SPAGHETTI NONNA MIMMA

A Delicious Summer Recipe from One of Our Beloved Nonnas

Spaghetti Nonna Mimma is the kind of recipe that reminds you how simple ingredients and love can create magic in the kitchen. This is a dish that speaks of lazy summer afternoons, meals eaten outdoors, and that comforting feeling only a nonna’s pasta can deliver.

Perfect for summer lunches or quick homemade dinners, this spaghetti dish is ideal when you want something light, tasty, and ready in minutes. It’s part of the tradition of “cucina povera”, making the most of what’s available without compromising on flavor or joy.

This is also a recipe that pleases everyone: it’s vegetarian, child-friendly, and endlessly adaptable. Served warm or at room temperature, it’s perfect for a casual evening with family. A true example of homemade Italian food with soul—quick, effortless, and full of character.

Nonna Mimma’s pasta is a balanced summer option, naturally rich in fiber and vitamins from the tomatoes. The use of olive oil keeps it heart-healthy and digestible, while the absence of heavy sauces makes it light and energizing—ideal in hot weather.

This is one of those dishes where you feel satisfied without feeling heavy, proving that Italian cooking can be both indulgent and smart. With its simple character, it fits well into the Mediterranean diet and supports a mindful way of eating.

If you want more Nonna’s vegetarian recipes try our Puttanesca, Nerano or Nonna Nina Spaghetti [hyperlinked]

A little history

While there’s no strict canon for “Spaghetti Nonna Mimma”, dishes like this have deep roots in regional home cooking, especially from central and southern Italy. Passed down through generations, recipes like these weren’t written—they were lived, prepared by heart, and adapted to the season.

This dish evokes the kind of handwritten note in a family recipe book, the kind of pasta your grandmother would make without measuring, guided only by instinct and memory. It’s part of a wider tradition where food was personal, seasonal, and deeply connected to place—in this case, summer in the Italian countryside.

From the humble kitchens of small villages to today’s family homes, Spaghetti Nonna Mimma is a tribute to that spirit: good food made with care, shared with love.

The ingredients

• 200g | 7.1oz spaghetti pasta

• 300g | 10.6oz baby plum tomatoes

• 30g | 1.1oz pecorino cheese

• 30g | 1.1oz parmigiano cheese

• 200g | 7.1oz stracciatella cheese

• 1 clove of garlic

• 10g | 0.4oz fresh basil

• Black pepper

• Fine and course sea salt

• Extra virgin olive oil

The recipe step by step

1. Peel and squash the garlic clove, and cut the tomatoes in halves

2. Add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil to the pan with the garlic and the tomatoes placed open-side-down, and sizzle on medium heat

3. Remove the garlic when golden brown and add fresh basil leaves roughly ripped by hand

4. Season with sea salt and cook for about 10 minutes with a lid on

5. Bring the water to a boil, add coarse sea salt and drop the pasta. Cook and drain ‘al dente’

6. Stir the tomato sauce and add the pasta to the pan to finish its cooking time

7. Kill the heat, add both pecorino and parmigiano and give it a good stir to mix it all thoroughly

8. Add more fresh basil leaves, place stracciatella evenly on the pasta and season with a generous scrunch of black pepper before serving… then enjoy! 😋