Italian food is in my blood. And as one of the most popular cuisines in the world, I love that I get to share my family (and New York Italian) recipes with you.
Whether you’re looking for an authentic Italian recipe straight from my family’s treasure trove of Neapolitan meals, or you want an Italian-American dish that I grew up with in Queens, New York, I’ve got you covered.
Best Italian Dinner Recipes
Let’s start off with some of the favorite Italian dinner recipes. Just get a bottle of your favorite wine, a few good friends, and enjoy these classic—and comforting—dishes.
1. Chicken Francaise
Chicken francaise (also spelled ‘chicken francese’) is a simple Italian dish of thinly sliced chicken breast dredged in flour and egg wash and cooked in a delicious white wine and lemon sauce.
2. Eggplant Rollatini
A classic Italian recipe, this eggplant rollatini is made with fried (and peeled!!) eggplant stuffed with a cheese mixture, rolled, and then baked with fresh tomato sauce (and more cheese, of course!).
3. Chicken Scarpariello
This Chicken Scarpariello with Potatoes and Sausage is tangy, spicy, and the ultimate Italian comfort food.
4. Italian Veal and Peppers
A traditional homestyle Italian meal, veal and peppers simmer in a beautiful tomato broth until tender and flavorful.
5. Sausage, Pepper, and Potatoes
This classic Italian comfort food is simple, hearty, and will quickly make your weekly rotation.
6. Chicken Cutlets with Burst Cherry Tomatoes and Burrata
This dish is made with Italian chicken cutlets, burst balsamic cherry tomatoes, and melty burrata for a total flavor bomb that will make Sunday dinner a whole vibe.
7. Chicken Cacciatore
This classic Italian comfort food just hits every single time I make it. It’s so easy, made with boneless chicken thighs, packed with veggies and fresh herbs, and stews in a slightly spicy sauce — all to be put on top of rigatoni.
8. Chicken Cutlets
A staple in all Italian-American households, the perfect chicken cutlets are thin, crispy, and packed with flavor.
9. Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata is an Italian-American dish made with thinly sliced chicken breasts that are dredged in flour, pan-fried until golden brown, and then simmered in a flavorful sauce of lemon juice, capers, butter, and chicken broth.
Best Italian Pasta Recipes
These pasta recipes are packed with flavor and guaranteed to make you—and all of your guests—happy and full.
10. Pasta Napoletana
Pasta Napoletana (also known more commonly as Spaghetti Pomodoro) is a simple and quick pasta dish made with tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and garlic.
11. Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
This creamy red pepper pasta is easy enough to make on a weeknight but also yummy enough for a Sunday Dinner.
12. Rigatoni alla Vodka
This is a creamy, punchy vodka sauce that explodes with flavor in all the right ways.
13. Saffron Gnocchi
This gnocchi in a simple saffron cream was inspired by a recent trip Edwin and I took to Italy.
14. Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
An Italian dish of light & fluffy gnocchi that’s been simmering in a simple tomato sauce with fresh basil and plenty of mozzarella, Gnocchi alla Sorrentina — also known as Gnocchi Sorrento — was born in the coastal town of Sorrento, a port town on the famed Amalfi Coast.
15. Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta (with Burrata)
This easy sun-dried tomato pasta (with melty burrata) can be whipped up in under 30 minutes. Perfect for a weeknight (but delicious enough for a Sunday dinner!
16. Pasta Aglio e Olio
Pasta Aglio e Olio (aka Pasta with Garlic and Oil) is a fast and easy Italian dish made with just 5 ingredients (and is ready as quickly as it takes to cook the spaghetti!).
Best Italian Desserts
These Italian and Italian-American desserts are perfect for sharing.
17. Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a coffee-flavored Italian dessert that exploded onto the foodie scene in the late 1960’s. And it has some of life’s simple pleasures: We’re talking layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and velvety mascarpone cheese, all mingling together in dessert heaven.
18. Italian Rainbow Cookies
The star of any Italian bakery (and always a star during the holiday season for me), Italian Rainbow Cookies are made with three colorful layers of almond sponge cake with a thin layer of jam between them, and coated in chocolate. They truly are one of the best cookies on the planet.
19. Italian Ricotta Cookies
These Italian Ricotta Cookies are light, airy, and a must for my Christmas table. Made with whole milk ricotta, vanilla extract, and lemon.
Best Italian Soup Recipes
Italians and soup just go hand in hand. Here are some of my favorites.
20. Italian Dandelion Soup
My family’s Italian Dandelion Soup (aka Cicoria Soup) is the perfect merge between chicken soup, Italian Wedding Soup, and dandelion soup.
21. Pasta e Fagioli
Literally meaning “pasta & beans”, pasta e fagioli is a classic Italian soup that’s traditionally made with cannellini beans and ditalini — a small cut pasta.
22. Stracciatella Soup
Stracciatella Soup (aka Italian Egg Drop Soup) is an easy, cozy meal made with eggs, chicken broth and two Italian cheeses: Parmigiano-Reggiano and Locatelli.
23. Minestrone Soup
Authentic Italian Minestrone Soup is a hearty vegetable soup made with a tomato base, small-cut pasta, beans, and seasonal veggies.
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