Italy is known culturally for so many things — art, fashion and architecture are at the top of the list, but there’s arguably nothing more notable than its cuisine. Whether you’re touring the city center or wandering the outskirts along the coast, you’re sure to find delicious dishes no matter which region you find yourself in. Coastal regions often serve a lot of fresh fish because it’s what is readily available; olive oil is a key ingredient in many dishes that originated in the rolling hills of Tuscany; and southern cities such as Naples have fertile soil that’s perfect for growing tomatoes for Caprese salads and marinara sauce. No matter your regional preference, we have a roundup of Italian dinner recipes, both traditional and modern, that are sure to satisfy.
We’re leaving no stone unturned when it comes to these Italian and Italian-American recipes — you can pick and choose from the list to create the perfect meal from start to finish. Everything from pasta and risotto to osso buco and chicken Parmesan are represented here. Vegetable lovers, pescetarians and meat eaters alike will each find a whole slew of recipes to look forward to. There are plenty of simple soups, salads and flavorful starters to choose from as well. And in the battle of the marinara sauces, Carbone and Rao’s go head-to-head with their most popular meatball recipes. We’ll call that one a tie.
So choose your favorite starters, sides and main dishes and get to work planning your perfect Italian dinner menu.
Salads, side dishes and starters
Transport yourself to the island of Capri with this salad made of layered tomatoes and mozzarella. For such a striking salad, it’s surprisingly simple to assemble. Stack slices of juicy summer tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and fragrant basil leaves. The only dressing it needs is a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, but a splash of good-quality balsamic vinegar wouldn’t hurt.
A steaming bowl of soup always hits the spot on a cold or rainy day. Here, mini beef meatballs simmer in a flavorful broth with tiny ditalini pasta noodles and curly kale. If you want the soup more brothy, you can reduce the amount of pasta or add more stock.
When you make this garlic bread, it will fill your entire home with a buttery, cheesy and (of course) garlicky aroma — you can thank us later. Use an Italian bread like ciabatta, slather on the garlic butter and bake just until everything is golden. The exterior of the bread will be crunchy, but the interior will remain soft and pillowy.
While pasta salad isn’t necessarily a summer-only recipe, this one is perfect for summer picnics and outdoor barbecues. It’s made extra hearty and filling by incorporating cheese tortellini with ingredients you’d find on an antipasto platter such as cured meats, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and briny olives.
Baked clams are a great way to start any Italian dinner off on the right foot. Top neck clams on the half shell are baked with a crunchy topping of buttery garlic-herb breadcrumbs. The clam meat becomes nice and tender, which is the perfect contrast to the crunchy breadcrumbs.
Many Italian recipes are great because they’re simple. This side dish only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Just give the spinach a quick sauté with thinly sliced garlic and chiles. If you like spice, opt for something with a little more heat than Fresno or jalapeño peppers, such as serranos.
Mozzarella sticks officially have some serious competition. This dish roughly translates to “mozzarella in a carriage.” Slices of mozzarella are sandwiched between two slices of white bread — one slice is smeared with tomato paste; the other with pesto. From there, they are battered and fried until golden.
Escarole is a tender chicory leaf that is very popular in Italian cooking. It’s often stewed down with white beans and garlic. Once wilted, the bitter leaves become sweeter.
Rapini, otherwise known as broccoli rabe, is a bitter cruciferous vegetable, but once cooked it loses some of its bite. When quickly sautéed with lemon, garlic and pepper flakes, it makes a great side dish for whatever protein you’re making for dinner. If you find broccoli rabe to be too bitter, substitute with broccolini or regular broccoli.
For a healthy alternative to French fries, try swapping the potatoes for zucchini. Not only are you making a healthy side dish for the family, but these fries are also baked instead of fried. The breadcrumb coating is flavored with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, paprika and red pepper flakes.
This is the ideal Caesar salad — pinky promise. The crusty baguette croutons are perfectly crunchy, the lettuce is crisp and the dressing is well-balanced with lemon, garlic, anchovies and Worcestershire sauce. Instead of just sprinkling Parmesan cheese over the top of the salad, mix some of it into the salad itself and leave the rest on the side.
These individual stuffed mushroom caps are a great dinner starter, but they’re also hearty enough to be a meal on their own. The cavities of each button mushroom are filled with cheesy, flavored breadcrumbs and gooey mozzarella cheese. Even better, you can serve these hot out of the oven or at room temperature.
