52 Classic Italian Dinner Recipes That Are 100% Nonna-Approved (2024)

This easy and delicious ragu is perfect for date night. Whatever you do, don't skimp on the Parm! Looking for more cozy winter recipes? Be sure to add this cacio e Pepe to your list.

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Chicken piccata is one of Italy's classic dishes and refers to the process of dredging the meat in flour, browning it in a skillet, and cooking it in a simple sauce of lemon juice, butter, and capers. Italians most often prepare this with veal, but we love it with chicken just the same.

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This dish has all the eggplant Parm flavors you love—including sliced rounds of tender eggplant, tangy marinara sauce, and plenty of cheese. Instead of breading each slice of eggplant, though, you'll top the entire skillet with panko bread crumbs, making it easy enough for a weeknight dinner.

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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 that's a must-try.

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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.

Making gnudi, or Italian ricotta dumplings, only sounds fancy. 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.

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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. 😍

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If you can't get enough of Rome's famous spaghetti carbonara, then we have a sneaking suspicion you'll love this extra-cheesy pizza version. Keep it simple with a side of peppery arugula dressed with olive oil and lemon juice to cut the richness of the pie!

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There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of chicken Parm recipes in the world, but this one is our favorite. Crispy, well-seasoned chicken, a flavorful tomato sauce with a kiss of sweetness, and, of course, tons of melty cheese. It's easy, simple, and classic.

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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. Lucky for you, this is the epitome of a make-ahead dish—it tastes even better the next day!

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Chicken marsala is a classic Italian American dish that's creamy, quick, and irresistible. The creamy sauce made of mushrooms, marsala wine, and heavy cream is straight-up drinkable, and we love serving it over a big pile of spaghetti or angel hair. It's the perfect weeknight dinner, and we don't even feel guilty making it three nights in a row.

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Panzanella—an Italian salad made with dried bread cubes—is one of the most delicious versions of salad. That's because it stars bread as the main ingredient rather than lettuce. Perhaps this is why we love making panzanella as often as possible—with asparagus in spring, with tomatoes and zucchini in summer, and even with peaches and burrata too.

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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.

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For this summery dish, you'll start by crisping up chicken cutlets that are wrapped in prosciutto (this technique comes from the Italian "saltimbocca" dish made with veal, wine, and sage rather than chicken, balsamic, and basil). Next, you'll finish them off in a tangy vinegar sauce, then top the whole thing with mozzarella and tomatoes for a fresh and fast crowd-pleaser.

Get the Caprese Chicken Saltimbocca recipe.

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.

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Breakfast meets dinner in this marinara- and mozzarella-topped dish. Fittingly, the Italian word "affogato" means drowned, which explains the marinara topping. It lends this dish a vibe somewhere between a breakfast frittata and pizza, meaning it’s enjoyable for pretty much any meal of the day.

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Nicknamed "mini hot dog buns", this easy-to-shape fresh pasta will impress any dinner guest. It's perfect for beginner pasta makers because your hands, not fancy equipment, do all the shaping.

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Quiche’s less-fussy cousin, frittatas are the answer to almost every meal dilemma. Looking to get creative with your leftovers? Veggies going bad in your fridge? Home late and craving a simple breakfast-for-dinner recipe? Say it with us: frittata, frittata, frittata. This versatile dish can handle most things you throw at it, and we have a few keys to make it the best it can be.

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Cacciatore translates to “hunter” in Italian, and it’s thought that this dish arose in popularity during the Renaissance. As the story goes, the dish emerged as a means to feed hunters who’d been away tracking for long periods of time, using the meat, mushrooms, and herbs they’d collected along the way. We love this served on its own with crusty bread for dipping (or garlic bread?), but if you want a fuller meal, try it alongside rustic mashed potatoes or polenta.

Get the Skillet Chicken Cacciatore recipe.

If you asked us to name our favorite comfort foods, pasta, soup, and meatballs would all be at the top of the list. So it’s no surprise that Italian wedding soup is one of our favorite meals when the weather turns chilly. Loaded with mini chicken meatballs, little pasta nuggets, and plenty of veg, it’s like an upgraded version of chicken noodle soup, and we can’t get enough of it!

Get the Italian Wedding Soup recipe.