It’s about time to go just beyond the Olive Garden to expand your Italian cooking repertoire. While we love Italian pizza and pasta, there’s tons more Italian-inspired dinner ideas that’ll have you feeling like you have your own Italian nonna on-call to teach you how to make all the classics. These 30 Italian dinner recipes highlight some of the many diverse flavors in Italian cuisine, and feature classics (and new classics) you’ll want to cook over and over again.
There’s no coincidence that the “eat” portion of Eat, Pray, Love took place in Rome, and we’ve got plenty of recipes to illustrate that, and we don’t just mean pasta dishes. Go ahead and think outside the pasta box. When in doubt, pair a meaty main with a pasta and salad and you’ll be sure to get more than few chef’s kisses. Okay, maybe add a glass of vino or a negroni for good measure too. As you’ll find, cooking Italian food for dinner is one of the better decisions to be made all week long. The absolute best idea? Pair a fun Italian dessert to go with this feast—but hey, it’s your party! Mangia!
Penne Alla Vodka
Who knew vodka was for more than martinis? This is the best creamy and bright vodka sauce any of us in the test kitchen have ever had. The secret? Tomato paste. Tomato paste has a more concentrated flavor, and texture-wise, it makes for a smoother, almost velvety sauce your date will love.
Get the Penne Alla Vodka recipe.
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON
Caprese Salad
Hailing from the island of Capri and mirroring the colors of the Italian flag, the simple Caprese salad is one of our favorite ways to show off those juicy, in-season farmers’ market tomatoes by complementing them with fresh basil and creamy mozzarella.
Get the Caprese Salad recipe.
PHOTO: JOSEPH DE LEO; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
Chicken Piccata
A classic recipe, chicken piccata combines thin and delicate chicken breasts with a tart white wine, lemon juice, and buttery cream sauce topped with briny capers. Its ability to be ready and on the table in 30 minutes makes it an easy sell, whether you’re serving up a dinner party or a simple weekly dinner.
Get the Chicken Piccata recipe.
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: SPENCER RICHARDS
Grilled Plum & Pancetta Panzanella Salad
Here, transformed grilled plums get tossed with crispy pancetta, tangy goat cheese, fresh cherry tomatoes, and grilled sourdough bread, then drizzled with a maple-Dijon dressing, turning this humble salad into a work of art.
Get the Grilled Plum & Pancetta Panzanella Salad recipe.
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
Sunday Sauce
In this sauce, the meatballs are so tender, little bits break off into the sauce as they simmer away, pork ribs fall off the bone indicating peak sauce richness, and delightful oily puddles pool at the top of the pot only to be folded in at the end for maximum umami.
Get the Sunday Sauce recipe.
PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER, FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Pasta Alla Gricia
Along with carbonara, cacio e pepe, and amatriciana, pasta alla gricia completes the four classic pasta dishes of Rome. It’s a classic for good reason: With only four ingredients, it’s simple to make and easy to indulge.
Get the Pasta Alla Gricia recipe.
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON
Burrata Pizza Sandwiches
Here you’ve got a super crusty sandwich (made of pizza dough!) stuffed with creamy burrata, salty prosciutto, sweet fig jam, and peppery arugula. Drizzle with olive oil and allow for drips through the crevices as you devour.
Get the Burrata Pizza Sandwiches recipe.
PHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON
Homemade Gnocchi
If making homemade pasta seems like too much of a process, then gnocchi is the easy pasta to try making yourself. This rustic, dumpling-like pasta is much easier to make and shape by hand than ravioli, and once made, you can use it with countless recipes and sauces.
Get the Homemade Gnocchi recipe.
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE
Spaghetti All’Assassina
This is like the OG one-pot pasta. The spaghetti is cooked in a spicy tomato broth in a style similar to risotto and charred in the pan as the broth gets absorbed. And when we say charred, we mean burnt. Trust us, the rich tomato, burned starch, and spicy mess of it all is absolutely delicious.
Get the Spaghetti All’Assassina recipe.
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING BARRETT WASHBURNE
Grandma Pizza
Grandma pizza has a thin, crispy crust topped first with cheese, then dolloped with a garlicky tomato sauce. It’s not the usual way of assembling pizza, but the cheese melting right into the crust really makes some magic happen.
Get the Grandma Pizza recipe.
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Ricotta Gnudi
These might sound fancy but they’re actually an easy pasta dinner anyone can pull off. If you love gnocchi as much as we do, you’ll likely love these too. The only real difference? Gnocchi is made with potato and gnudi is made with ricotta, which makes them even more tender, light, and plump.
Get the Ricotta Gnudi recipe.
Andrew bui
Burrata Salad
Think of burrata salad as Caprese salad’s fancy cousin. Peak-summer tomatoes are topped with this luscious cheese (think: a shell of mozzarella filled with a soft, creamy filling) and garnished with a shower of peppery basil leaves and savory chives. 😍
Get the Burrata Salad recipe.
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Spaghetti Carbonara
This pasta dish with Roman origins is a sure win, calling for just 5 ingredients and done in 20 minutes. It’s basically a pantry dive—spaghetti, bacon, garlic, eggs, and Parmesan are all ingredients that are easy to have on hand and make this the ultimate comfort food.
Get the Spaghetti Carbonara recipe.
