About

I am Nadia Caterina Munno, but the gorgeous ones call me The Pasta Queen.

Benvenuti, I’m so happy you are here. My passion in life is to bring the true essence of the Italian lifestyle and culture to the world one plate of pasta at a time. Welcome to the family.

About Nadia

My Homeland

To me, Rome will always be home. I was born and raised in The Eternal City and spent my childhood surrounded by pasta.

I come from generations of pasta makers. In the 1800s, my family started a pasta factory in Southern Italy. They were, and still are, referred to as the “Macaroni.” So, you could say I was born into a pasta dynasty. From a very young age, I was taught how to make homemade pasta with my own two tiny hands, and these lessons from my aunties and nonnas are ones that I am forever grateful for.

Pasta, Drama, I am Italiana…and a Mama.

People often ask me how I started this journey, and the answer is simple; by being a mom and loving my heritage fiercely. You see, way back in 2020, one of my daughters showed me this little app named TikTok. I had no idea what it was all about, but I immediately investigated the content to ensure she was not seeing anything inappropriate. Two seconds before I almost deleted the app for good, I saw something that would change my life forever. A fellow app user shared a blasphemous video of a horrifying lasagna, and both of my fears came true. She was absolutely being fed inappropriate content (case in point, this horrible lasagna), and my culture was being misrepresented! I knew then that I needed to share the high-quality, accessible, authentic recipes that have been in my family for generations with the world. And well, it went viral, thanks to all of you.

My recipes are simple to follow because I want to show how cooking can be fun and full of magic.

View Recipes

Everything I Know, I Learned From Nonna

As a little girl, when I wasn’t making pasta, I was watching Telenovelas with my nonnas. This was a pivotal time in my life, spending hours in the kitchen surrounded by the women I love, with a Telenovela playing in the background. It made me who I am and inspired what has become The Pasta Queen. These women taught me the power of simple, fresh, organic ingredients and how to prepare age-old Roman dishes that transcend your senses while bringing your loved ones together. Food is at the heart of family and friends, and for me: Telenovelas, my nonnas, and pasta are at the heart of my childhood. As The Pasta Queen, I aim to pass this on to you.

Magic and Pasta

The cooking process is focused mostly on technique with an added sprinkle of magic. I have often been asked to give the exact quantities and measurements of ingredients and step-by-step recipes, but cooking is an intuitive process. You should be able to have fun in the kitchen and add and subtract ingredients as you please or as you feel on that day. If you feel a little spicy, you can add a little chili pepper; if you want some freshness, add some more herbs. You can add more garlic if you feel like you want an extra punch. Just let yourself go. I love the idea that cooking is a creative process, and it should be left as such. I don’t believe in following strict guidelines when it comes to making pasta. Life is too short for boring pasta recipes.

Recipes and ingredients can change based on how you feel in the moment and who’s coming over for dinner. When cooking for someone else, the ingredients you use should depend on the impression you want to make on that person and what emotions you want to bring out of them. One of my favorite things in life is knowing my ingredients, knowing what they do and what flavors they create. Different flavors bring out different feelings in people; you can pick and mix them to make the emotions you want in the kitchen.

If I were to give one piece of cooking advice, it would be this: Research and know your ingredients because then you can master the art of combining them and creating magic. Think about it like an artist’s palette. It goes above knowing how to paint with a brush, just like cooking goes beyond learning a recipe. It goes above knowing how many grams of garlic to add. When you know each ingredient’s function and purpose, then you are the master of your creation.

My recipes are simple to follow because I want to show how cooking can be fun and full of this magic. Those who love entertainment will always enjoy themselves while they learn simple techniques and actionable tips about cooking along the way. I consider all of my followers to be part of my Macaroni family, and my mission is to bring them a Modern Renaissance, a new way of cooking and making those shareable moments with the people they most love in their lives.

Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to become an honorary member of the Macaroni family and bring more Italian culture into your life!

My Cooking Philosophy

If I was to give one piece of cooking advice it would be this: Research and know your ingredients, because then you can master the art of combining them and creating magic. Think about it like an artist’s palette. It goes above knowing how to paint with a brush, just like cooking goes beyond knowing a recipe. It goes above knowing how many grams of garlic to add. When you know what each ingredient’s function and purpose is, then you are the master of your creation.

My recipes are simple to follow, because I want to show how cooking can be fun and full of this magic. Those who love to be entertained will always enjoy themselves while they learn simple techniques and actionable tips about cooking along the way. I consider all of my followers to be part of my Macaroni family, and my mission is to bring them a Modern Renaissance, a new way of cooking and making those shareable moments with the people they most love in their lives.