47 Classic Italian Dishes From the Old Country
There’s a distinction (well, many distinctions) between Italian dishes and Italian American dishes. In the latter camp, you’ll find shrimp scampi, chicken Parmesan, and meatballs in marinara sauce. Italian food, as in the Italian cuisine you’ll find in Italy, is a little different. It varies from region to region and generally involves more beans, greens, fresh veggies, and stews; less meat and mozzarella cheese.
That doesn’t mean you can’t love both! We do. (And it’s okay to lean on jarred tomato sauce. We do too.) But for this particular recipe roundup, we’re focusing on the traditions you’ll find in Milan, Tuscany, Rome, Sicily, and beyond. Here are our 47 best Italian Italian dishes.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens1/47BA’s Best Bolognese
We begin this list of Italian dishes as we should: with pasta. A classic meat sauce that hails from its namesake Bologna, Bolognese requires a lot of patience and the best Parmesan cheese you can find.
Photograph by Paola + Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua2/47Cherry and Dark Chocolate Crostata
Piedmont is a region known for its many varieties of cherries. This crostata—an open-faced fruit tart that’s a classic Italian dessert, often with a decorative lattice top—makes the most of them.
Laura Murray4/47BA’s Best Caprese Salad
Arguably the most famous Italian salad, Caprese should only be served in summer when tomatoes and basil are at their peak. Imagine this heirloom version alongside veal Milanese, in place of the more traditional arugula salad. Magnifico.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones5/47Negroni
Okay, okay, this version’s a little different from the classic negroni, a.k.a. the original 1:1:1 cocktail (equal parts gin, vermouth, and Campari). Here, the ratios have been slightly tweaked to make the drink less sweet, less bitter, and more gin-forward.
Photo by Alex Lau6/47BA’s Best Eggplant Parmesan
In Italy, eggplant Parmesan is called Parmigiana di melanzane, melanzane alla Parmigiana, or simply Parmigiana—not Parmigiano, because despite what the emoji may imply, eggplant is a feminine noun in the Italian language.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Styling by Chris Morocco7/47Stuffed Peppers
If it’s your first time filling vegetables, this is a good place to start. Red, yellow, or green bell peppers all work—just trim the bottom of each so it sits flat in the baking dish.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene8/47Old-School Tiramisù
As one legend would have it, tiramisù was developed in Treviso as an aphrodisiac dessert. (It translates to “pick me up.”) There’s only one way to find out if it works.
Photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott9/47Fettuccine Alfredo
If you’re expecting a rich cream sauce, you’ve got the wrong Alfredo in mind. This version is closer to the Roman dish sometimes called pasta al burro, or butter and Parmesan emulsified into a creamy sauce by the power of pasta water.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca10/47Spinach Lasagna With Ricotta
If you don’t have spinach on hand, you’re not doomed; use any leftover vegetables, such as grilled zucchini or sautéed mushrooms, instead.
Photograph by Joyce Lee, food styling by Brandon Gray, prop styling by Chloe Kirk11/47All-Purpose Pizza Dough
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen12/47Marinated Zucchini With Hazelnuts and Ricotta
Zucchini is anything but boring when bathed in a mixture of fresh mint, garlic, white wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and olive oil, then plated with lemony ricotta cheese.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua13/47One-Pot Puttanesca
Anders Overgaard15/47Squid, Lemon, and Zucchini Blossom Fritto Misto
Few Italian dishes appear in our dreams more than crispy, salty fritto misto. In the summer, find zucchini blossoms at specialty grocers or farmers markets. Otherwise, halved scallions can be used instead.
Alex Lau16/47Cacio e Pepe Chips
Okay, we lied: Not every recipe on this list is an Italian classic. If you want traditional cacio e pepe pasta, we have that, but cacio e pepe–ifying chips is just too good not to include.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Styling by Molly Baz17/47Simple Pasta Carbonara
Humble ingredients—eggs, pasta, cheese, and pork—combine to create glossy, glorious spaghetti carbonara. Also, we did our research and can confidently say it’s just as good for breakfast as it is for dinner.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Andy Baraghani, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski18/47Panna Cotta With Cherries and Lemon
That’s not balsamic vinegar you see atop this panna cotta (although a small drizzle would be delicious); it’s the sweet syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries mixed with a little lemon juice.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Claire Saffitz19/47Slow-Cooked Cherry Tomatoes With Coriander and Rosemary
Use these slow-roasted tomatoes as pasta sauce, a topping for bruschetta, a grain bowl addition, a side to scrambled eggs...we could go on and on.
