive Chef Lorenzo Boni will walk you through the basics of authentic Italian cooking with simple tips and easy-to-follow instructions. Check back often for more cooking videos and tips from Chef Lorenzo with seasonal updates from Barilla. Buon Appetito!
Barilla has been making and cooking pasta for over 130 years. Our chefs know the best ways to cook pasta so that it turns out perfect every time. Cooking pasta is easy, but knowing how much water to use, which size pot, and how to tell when the pasta is done are essential ingredients for making an extraordinary pasta meal. Chef Lorenzo Boni clears up myths about cooking pasta in this easy-to-understand, step-by-step video on how to cook pasta flawlessly.
Lasagne is a classic pasta dish that is always satisfying, delicious, and rich with the warmth of good eating. Watch Barilla's Chef Lorenzo Boni prepare an authentic Bolognese sauce, a creamy Béchamel sauce, and combine these two together into an absolutely fantastic Lasagne Bolognese. Made with Barilla's Oven Ready Lasagne, this will be a meal you will want to make again and again.
Get the recipe for Lasagne Bolognese 
Chef Lorenzo gives step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow and shares tips you'll use time and time again. Barilla Marinara Sauce is the star of the recipes in this video. Add zucchini, fresh mozzarella cheese, Italian bread, sautéed chicken, a little white wine and fresh mushrooms, and you have a meal in minutes!
Minestrone is perhaps the most well known of all Italian soups and, in Italy, there are many variations. There's no right or wrong way to prepare minestrone, but there is the Chef Lorenzo way! Watch as Chef Lorenzo prepares a quick, easy, and delicious minestrone soup that is typically found in Northern Italy. His recipe features Barilla Ditalini, Barilla Tomato & Basil Sauce, and Academia Barilla's Chianti Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Get the recipe
Orzo, which means "barley" in Italian, is used most traditionally in soups, but this very versatile rice-shaped pasta has been widely adopted by chefs in Italy and America for main courses and side dishes. For a surprising twist, Barilla Executive Chef Lorenzo Boni substitutes Barilla Orzo for Arborio rice to make Orzotto—adding a new dimension to a traditional Italian favorite. In this easy-to-follow cooking demonstration, Chef Boni shows you how to make this delicious dish by preparing Orzo with artichokes and crispy pancetta.
Love seafood? The secret to delicious Italian seafood dishes begins with the quality of the fish. Chef Lorenzo shares his advice for what to look for when selecting fresh fish and demonstrates how to prepare seafood for cooking. He also shares examples of how seafood is enjoyed in Italy.
Given Italy's extensive coastlines, seafood and pasta make an obvious match. A dazzling yet simple plate of spaghetti and frutti di mare can enliven a table in minutes.
Chef Lorenzo teamed up with the Spatulatta Girls to prepare the perfect Mother's Day meal. Watch and see how simple and fun it is! It'll make you want to start making your own meal right now!
Chef Lorenzo demonstrates how to prepare Penne with Shrimp, Zucchini, Basil, and Cherry Tomatoes—a light and healthy recipe that's perfect for summertime.
Warm-weather season is the time to enjoy fresh, light foods that go well on both the indoor and outdoor table. In this video, Chef Lorenzo shows us a great way to prepare a perfect pasta salad using fresh Mediterranean flavors. As a side dish or a complete meal, pasta salad is a wonderfully quick and easy way to combine Barilla Pasta with other nutritious foods. We invite you to watch this video and learn to prepare an elegant pasta salad.
Learn to prepare a pasta salad sensation with fun-shaped Piccolini Mini Wheels and chicken, fresh mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and lemon juice—a healthy, colorful, and easy-to-prepare salad to enjoy all year round.
When you're cooking the Italian way, bringing home the best produce is just the beginning. Preparing vegetables the right way is just as important. Let Chef Lorenzo show you his techniques for easily peeling a tomato, chopping garlic, cutting eggplant, soaking mushrooms, and getting the best flavor from artichokes.
Chef Lorenzo demonstrates how to prepare a healthy Whole Grain Rotini recipe with fresh zucchini and sweet peppers. You'll learn how to combine the pasta with the vegetable sauce the way it's done in Italy.
Chef Lorenzo Boni grew up in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna. Bologna is recognized as one of the most important centers for Italian gastronomy and culinary culture, and is at the heart of Chef Boni's culinary inspiration.
His passion for Italian cuisine began at an early age by learning from his father, who was a passionate, self-taught cook for Bologna's professional soccer team. After studying at the Rimini Culinary School, Lorenzo worked in many well-respected Italian restaurants including San Domenico (Imola, Italy), Tentativo (Rome, Italy), Angelo Paracucchi (Amelia, Italy), and Casanova Grill Hotel Palace (Milan, Italy).
He then spent two years as second chef at the highly acclaimed, three-star New York restaurant San Domenico. Following San Domenico, Chef Boni became the owner and Head Chef of Osteria Du Madon in Bologna, Italy, where he stayed for eight years before coming to Barilla. Osteria Du Madon was honored as "Choice of the Year 2000″ by Fodor's.
