30 Best Classic Italian-Inspired Recipes - Dining and Cooking

1Penne Alla VodkaPHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

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.

2Caprese SaladPHOTO: JOSEPH DE LEO; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

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.

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3Chicken PiccataPHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: SPENCER RICHARDS

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.

4Grilled Plum & Pancetta Panzanella SaladPHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

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5Sunday SaucePHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER, FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

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.

6Pasta Alla GriciaPHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

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7Burrata Pizza SandwichesPHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON8Homemade GnocchiPHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

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.

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9Spaghetti All’AssassinaPHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING BARRETT WASHBURNE

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.

10Grandma PizzaPHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

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.

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11Ricotta GnudiAndrew bui

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.

12Burrata SaladPHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

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.

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13Spaghetti CarbonaraPHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STLYING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

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.

14Best Homemade LasagnaPHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

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.

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15StromboliPHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

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.

16Best-Ever Italian MeatballsPHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: SPENCER RICHARDS

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.

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17RisottoPHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

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.

18Antipasto SaladPHOTO: RYAN LIEBE; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

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.

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19Copycat Olive Garden Meatballs PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE20White PizzaParker Feierbach

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.

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