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks20/47Cod Arracanato
Eva Kolenko21/47Braised Artichokes With Tomatoes and Mint
Here’s a great way to use up that jar of salt-packed anchovy fillets in your pantry. Pulsed into a mint pesto and rubbed all over artichokes before they get submerged in tomato sauce, this method may change the way you cook vegetables forever.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime22/47Giardiniera Antipasto Platter
The pickled and raw vegetables here keep things light before a heavy meal (as in this pork roast, polenta, and red wine spaghetti), but feel free to mix and match depending on whatever’s your favorite.
Ditte Isager24/47Ricotta Gnudi With Pomodoro Sauce
Ricotta gnudi is a bit redundant, because its main ingredient (ricotta) is what distinguishes gnudi from gnocchi. The other difference is that, while gnocchi rely on potatoes, gnudi are usually made with wheat flour.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca25/47Weeknight-Fancy Ravioli With Creamy Peas
Store-bought ravioli and frozen peas make this pasta dish weeknight-friendly, but the homemade spiced nut topping makes it dinner-party-worthy too. (And, you know, look at it. So chic.)
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene26/47Broccoli Rabe With Chile and Garlic
Give us garlic-scented broccoli rabe and some spaghetti and meatballs and we’re happy. (We’re talking Italian American meatballs, which you won’t find in Italy. Proper Italian meatballs, or polpettes, are bite-size and not typically served with pasta.)
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime28/47Pistachio and Mint Pesto
Sure, you’ve used pesto on pasta, but it can also serve as a dip for crudités, a rub for meat or fish, or a sauce to drizzle over roasted vegetables or even a slice of pizza.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Jennifer Ophir31/47Mushroom Carbonara
Button mushrooms take the place of the traditional cured pork in this vegetarian carbonara recipe. All they need is a deep browning, garlic, and shallots to take them to a higher place.
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio33/47Pasta With Brown Butter, Whole Lemon, and Parmesan
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime34/47Brussels Sprouts With Cranberry Mostarda
Mostarda, an Italian sweet-and-sour mustardy condiment, improves with age, so you can get ahead of the game and make it days or even weeks ahead. Then, use it on all your crispy roasted vegetables.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk35/47Tomatoes With Fig and Prosciutto
This salad is a riff on melon and prosciutto. We swapped the melon for soft, super-ripe figs and sweet tomatoes. And while we prefer fresh mint in the mix, you could also use basil leaves.
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott38/47Radicchio, Fennel, and Olive Panzanella
Who can turn down a salad topped with slices of hard salami? Not us. They bring a salty, fatty balance to the thinly sliced fennel, bitter radicchio, and lemon-zest-coated croutons in this dish.
Gentl & Hyers41/47Pasta e Fagioli With Escarole
A Parmesan rind and a kitchen sink’s worth of aromatics give heady flavor to this stew. Serve with some crusty bread, so you can get every last drop of tomatoey broth.
Christopher Testani42/47Potato Gnocchi
Toss these little potato dumplings with tomato sauce and shredded pork, as indicated in the recipe, or keep it simple with a classic pesto.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Kat Boystova43/47BA's Best Linguine and Clams
This has comfort food all over it: It’s garlicky, salty, filling, and it soothes the soul. Serve with a side of focaccia so you can soak up the rest of that buttery sauce.
Eva Kolenko45/47Stuffed Lamb Breast With Lemon, Ricotta, and Oregano
Lamb breast is often overlooked because it’s considered tough, but this cut is more affordable than others. And when stuffed and rolled (in this case, with Pecorino, ricotta, olives, and parsley), it’s delizioso.
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Sue Li47/47Coffee-Hazelnut Biscotti
Biscotti is an Italian dish that seems to come in and out of fashion in America. We say it’s time to fully embrace biscotti as the anti-chewy cookie, perfect for dunking in coffee or amaro.