Top Italian food recipes

Pasta Carbonara

Spaghetti alla carbonara is one of the most representative dish of the Italian cuisine, made with browned guanciale (a kind of bacon), pepper, Pecorino Romano cheese and beaten eggs, which have to cook only with the heat released from pasta.

Lasagne

Lasagne is a type of wide and flat pasta, commonly cooked at "Bolognese" way, i.e. with stacked layers of pasta alternated with "Ragù alla Bolognese" sauce, bechamel and cheese, topped with melted grated cheese and then baked in a oven.

Parmigiana

Parmigiana consists of sliced eggplant, pan fried in oil, layered with tomato sauce and cheese, and baked in an oven. In some versions, the sliced filling is first dipped in beaten eggs and dredged in flour or breadcrumbs before frying.

Pizza Margherita

Probably the queen of Italian cuisine (also because it was dedicated to the Queen Margherita of Savoy, even if it was already present in Naples), Pizza Margherita is a pizza with just tomato sauce, mozzarella, olive oil and basil.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is a worldwide famous simple starter, made of thick slice of roasted country bread, just rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. Very often, it is topped with fresh tomatoes.

Focaccia bread

Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread product similar in style and texture to pizza dough. It is usually seasoned just with olive oil and salt. It might also be flavored with herbs, vegetables, or cheese.

Pasta al pomodoro

Pasta al pomodoro is an Italian food typically prepared with pasta, olive oil, fresh tomatoes, basil, and various kind of grated cheese. It can also be prepared with tomatoes sauce, in the version known as "pasta al sugo".

Risotto

Risotto is an Italian rice dishes cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. The broth may be meat-, fish-, or vegetable-based. Common ingredients are onion and white wine, but many types of risotto contain also Parmesan cheese, and butter.

Pasta Bolognese

Ragù served over pasta (typically silken egg tagliatelle) is one of the signature dishes of Bologna. In fact, this rich, meaty tomato ragù is so closely associated with Bologna that any dish described as Bolognese will be cloaked in it.

Tiramisù

Tiramisu is a coffee-flavoured Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa. It's the most famous italian dessert.

Gelato

Gelato is ice cream made in the Italian style with a base of milk and sugar. The difference with ice cream lies in the proportion of ingredients and how they are churned together.

Macedonia

Italian macedonia is a preparation of raw mixed fruits, traditionally done with summer fruit. Usually find it flavored with sugar, or/and fresh lemon juice, or/and a bit of liqueurs/wine as rum, prosecco or red wine.

Minestrone

Minestrone is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice, sometimes both. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. Minestrone varies widely across Italy.

Cotoletta alla Bolognese

Strain cutlet first in flour, then in beaten eggs with a little grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, a few drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper, strain them in breadcrumbs and then fry with butter. Finally, put a slice of ham and some hot cheese.

Fiorentina steak

Fiorentina steak consists of a T-bone traditionally sourced from either the Chianina or Maremmana breeds of cattle. The steak is grilled over a wood or charcoal fire, seasoned with salt, sometimes with black pepper, and olive oil.

Polenta

Polenta is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains (basically spelt or millet). It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled.

Arancino

Arancini are stuffed rice balls which are coated with bread crumbs and then deep fried. They are usually filled with ragù, mozzarella, and peas. It's a Sicilian dish, with some variants which differ in fillings and shape.

Cannolo

Another Sicilian famous recipe, Cannolo is a pastry that consists of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta. They were historically prepared as a treat during Carnevale season.

Piadina

Piadina is a thin Italian flatbread, typically prepared in the Romagna historical region. It is usually made with white flour, lard or olive oil, salt and water. It is usually filled with various ingredients.

Gnocchi

Gnocchi are various thick, small, and soft dough dumplings that may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, cornmeal. Gnocchi have considerable variation in recipes and names across different regions.