Usually, when we’re searching for a new pasta recipe, we turn to our Italian culinary icons. Stanley Tucci has shown us the magic of a no-cook summer sauce and the “life-changing” Spaghetti alla Nerano he discovered on the Amalfi Coast. Giada De Laurentiis has convinced us to experiment with White Pesto and taught us the ultimate sick-day spaghetti soup recipe for when we’re feeling under the weather. We’ve even learned the secret to a perfect Sunday gravy from the Italian grandma behind Netflix’s “Nonnas.”
But recently, we stumbled on a pasta preparation made famous by a different kind of icon—one from the golden age of Hollywood: Elizabeth Taylor. And before even twirling our first forkful, we know we’re going to fall for it. Her life was filled with glamour, and even her simplest meals had a touch of it.
Elizabeth Taylor’s Favorite Pasta Dish
Elizabeth Taylor could hold her own in the kitchen, but her signature spaghetti wasn’t created there. Instead, she found this pasta in Portofino.
Taylor’s love affair with the Italian Riviera was legendary. Portofino was where she spent multiple honeymoons and where Richard Burton proposed to her in 1964 (for the first time). During her stays, she often checked into the glamorous Splendido Hotel, a hilltop retreat that hosted many of the era’s biggest stars, from Grace Kelly to Charlie Chaplin.
While Taylor’s taste in jewelry and fashion was famously opulent, her taste in food was said to be surprisingly simple. Like her friend Audrey Hepburn, she loved one timeless Italian dinner above all others: spaghetti with tomato sauce.
So, when she visited the Splendido, the hotel’s executive chef, Corrado Corti, created a dish in her honor: Spaghetti alla Elizabeth Taylor. Unfussy yet undeniably fabulous, it was an elegant twist on a classic spaghetti pomodoro—designed for a star, but loved by everyone lucky enough to try it.
How To Make Spaghetti alla Elizabeth Taylor
The recipe—which is still served at the Splendido and shared by the Belmond luxury hotel group—calls for three kinds of tomatoes and layers a distinct preparation of each: Datterini for sweetness, San Marzano for body and richness, and fresh cherry tomatoes for brightness. This creates a dynamic flavor and structure you just don’t get from a quick sauce.
If you can’t find Datterini, any small, sweet tomato will work. But in Italy, the real thing is treasured for its low acidity and naturally intense flavor.
Also, unlike most pasta sauces, which are mainly developed on the stovetop, much of this one’s magic happens in the oven. It begins with Datterini tomatoes roasted at a low temperature for 3 hours with thyme, brown sugar, lemon zest, and sea salt. The slow roast transforms the tomatoes into a rich, caramelized tomato confit. They get added to the sautéed fresh tomatoes with a little olive oil and garlic, which takes the sauce’s flavor to an entirely new level.
Tossed together with al dente spaghetti and piled high on a plate, you’ll soon be savoring la bella vita with every bite.
It’s no wonder Spaghetti alla Elizabeth Taylor is still served today, with fans of both Taylor and the dish reaffirming its iconic status. While we can’t all enjoy it perched atop the hills of Portofino overlooking the Ligurian Sea, it’s easy enough to recreate at home as we dream of the Italian Riviera.
