Five Holiday Pasta Dishes from Around the World

The holidays are a time when tradition takes center stage—recipes passed down through generations, dishes that signal celebration, and flavors that feel like home. Many of these festive favorites involve pasta, though most of us return year after year to the versions we know best.

But this season, as we gather around the table and raise a glass to good company, it’s worth looking beyond the familiar. Around the world, pasta plays a starring role in holiday feasts in ways that are creative, comforting, and downright inspiring. If you’re ready to rethink your menu—or just add something unexpected to the spread—here are five pasta dishes rich in culture, history, and unforgettable flavor.

Frutti di Mare – Italy / Italian American Tradition

In the early 1900s, Italian Americans longing for the flavors of home created what we now know as The Feast of Seven Fishes. A vibrant display of seafood-centered dishes, the Christmas Eve table is traditionally filled with either seven distinct courses or multiple fish prepared seven ways—a nod to the Catholic custom of abstaining from meat on Christmas Eve.

One of the feast’s most beloved dishes is frutti di mare, a pasta swirled with a briny, tomato-based sauce and overflowing with the chef’s choice of seafood—white fish, clams, shrimp, scallops, mussels, and more. Whether made with bigoli, bucatini, linguine, or whatever pasta is on hand, it’s a showstopper that brings the ocean’s bounty to the holiday table.

Want to host your own Feast of Seven Fishes? Explore our menu guide and recipe ideas >

Lasagne da Fornel – Northern Italy

When most of us picture lasagna, we imagine a hearty, red-sauced, cheese-laden bake. But in Northern Italy, the season begins with lasagne da fornel, a sweet-and-savory Christmas Eve specialty with roots in the region’s Germanic neighbors.

This delicate dish starts with raisins and figs simmered in white wine until plump and fragrant. They’re folded together with grated apples, ground walnuts, and melted butter—an aromatic mixture layered between sheets of pasta. A sprinkle of semi di papavero (poppy seeds) on top creates a nod to traditional strudel, delivering a comforting, unexpected lasagna that bridges cultures and celebrates winter’s flavors.

Lokshen Kugel – Jewish Ashkenazi Tradition

Lokshen (noodle) kugel traces its history back to Jewish travelers who carried pasta from Italy to Franco-Germany in the 14th century. Early versions were savory, steamed noodle puddings enriched with cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan, onions, and garlic.

Everything changed in the early 1800s, when Polish Jews began refining beet sugar—the kugel transformed from savory to sweet. Today’s holiday and Sabbath tables often feature the dessert-like version: creamy noodles baked with sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and nuts.

Sweet, comforting, and celebratory, it’s a beloved counterpoint to salty Hanukkah latkes and hearty winter dishes.

Try our take on this classic with the Reginetti Kugel recipe >

Maccheroni con le Noci – Central Italy (Umbria)

Chocolate and pasta may sound unconventional today, but Italians have blended the two since the 16th century, when Columbus’s voyages brought cacao to Europe. Early savory recipes combined cocoa pasta with mushrooms, anchovies, and sharp cheeses for an umami-rich dish.

But during the Christmas season, Umbrian cooks take a sweeter approach with maccheroni con le noci. Cooked pasta—such as linguine or reginetti—is mixed with chopped walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, cookie or bread crumbs, cocoa powder, and a splash of anise liqueur. Pressed into a loaf or pie pan, then served warm or chilled, it’s a rustic, comforting dessert that feels tailor-made for cold winter nights.

Longevity Noodles – Chinese Lunar New Year

During Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations, longevity noodles symbolize the wish for a long, healthy life. These extra-long strands—often made with wheat flour—must remain unbroken from the pot to the plate to preserve their lucky meaning.

Once cooked with care, the noodles are tossed in a simple but deeply flavorful dressing: soy sauce, black vinegar or sesame oil, garlic, and finished with green onions and sesame seeds.

The challenge? Eat them without biting through the strands. The reward: even more good fortune for the year ahead.

If you’re looking to add a global flourish to your holiday menu—or simply want to bring new stories to the table—these dishes offer a delicious way to celebrate tradition, culture, and the many ways pasta brings people together.

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