Italian Recipes for Every Day
Home / Cuisines / Italian Recipes
Pasta & Tomatoes

Italian Recipes for Every Day

Italian cooking often achieves more with fewer ingredients. Learn the small details that matter, from finishing pasta in its sauce to giving risotto the right consistency and seasoning tomato dishes with restraint.

Recipes

Matching recipes

1-25 of 28 recipes

Vitello Tonnato with thin veal, creamy tuna sauce, capers, lemon and parsley
8 hr Italian

Vitello Tonnato

Vitello Tonnato combines thinly sliced veal with a creamy sauce of tuna, anchovies, capers, egg and lemon juice.

Sicilian cannoli with crispy tubes, ricotta cream, pistachios, chocolate and candied orange
14 hr Italian

Cannoli Siciliani

Cannoli Siciliani are made of thin, flaky and crispy Marsala wrappings and a smooth cream of drained sheep ricotta, sugar and chocolate.

Golden brown focaccia Genovese with deep hollows, olive oil, coarse salt and light crumb
4 hr 30 min Italian

Genovese Focaccia

Focaccia Genovese is a flat, airy yeast bread with deep finger hollows, plenty of olive oil and a salty water-oil emulsion.

Pollo alla cacciatora with braised chicken pieces, tomato sauce, black olives and rosemary
1 hr 30 min Italian

Pollo alla Cacciatora

Pollo alla Cacciatora braises browned chicken pieces with onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, wine, tomatoes and black olives.

Saltimbocca alla Romana with veal, prosciutto, sage leaves and shiny white wine sauce
30 min Italian

Saltimbocca alla Romana

Saltimbocca alla Romana cover thin veal cutlets with prosciutto crudo and sage and fry them briefly in butter before white wine loosens the pan set.

Sliced Sicilian arancini with saffron rice, ragù, peas, cheese and crispy breading
4 hr Italian

Arancini al Ragù

Sicilian arancini wrap a dry ragù of minced meat and peas with saffron rice, cheese, thin flour and crispy breadcrumbs.

Sliced Parmigiana di Melanzane with eggplant layers, tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil
2 hr 30 min Italian

Parmigiana di Melanzane

Parmigiana di Melanzane layers deep fried aubergines with concentrated tomato sauce, basil, fior di latte and parmigiano.

Trofie al pesto Genovese with green beans, diced potatoes, basil and pine nuts
45 min Italian

Trofie al Pesto Genovese

Trofie al pesto Genovese combine rolled pasta with fresh basil pesto, potatoes and green beans to create a Ligurian classic.

Creamy cacio e pepe with tonnarelli, pecorino romano and coarsely ground black pepper
30 min Italian

Cacio e pepe

Cacio e Pepe makes a shiny, creamy sauce without cream from pasta, pecorino romano, black pepper and starchy cooking water.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana with tomato sauce, crispy guanciale, pecorino romano and black pepper
40 min Italian

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Bucatini all'Amatriciana combine crisp rendered guanciale with tomatoes, pecorino romano and a little chilli to create a strong Lazio pasta classic.

Pink watermelon granita with lime zest and mint in chilled glasses
4 hr 15 min Italian

Watermelon Granita with Lime

Watermelon granita does not need an ice machine. Lime, a light sugar syrup and repeated scratching turn melon into loose, refreshing ice crystals.

Creamy lemon risotto with green peas, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil
40 min Italian

Lemon risotto with peas and basil

Creamy risotto gets a light summer note from lemon, peas and basil. Parmesan and cold butter only bind the rice grains after cooking.

Zucchini-ricotta lasagne with tomato sauce, mozzarella and golden cheese
1 hr 30 min Italian

Courgette and ricotta lasagne

This vegetarian lasagna combines fried zucchini, spicy tomato sauce and creamy ricotta. The previous frying prevents an watery filling.

Burrata panzanella with tomatoes, grilled peppers, basil and roasted ciabatta
30 min Italian

Burrata panzanella with roasted peppers

Burrata panzanella combines roasted bread, ripe tomatoes, grilled peppers, basil and creamy burrata. The bread salad should be pulled but not mushy.

