Italian cuisine. It is loved the world over for its variety of delicious flavors and mouth-watering textures. From pasta to pizzas and soups to meatballs, Italian cuisine is a seemingly never-ending supply of the best dishes you could experience.
The authentic tastes of Italy are like no other. While we all adore Italian lasagne and spaghetti, there are so many more wondrous recipes waiting to be discovered by you. One thing remains, however, and this is that each recipe is a crowd-pleaser and perfect for just about any occasion you can think of. Whether that’s a pesto pasta dish or noodle-based comfort food, Italian cuisine has you covered.
With so many recipes to delve into and explore, you may be confused as to where to start. That is why we are here to help!
Best Italian Recipes
Chicken Parmesan
We start off our tasty list with an Italian classic. Chicken parmesan is surely something you and your whole family will love time and time again. This is pretty much as good as Italian cuisine gets!
This dish has a parmesan crust that helps to keep in the juicy chicken breast. It is then topped off with some homemade marinara sauce. And, finally, it wouldn’t be a classic Italian dish without a generous helping of melted cheese on top.
To make this traditional chicken dish, you should start by pounding one or two chicken breasts until they are uber thin. Also, ensure they are of an equal and even size. Season with salt and pepper.
Now, set up three bowls. One should hold flour, salt & pepper, the second should contain two beaten eggs, and the third bowl should have bread crumbs and parmesan mixed together.
Cover the chicken breasts in flour and dip them into the whisked eggs. Turn them over and coat them in breadcrumbs. Once the chicken has been breaded, heat it in a large non-stick frying pan. There should be enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Saute for three to four minutes on either side. Alternatively, check if the chicken has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit with an instant-read thermometer.
Make an easy marinara sauce at home and pour this into a casserole dish. Arrange your chicken breasts over the marinara in one layer. Cover the chicken with the marinara sauce and bake in the casserole dish at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. This should be enough time for the cheese to melt and the sauce to bubble.
Voila, your homemade Italian chicken parmesan is ready to eat!
Lasagne
It wouldn’t be a true Italian list without this classic dish! Simple yet flavorsome, we consider lasagne as the ultimate comfort food. However, certain recipes help this traditional dish stand out from others like it.
Making lasagne is a simple process. It should be easy enough to make every night of the week! A few sheets of pasta, a melted cheese filling, and a perfectly rich tomato sauce are all you need for the ultimate lasagne. And, best of all, your whole family will love the flavors lasagne offers.
To make a lasagne, simply spread around a cup’s worth of meat sauce into a pan measuring approximately 9×13. Then, add a single layer of noodles. Place a cheese mixture on top of these noodles and repeat these layers until you finish with a layer of noodles and tomato sauce.
Cover the mixture with foil and bake for around 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil, and add some mozzarella and parmesan cheese before baking for a further 15 to 25 minutes.
Enjoy!
Mushroom Carbonara
Another classic dish is carbonara. While this can be made with a variety of ingredients such as chicken or pork, we will be focusing on a meat-free version today with mushrooms taking center stage. Do not fear though, as this dish does not lack a depth of flavor whatsoever. The deep browning on the mushrooms combined with shallots and garlic elevates the mushroom flavor into another stratosphere.
Start by filling a large pot with water and season this with a few pinches of salt before bringing it to a boil. Cut some button mushrooms into quarters or halves. Place these into a bowl. Now, lightly crush and peel 6 garlic cloves before thinly slicing them. Peel and finely chop two shallots (medium-sized) and then chop 1 cup of parsley leaves.
Whisk five large egg yolks and one whole egg with four ounces of grated parmesan cheese. Season with ground black pepper (1 ½ tsp) all in one bowl. Heat your oven to medium-high heat for three minutes. Place mushrooms and ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil into a pan. Cook and toss every four to five minutes until the mushrooms are golden brown.
After 10 minutes, place one pound of orecchiette into boiling salted water and set a timer for two minutes. Add garlic, shallots, and a pinch of salt to the mushrooms and continue cooking with regular stirring for one minute or so.
Drain the pasta once it has cooked just shy of al dente (two minutes). Add the pasta to the mushroom mixture and cook over medium heat. Stir often for about two minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool for one minute.
Now, add ½ cup of pasta cooking liquid to the egg mixture and whisk to loosen the eggs. Add the egg mixture into the pan gradually and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep adding the pasta liquid until the texture is creamy.
Finally, toss in some parsley and stir. Top with parmesan and, if needed, pinches of salt and pepper. Your mushroom carbonara is now ready to be served.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
If you’re a seafood lover, this is the dish you have been waiting for. This perfect shrimp scampi is buttery, lemony, and super garlicky. And, amazingly, it’s pretty easy and fast to make at home. Just get some crusty bread to mop up any leftovers at the end. You do not want to waste any trace of this dish!