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STLYING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
Best Homemade Lasagna
Based on the traditional lasagna alla Bolognese from the Emilia-Romagna province in Italy, we grabbed what we loved most about the timeless, classic recipe and simplified it to make it weeknight-friendly. This lasagna can be eaten for any occasion from family Sunday dinner to lunch with friends over a pitcher of sangria.
Get the Best Homemade Lasagna recipe.
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Stromboli
Move over calzones—homemade strombolis are our new dream handheld weeknight dinner. We packed ours full of pepperoni, salami, and two types of cheese, but the options are truly endless when it comes to customizing this Italian-American dish.
Get the Stromboli recipe.
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Best-Ever Italian Meatballs
There’s an art to a great meatball. It should be nicely round, packed with flavor, and tender throughout. Making them from scratch is really easy and definitely beats anything you’d buy at the store. If you want a more hands-off approach, try baked meatballs!
Get the Best-Ever Italian Meatballs recipe.
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: SPENCER RICHARDS
Risotto
After a brief toasting, arborio rice is simmered in chicken broth and finished with grated Parmesan and black pepper for a meal that’s as simple to prepare as it is delicious to eat. It’s as much a comfort food staple to rely on as it is a fancy dish to impress at any occasion.
Get the Risotto recipe.
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
Antipasto Salad
If you’re looking for a fresh addition to any picnic or a teaser to your summer dinner, look no further than this topping-focused salad. Based on the classic Italian appetizer spread, our antipasto salad has a bit of everything you’d find on a typical platter: cured meat, marinated vegetables, and of course, cheese!
Get the Antipasto Salad recipe.
PHOTO: RYAN LIEBE; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
Copycat Olive Garden Meatballs
One of Olive Garden’s most iconic dishes has to be their meatballs. Sauced in bright marinara and perched atop a glossy mound of spaghetti, they transform into a show-stopping entrée that still manages to deliver those down-home comfort food vibes.
Get the Copycat Olive Garden Meatballs recipe.
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE
White Pizza
Don’t let the deep hues of caramelized mozzarella fool you—this is indeed a white pizza pie with absolutely no sauce. White pizzas can be boring without the acidity of tomatoes, but we’ve made a pie that takes advantage of the flavors from three different cheeses to make a dreamy pizza.
Get the White Pizza recipe.
Parker Feierbach
Cacio E Pepe
Cacio e pepe literally translates to “cheese and pepper.” These two ingredients are usually thought of as small components to a dish, but in this pasta recipe, they take center stage. The fruity bite of freshly ground pepper adds complexity and is earthy, sweet, and spicy all at once.
Get the Cacio E Pepe recipe.
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Calzones
Seen as inferior to the grand pizza pie, calzones are often forgotten about, but why? They are basically an individual pizza all wrapped up. No cheese sliding off or floppy crusts. Just pure deliciousness wrapped up in a pillowy dough.
Get the Calzones recipe.
Parker Feierbach
Pasta alla Norma
Pasta alla Norma is an easy Sicilian pasta dish with eggplant that is essentially pan-fried, plus lots of ricotta salata. Go slow with the eggplant. You want to gently cook it in plenty of oil so that they turn deeply golden and slightly crispy all over.
Get the Pasta alla Norma recipe.
Emily Hlavac Green
Fresh Pasta Dough
Pasta night deserves a special pasta. Making your own dough takes a bit of time, but the process itself isn’t complicated. The dough is made from 3 basic ingredients and comes together in minutes.
Get the Fresh Pasta Dough recipe.
Emily hlavac green
One-Pan Tuna Pasta
Using canned or jarred tuna in pasta is a cheap and delicious way to add some protein to a meal. Italians do it with pasta al tonno, and Americans do it (in our own way) with tuna noodle casserole.
Get the One-Pan Tuna Pasta recipe.
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: LENA ABRAHAM
Pasta Puttanesca
The super-fragrant sauce is made with a lot of garlic and anchovies that will have you begging for seconds. It’s a break from the classic spaghetti and meatballs, with the capers and olives adding a briny saltiness to this classic dish.
Get the Pasta Puttanesca recipe.
PHOTO: PARKER FEIERBACH
Pasta Primavera
Few dishes mean “spring” like pasta primavera. Primavera in the name alone brings to mind fresh veggies, like zucchini, English peas, leeks, and peppers, all of the things beginning to bloom for a vibrant season of produce ahead. Feel free to swap in whatever you can find at the farmer’s market.
Get the Pasta Primavera recipe.
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Cioppino
Since plenty of seafood is available year-round, we went with four of our favorites for this seafood stew: shrimp, clams, mussels, and halibut. Feel free to leave any of them out, or swap out halibut for a less expensive firm white fish. (Cod or tilapia are great replacements!)
Get the Cioppino recipe.
Park Feierbach
Bucatini all’Amatriciana
This recipe doesn’t take hours to simmer, but still comes out to be one of the best pasta sauces we’ve ever had. Be sure to top with lots of Pecorino and fresh basil!
Get the Bucatini all’Amatriciana recipe.
Lucy Schaeffer
Osso Buco
Literally translated to “off the bone,” osso buco is a traditional northern Italian stew that celebrates the impossible tenderness of crosscut veal shank. It’s true, this recipe does take a bit of time, but we promise it’s worth it.
Get the Osso Buco recipe.
Erik bernstein
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