Focaccia sandwich with antipasti vegetables, mozzarella, rocket and pesto
15 min Italian

Focaccia sandwich with antipasti

Focaccia Sandwich with Antipasti is a quick Italian sandwich with pesto, grilled vegetables, mozzarella and rocket. It is important to have a juicy but not dripping filling.

Minestrone with vegetables, beans, small pasta, parmesan and basil
55 min Italian

Minestrone

Minestrone is an Italian vegetable soup with beans, vegetables, broth and small noodles or rice. Vegetables come in stages depending on the cooking time.

Osso Buco with veal shank, braised sauce and fresh gremolata
2 hr 25 min Italian

Osso Buco

Osso Buco is braised in the classic way with slices of veal. White wine, broth, tomatoes, vegetables and gremolata make an aromatic, delicate braised dish.

Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil
10 min Italian

Caprese salad

Caprese salad consists of ripe tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Good ingredients and room temperature are crucial.

Bruschetta with tomato cubes, basil, garlic and olive oil on toasted bread
20 min Italian

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is made with roasted bread, ripe tomatoes, basil, garlic and good olive oil. Let the tomatoes simmer for a short time to make the topping aromatic.

gnocchi with sage butter, crispy sage and parmesan
25 min Italian

Gnocchi with sage

Sage gnocchi need only a few ingredients: potato gnocchi, butter, fresh sage leaves, Parmesan cheese and a little cooking water. The butter may become nutty but not burn.

Milanese risotto with saffron, parmesan and creamy consistency
40 min Italian

Milanese Risotto

Milanese risotto is mixed with risotto rice, saffron, broth, butter and Parmesan. The rice should be soft but still have a light bite in the core.

Pizza Margherita with tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil and crispy rim
2 hr 10 min Italian

Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita lives on a well-done dough, simple tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil and high oven heat. Few ingredients are enough when the bottom becomes crispy.

Lasagna Bolognese with ragù, béchamel, parmesan cheese and golden brown surface
2 hr 5 min Italian

Lasagna Bolognese

Lasagne Bolognese needs a slow-cooked ragù, a smooth béchamel and enough rest time after baking. This allows the layers to be cut clean.

Guide

Italian recipes with few good ingredients

Italian cuisine seems simple, but it is accurate. Pasta, risotto, pizza, tomatoes, cheese, herbs and olive oil need to be cooked in a suitable way and a sauce that matches the shape and texture.

In many recipes, the final step is decisive: pasta water binds, Parmesan melts better away from high heat, basil remains fresh when it does not boil for long.

Small steps with a big effect

  • Cooking Al dente: Cook the pasta just short and let it finish in the sauce.
  • Use water: Starchy cooking water combines sauce and pasta.
  • Add cheese near the end: This makes it creamy rather than lumpy or oily.

Italian cuisine remains clear, aromatic and closer to the actual product.

Preparing pasta, risotto and oven dishes

For Pasta recipes the sauce should fit the shape: lumpy sauces adhere well to short, grooved pasta, fine or oily sauces envelop long pasta. The pasta is put just before the desired cooking point in the sauce and finished there.

Risotto requires hot stock and regular but not hectic exercise. Butter and cheese are added when you step on the mantecatura step away from the intense heat. Lasagne and other oven dishes, on the other hand, benefit from ten minutes of rest before they are cut.

Replace Italian ingredients sensibly

  • Parmesan: Pecorino is saltier and more vigorous; adjust the seasoning accordingly.
  • Canned tomatoes: For long sauces often more reliable than watery, unripe fresh tomatoes.
  • Fresh herbs: Use basil and parsley late, hardy herbs such as rosemary earlier.

Few good ingredients work best when cooking time, temperature and order really fit the dish.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Italian Recipes recipes

Short, ribbed pasta wears well with lumpy sauces, long pasta goes well with fine, creamy or oily sauces. The crucial thing is that the sauce adheres to the noodles and does not remain on the plate separately.

Pasta water contains starch and helps to combine fat, cheese and liquid. Add it in portions only to make the sauce creamy and not watery.

Ragù, tomato sauce, lasagna, antipasti and many desserts are easy to prepare, while pasta, risotto, basil and crispy ingredients are best finished fresh.