You’ll find ricotta cheese in so many Italian recipes, from baked ziti to stuffed manicotti to pizza pies. There are a lot of great store-bought brands, but nothing beats homemade. All you need are four ingredients — whole milk, heavy cream, lemon juice and sea salt. Gently simmer everything together and let it drain while you dream up an Italian feast.
Pasta recipes
Transport yourself to a Roman trattoria with this simple pasta dish. It’s much like a traditional pasta with tomato sauce, with the addition of crispy bits of guanciale. Toss the cured pork and some of the Pecorino Romano into warm pasta, and save the rest of the cheese for sprinkling on top — just say when!
This flavorful dish is reminiscent of cheese-filled manicotti. In this case, eggplant stands in for the tubes of pasta. Just like lasagna rollups, the thin slices of eggplant are wrapped around dollops of herbed ricotta, then nestled into bubbly tomato sauce.
Risotto is almost as synonymous with Italian cooking as pizza or pasta. Here, a comforting pot of creamy rice is flavored with beef marrow, white wine and earthy saffron. It’s just the thing to serve alongside osso buco or a simple roast chicken.
Pasta alla vodka gets a hearty upgrade with gnocchi in this Italian-inspired recipe. The pillowy potato dumplings soak up all of the delicious sauce as they bake with bubbly bits of mozzarella cheese.
Every home cook should know how to make a good pasta carbonara, and this recipe is the perfect one to start with. The beauty of carbonara is in its simplicity. Crispy bacon, sautéed onions and lots of Grana Padano cheese add so much flavor, while egg yolks help make the sauce creamy enough to coat each strand of spaghetti.
This simple recipe is so elegant that you’ll have dinner guests thinking you’re a professional chef. Cacio e pepe translates to “cheese and pepper” and that’s pretty much all you need to make it. A few pats of butter or a generous splash of olive oil create a silky sauce for the noodles — spaghetti is traditional, but you can substitute your favorite noodle.
This simple pasta dish is as bright and refreshing as it is hearty and satisfying. And it’s a cinch to make. Heavy cream and Parmesan cheese meld together to create a silky smooth pasta sauce, which is flavored simply with fresh lemon zest and juice.
This traditional Roman dish gives the usual marinara sauce a spicy kick with the addition of chili-infused oil. Five types of spice are infused into the oil — bird’s-eye chiles, red pepper flakes, dried chile de arbol, red jalapeños and gochugaru. Use the oil to make a garlicky tomato sauce and toss it with your favorite pasta and plenty of Parmesan cheese.
While simple to make, manicotti tends to be a dish reserved for special occasions and big family dinners. Fresh manicotti pasta shells are filled with herby ricotta and mozzarella and baked in a pool of tomato sauce. If you want to make it for a cozy weeknight in, feel free to use pre-made shells — our lips are sealed.
Heads will turn when you pull this showstopping entrée out of the oven. Fresh pasta sheets are layered with bechamel, meaty bolognese, herbs, mozzarella and Parmesan. Once the lasagna is rolled into a tight log, slice it up like cinnamon rolls and bake them with tomato sauce and dollops of robiola cheese.
Stuffed shells are an undisputed classic — and for good reason. Ricotta and Parmesan cheese are seasoned simply with a touch of nutmeg and spooned into toothsome pasta shells before they’re snuggled into a baking dish with tomato sauce. They take under 20 minutes to bake — plenty of time to whip up a quick side salad.
Puttanesca is a zippy tomato sauce made with bold ingredients such as capers, anchovies and garlic. Each of these ingredients simmers down with fresh tomatoes to make a bright sauce to toss with al dente pasta.
Just about any pasta shape will work beautifully with this bolognese sauce, but we’re partial to spaghetti. The flavor of the beef and tomatoes shine in this simple sauce. A splash of milk gives the sauce even more body and adds a slightly silky texture that helps it cling evenly to the pasta.
A little salty and a little sweet, this classic Italian dish pairs cooked pasta with a flavorful sauce made of tender eggplant, cherry tomatoes and garlic. Add a splash of reserved pasta cooking water to bring the sauce together. Bonus: this is just the recipe to experiment with fun new pasta shapes.