The easy process of making garlic butter shrimp scampi begins by melting butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Next, add four cloves of garlic, and some red pepper flakes, leave to cook for about two minutes but stir vigorously and frequently until fragrant.
Next, the magic ingredient, shrimp, is added. Season this with salt and pepper for extra flavor. Cook on medium heat and stir occasionally until the shrimp is pink and cooked thoroughly through. This should take around three to four minutes.
Add in three tablespoons of fresh parsley, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and two teaspoons of lemon zest, and stir. Wait for a few minutes before your delicious seafood dish is ready to be served.
Salmon Piccata
We’re sticking with the fish theme for one more. This salmon piccata is an alternative take on the more famous chicken piccata. But, it is just as, if not, more delicious with seafood!
The classic velvety and thick piccata sauce is a true Italian treasure. While we believe this dish should be enjoyed as often as possible, its supreme, rich flavors make it a perfect meal to serve up for any special occasion.
Begin by seasoning six salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Cover the salmon with flour and leave any excess flour aside. Preheat a large skillet over medium to high heat. Now, place four tablespoons of butter and five tablespoons of olive oil into the pan. Once these begin to sizzle, toss in your salmon pieces (skin side up). Saute these for two minutes before flipping and continuing for another minute or two. Once cooked through, remove the salmon from the heat.
Add two more tablespoons of butter into the pan and once this begins to sizzle again, add two large tablespoons of flour. Now, stir vigorously. Cook for approximately one minute until the flour has become golden brown. Next, gently pour ⅔ a cup of lemon juice and one cup of chicken stock into the skillet. Also, add ¼ cup of brined caper sin and wait for the mixture to come to a boil. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
Continue to simmer over low heat for a further three to four minutes until it all thickens. Then, add the salmon pieces in, skin side down. Pour sauce over the salmon and simmer for another minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set the salmon aside. Whisk the sauce before pouring it over the fish.
Serve with pasta or steamed vegetables immediately and allow your taste buds to take you to another level of bliss.
Spaghetti Bolognese
You didn’t think you could get through this list without seeing this classic Italian dish appear, did you? Well, here it is! Good old-fashioned spaghetti bolognese. If you’re a fan of Italian food (we’re guessing you are if you have read this far), then you will love this recipe. With wonderfully seasoned meat sauce and ground meat (either beef or pork), you are left with a sublime taste of Italy.
To make a tasty bolognese at home, start by cooking the meat. For this recipe, we recommend using ground beef. Heat a large skillet or pot over medium to high heat with enough olive oil to cover its surface. Throw in your ground beef and leave to cook for three minutes. Mix the meat as it cooks until it has lost its pink hue.
Next, add some vegetables (chopped onion, one tablespoon of dried oregano) spices (¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes), and a cup of red wine. Also, add four cloves of garlic and cook for a further three minutes until the onion has softened. Add two tablespoons of tomato paste and stir. Cook for another five minutes until most of the red wine liquid has cooked off.
Now, throw in one can of crushed tomatoes and two tablespoons of chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper before stirring and bringing to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium-low and cover the skillet/pot. Cook for a further 20 minutes. Mix in ¼ cup of heavy cream and stir. Adjust the seasoning if required. If the sauce is too thick, you can add some pasta liquid to help thin it out.
And it’s as easy as that. Serve with delicious spaghetti and you’re ready to go!
Bruschetta
Toasty garlic bread topped off with a super tasty balsamic tomato salad. This bruschetta recipe combines two of our favorite Italian appetizers. And we are sure you will love this as well. Bruschetta is pretty easy and quick to make. Best of all, it contains fresh ingredients and sports savory flavors that will linger for the rest of the day. It’s as easy as toasting bread, smothering it with garlic, and then adding some hearty ingredients on top. If only we had known how easy this Italian classic was before! We’d probably eat it every week!
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grab some Italian bread and slice it into ½-inch slice pieces. Brush olive oil onto each side of the bread using a pastry brush. Now, move the bread slices to a baking sheet with their oily side down. Toast the bread in the oven for eight to ten minutes but keep a close eye on the bread so that it doesn’t burn. Next, remove the toast from the oven and rub 1/2 clove of garlic into each slice.
Onto the salad!
Prepare grape or Roma tomatoes and place them into a mixing bowl. Add some parmesan cheese, rolled-up basil leaves, and the remaining garlic, and stir to mix these all together. Season your salad with salt and pepper for added flavor. Also, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mix thoroughly until everything is combined. Have a taste and adjust seasoning and other ingredients if needed.
Finally, divide the salad up over the toast and serve on a platter for you and all to enjoy.
