Credit: Simply Recipes / Hannah Zimmerman
When you think about Italian food, some of the first dishes that probably pop into your head are the pasta classics. From pasta pomodoro to pasta puttanesca, carbonara to cacio e pepe, there are so many delicious Italian pastas—but the cuisine has much more to offer.
These 16 recipes showcase some of the other Italian dishes we should all get acquainted with. Some of these dishes do pair well with pasta, naturally, but are equally great with creamy polenta, steamed rice, a big salad, or a generous hunk of crusty bread or focaccia. So dive right in to find some new Italian favorites and leave the pasta behind, if just for tonight.
01 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Get Recipe: Italian Meatballs
“For this recipe, we’ve used equal amounts of ground beef and ground pork. You could also use a third each of ground beef, pork, and veal.” —Elise Bauer, Founder
02 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer
Get Recipe: Easy Tuscan Ribollita Soup
“Switch up the recipe by adding chickpeas, navy beans, or butter beans instead of cannellini; mixing in leftover shredded or cubed chicken; or adding crisped-up bacon, guanciale, or Italian sausage.” —Devan Grimsrud, Recipe Developer
03 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Hannah Zimmerman
Get Recipe: Italian Butter Chicken (Petti Di Pollo al Burro)
“The only part of this recipe that can get a little tricky is the brown butter. If you don’t watch it closely, it will burn. Make sure to put the chicken breasts in the skillet when the butter is just starting to foam. The milk solids won’t be brown yet at that point, but they will brown as the chicken cooks.” —Hannah Zimmerman, Recipe Developer
04 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
Get Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan
“For this recipe, instead of frying the breaded eggplant slices, we bake them in the oven before assembling the casserole to be baked again.” —Elise Bauer, Founder
05 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Ali Redmond
Get Recipe: The Easy, Flavor-Packed Italian Tuna Salad I Make on Repeat
“The trick for this salad is to refrain from draining the tuna. The olive oil in the can has tons of flavor and serves as half of the dressing for the salad. I add just a tablespoon of lemon juice to balance out the oil and the dressing is done.” —Ivy Manning, Recipe Developer
06 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Get Recipe: Risi e Bisi, Italian Rice and Peas
“Can’t find prosciutto? Use any ham. Virginia ham is an excellent substitute. Remember dry cured hams are salty, so the more you add, the saltier the dish will become.” —Hank Shaw, Recipe Developer
07 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Get Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore (Hunter Style Chicken)
“This recipe calls for added wine, which is traditional. It does add to the flavor. If you have a dietary restriction that prohibits wine, just omit.” —Elise Bauer, Founder
08 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
Get Recipe: The Classic Italian Family Recipe You Need To Make
“Squeeze the thawed frozen spinach thoroughly, or else it will haunt you! Using super dry spinach is the only way this recipe works. After thawing my spinach, I piled it all in the middle of a big piece of cheesecloth and squeezed the extra moisture out that way. It didn’t take long and the step was totally worth it.” —Sara Haas, Recipe Developer
09 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
Get Recipe: Skillet Chicken Parmesan
“The only thing you need to make this recipe happen is a good oven-safe skillet for cooking everything. I use a cast iron skillet with high sides.” —Nick Evans, Recipe Developer
10 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
Get Recipe: The Simple Tuscan Soup I’m Making All Winter Long
“When fresh tomatoes are in season, they’re a great substitute for the canned version.” —Karishma Pradhan, Recipe Developer
11 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Get Recipe: Spinach Risotto
“We are using baby spinach because of its convenience and tenderness. If you are using mature spinach, thoroughly rinse it first. You may want to blanch it first for a few seconds, before chopping and using in this recipe.” —Elise Bauer, Founder
12 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Get Recipe: The Best Osso Buco
“The gremolata (parsley, lemon zest, and garlic) is an important garnish for this dish, don’t skip.” —Elise Bauer, Founder
13 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Get Recipe: This Easy Tuscan Soup Tastes Better Than the Olive Garden Classic
“This Zuppa Toscana is especially delicious with crusty bread. You can serve some toasted, olive oil–drizzled bread for dunking, or you can make some quick homemade croutons for garnish.” —Nick Evans, Recipe Developer
14 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Get Recipe: Chicken Piccata
“Capers aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, so feel free to leave them out even though they do add a briny bite to the dish. If you don’t have capers but do have meaty green olives in the pantry, you can chop them small and add them to the dish.” —Elise Bauer, Founder
15 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Get Recipe: Italian Pot Roast
“Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.” —Elise Bauer, Founder
16 of 16
Credit: Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Get Recipe: Mushroom Risotto
“The recipe calls for risotto rice, Italian rice varieties that are high in a particular type of starch, with grains that are shorter and fatter than most other rices: Arborio, Carnaroli, and Vialone Nano are the most famous varieties. The high starch content of these rices yields a creamy texture when cooked.” —Elise Bauer, Founder
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