When you have some good-quality tomato sauce on hand, this creamy vodka sauce comes together in no time, making it perfect for any day of the week. Crisped pancetta and Pecorino-Romano cheese add a salty bite to the dish.
Few things are more comforting than a big bowl of creamy, cheesy pasta. And contrary to popular belief, there’s no cream involved at all. Just three ingredients — fresh pasta, butter and Parmesan cheese — are all this classic recipe needs to shine.
For a lighter, more nutritious vegetarian take on bolognese, use cauliflower. While this cruciferous vegetable adds heft and body to the sauce, other ingredients such as anchovies, garlic and Calabrian chiles are responsible for the bold flavors. Toss it with your favorite pasta and another sprinkle of Parmesan before serving.
When fresh tomatoes are spotted at the farmers’ market, use them to make a no-cook pasta sauce. The tomatoes marinate in olive oil with garlic and basil before being tossed with cheese ravioli.
Who doesn’t enjoy serving dinner straight from the skillet? This one comes together quickly — just layer no-boil lasagna noodles with marinara sauce, frozen peas, mozzarella, ricotta and Grana Padano and bake it until the cheese bubbles and browns. This makes great leftovers, so you’re sure to have a satisfying lunch or dinner the next day.
Chicken (pollo) recipes
Skip the hassle of breading and frying chicken and try this easy baked version on for size. Chicken cutlets are seared and simmered with tomato sauce and melty mozzarella cheese. The best part? It all comes together in one skillet.
Piccata refers to the method of pounding cutlets of meat thin before breading and frying them. These cutlets are dredged in flour and Parmesan cheese, which helps the chicken develop a golden brown crust. Pair it with a briny and lemony caper and herb sauce.
Every part of this recipe, from the tender, juicy chicken and crisp breading to the sweet tomato sauce and melted mozzarella on top, is sheer perfection. Keep some of this easy tomato sauce in the freezer so you can have an Italian feast any night of the week.
This chicken dish has double the flavor without breading and frying the breasts. Season lean chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder and stuff each with a big spoonful of seasoned yogurt and goat cheese. All they need is a quick sear and simmer with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
If you can’t choose between chicken Parmesan and a meaty lasagna, this is the recipe for you. Crispy fried chicken cutlets are layered between lasagna noodles, along with creamy ricotta and tomato sauce. You get all of the satisfying flavors of chicken Parmesan with the heartiness of homemade lasagna.
With just a few simple ingredients, you can make flavorful chicken Parmesan without turning on the oven. Chicken cutlets only need about 3 minutes in a pressure cooker, and another minute or so to melt the mozzarella cheese. It’s the easiest possible way to make this classic Italian dinner recipe.
These one-skillet chicken meatballs are as moist and tender as those made with fattier meats such as beef and pork. Each meatball has a hidden pocket of mozzarella that melts as the meatballs simmer in tomato sauce. Spoon a generous drizzle of vibrant basil vinaigrette over the whole skillet to liven things up.
Chicken Marsala is one of those Italian-American dishes that has been perfected over the years, and there’s no sense in messing with a classic. These chicken cutlets cook along with button mushrooms, onions and a savory marsala wine sauce. Prosciutto is optional, but it adds a salty bite to the final dish.
These saucy chicken meatballs make a delectable dinner and are equally as delicious passed around as an appetizer. Pop the meatballs under the broiler for a few minutes to cook through — they will stay moist and juicy this way. The marsala sauce is made with equally meaty mushrooms and shallots, and only needs a touch of flour to make it thick and glossy.
One of the best ways to tenderize chicken cutlets is to soak them in buttermilk overnight. The slightly tangy dairy is what makes this recipe unique. Salty prosciutto and earthy mushrooms combine to create an unmistakable umami-flavored sauce.
This humble Italian-American dish is usually made by slowly simmering chicken, sausage and peppers on the stovetop for hours. Our sheet-pan variation simplifies things and cuts the cooking time down significantly. Dried oregano, tomato paste and pickled peppers give the stewed chicken a texture that rivals traditional stewed versions.
This hearty dish hails from Naples and each household has its own variation. This one has all of the flavors of traditional scarpariello, but is simple enough to cook on a weeknight. Each bite is packed with hearty chicken, sausage, peppers and onions.
Cacciatore refers to meat that is stewed alongside tomatoes and peppers (and oftentimes mushrooms). Use powerhouse ingredients such as white wine, oregano, spicy chili flakes and sweet San Marzano tomatoes to make a savory sauce for simmering. Keep it authentic by serving the chicken and sauce over bowls of creamy polenta.