Chicken Alfredo
We promised some sublime chicken dishes and here is another. This chicken alfredo boasts a creamy pasta sauce alongside sumptuous, tender slices of lean chicken. For a quick-cooking process, the meat is butterflied which also gives it the best flavor possible. Combined with the heavy cream, this dish is as smooth as it is flavorful. The velvety sauce effortlessly sticks to the accompanying fettuccine noodles for a perfect blend of textures.
To make this wondrous dish, start by cutting one pound of a boneless, skinless chicken breast into four pieces. Season this with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika. Preheat a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Now, add olive oil and allow this to heat up before adding the chicken pieces. Cook until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now, slice the chicken into ½-inch pieces. Cook eight ounces (or however much you need) of fettuccine pasta until it is al dente. Then, drain this in a colander. Heat another large skillet over medium to low heat. Once heated up, toss in two tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Then, add two teaspoons of minced garlic and allow to saute until fragrant.
Next, add one and ½ cups of heavy cream with salt and pepper. Bring this to a simmer but stir to avoid any curdling. Stir in one cup of parmesan and ⅛ teaspoon of nutmeg. Lastly, toss the pasta with the alfredo sauce and top with the chicken and one tablespoon of chopped parsley.
Tuscan Bean Soup
Jam-packed with smoked sausage, bacon, and beans, this Tuscan bean soup is the stuff of meaty dreams! If you’re looking for true comfort food after a night out or for a night in, then this is one recipe to try.
Hearty and delicious, this soup is also very easy and quick to make. So, if you’re hungry and want something to eat as soon as possible, read on. Best of all, the ingredients are some of the cheapest and easiest to find and the final taste is as Italian as you can possibly get.
Start by cooking chopped-up pieces of thick bacon and smoked sausage. Add the bacon into a large dutch oven or a soup pot and fry it until it reaches crispiness. Once crispy, move the bacon to a plate covered in a paper towel to soak up the additional fat and juices.
In the same pot, add olive oil and heat over medium to high heat. After this, toss in your onion and sausage to the pot. Cook until the onion reaches a translucent stage and the sausage has become lightly browned. Add a few cloves of minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
Now, it’s on the remaining ingredients. Add 38 ounces of cannellini beans to the pot as well as 4 cups of chicken broth, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, a little paprika, one teaspoon of rosemary, ½ teaspoon of chopped thyme, and two bay leaves. Toss in the cooked bacon and season with salt and pepper before stirring well.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Allow simmering for a further twenty minutes. If you find that the soup is too thick, simply add more water. If it’s too thin, add another can of beans. All that’s left is to garnish the soup with any remaining bacon and serve it to your eagerly awaiting family or guests.
Antipasto Salad
If you’re looking for a healthier Italian option that isn’t packed with carbs, then you may love this antipasto salad. We can almost guarantee that you, your family, and any guests will enjoy this super easy and quick-to-make recipe.
All this salad contains is chopped romaine lettuce topped with true Italian classics such as olives, salami, and prosciutto. Combined with artichoke, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic dressing, this salad is everything that is right with Italian cuisine. Oh, and we can’t forget a sprinkling of feta cheese on top as well.
Considered an appetizer, we believe this is good enough and hearty enough to be a meal in itself, especially if you enjoy some crusty bread and a few glasses of wine with it too. With no cooking and only preparation, this antipasto salad will be ready before you can say “antipasto salad.”
To begin, you need to arrange the base of the salad. Place two hearts of crisp chopped romaine lettuce and around four cups of peppery arugula leaves. From this base, you can make the salad as high as you dream with your favorite antipasto ingredients.
To help guide you, here are our favorites.
Place around four ounces of prosciutto onto the salad. Make sure this salty and smooth ingredient is chopped into bite-size portions. Next, cut a four-ounce piece of salami into bite-size pieces and toss it on. If you’re catering for vegetarians as well as meat-eaters, leave this to the side for guests to add themselves.
Now, it’s time to add ½ cup of DeLallo Pitted Seasoned olives. These had a little brine and a whole load of salt to the salad. Feel free to add olives of your choice. We find that mixing different olives works a treat. Just avoid canned olives as they are just not good enough for such a supreme salad!
Add six ounces of marinated artichoke hearts but make sure these are drained and patted dry. These will provide a lighter taste as you delve through the salad. The next step is to place 12 ounces of roasted red peppers into the mix. These should also be drained and patted down as well as chopped into small pieces. These simply add a dash of color and extra flavor. Not that the salad needs either!
Finally, it’s (unsurprisingly) the turn of cheese. Add ⅓ cup of feta cheese on top of the salad along with large shavings of parmesan cheese. You can also use mini mozzarella pearls if you prefer. The final touch is to place some cherry tomatoes as well. Juicy, bright, and refreshing, these help the salad achieve the perfect balance.