Sicilian cooking at its finest. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs already have so much flavor that all they need is a few simple ingredients to complement them. Here, they’re seasoned with fresh lemon, honey and garlic and served over a bed of watercress, which will wilt slightly from the heat of the chicken.
Meat (carne) recipes
Good osso buco takes time — it’s important to allow the tough cut of lamb to braise for a few hours to break down the muscles and fibers. Once finished, the flavor is unlike anything else. Serve it with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and as much cheesy polenta as you can handle.
This veal chop is served “Milanese-style,” meaning it is pounded thin, then breaded and fried until golden. Before being fried, the chop is stuffed with layers of fontina cheese, prosciutto and fresh sage. A squeeze of grilled lemon adds a hint of sweet-tart flavor to the finished dish.
When veal shanks braise for hours in a complex, savory sauce, they will immediately fall off the bone. Brighten the whole dish up by garnishing with bright orange zest and fresh parsley. Be sure to serve the osso buco over something like polenta or mashed potatoes — either is perfect for soaking up the delicious sauce.
Whether you pile sausage and peppers into toasted hero buns or serve them over pasta or polenta, this is a simple, crowd-pleasing Italian dinner. All of the ingredients are seared and roasted in the same skillet, so not only will dinner be ready in a snap, but clean up is easy as well.
Meatball recipes
There’s no one way to make a good meatball. Carbone serves up jumbo meatballs made with three kinds of meat — ground beef, veal and sweet Italian sausage. Pan-fry the meatballs, then finish them in the oven so they can cook completely.
Rao’s marinara sauce is made with plenty of onion, garlic and basil, but the specialty ingredient is canned San Marzano tomatoes. They have a pleasant bittersweet flavor, which is just the thing to balance out the fattiness of the meatballs, which are made with ground beef, pork and veal.
Lamb has a slightly more gamey flavor than you might expect with meatballs, but it makes this recipe ultra-rich and indulgent. Spices such as fennel seeds, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes toast with the other aromatics. Bake these balls with tomato sauce and dollops of ricotta and serve with slices of toasted baguette on the side.
One way to guarantee you’re eating your vegetables is to hide them in juicy meatballs. Slather them in a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce for a rich and savory bite.
Spaghetti and meatballs have been a family-friendly go-to dinner for generations. Each component must be delicious on its own — this recipe has you covered with the perfect tomato sauce, tender meatballs and perfectly al dente pasta.
Seafood (pesce) recipes
With this recipe, you’ll feel like you’re lounging along the Italian coast when dinnertime comes along. Mild branzino fillets are grilled and drizzled with a punchy homemade anchovy pesto. Instead of the usual basil, this pesto incorporates a trio of fresh herbs instead — rosemary, parsley and mint.
Steamed clams are one of the best and easiest ways to enjoy the popular mollusks. Smoky chorizo, sweet fennel and bright orange zest each add a unique flavor to the dish. Serve some warm, crusty bread on the side so you can sop up all of the sauce.
Thick bucatini noodles are the perfect pasta to twirl around plump shrimp and lemony sauce. The buttery lemon, garlic and white wine are what give shrimp scampi its unique flavor. Pro tip: if you sprinkle the shrimp with a pinch of baking soda, they will develop more of a golden brown color when seared.
Vegetarian recipes
Italian dinners are often very meat-forward, but vegetarian dishes like this are super satisfying. While the eggplant is often breaded and fried for this dish, we bake layers of eggplant with marinara sauce, panko breadcrumbs, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese until warm and bubbly.
Using Japanese eggplants for this sheet-pan dinner means two things: 1) no messy breading and frying, and 2) less time to prep the eggplants. Smaller varieties only need to soak in salt for about half an hour to drain the excess moisture.
You won’t miss the meat with this hearty vegetarian lasagna. Layers of pasta, lemony ricotta, bechamel sauce, spring vegetables and homemade pesto make up the bulk of the dish. You can use other bright green vegetables such as broccoli rabe or kale when they are in season.
Make this epic sandwich by pairing two Italian-American favorites — eggplant Parmesan and garlic bread. Toasted garlic ciabatta is the bread of choice. It holds up well to the saucy eggplant and burrata cheese.