You can’t always travel to Italy or get to your favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant. But, you can recreate your Italian favorites at home. Whether you love chicken Parmesan or chicken marsala, crave crusty Italian bread, or need a meat sauce to serve with spaghetti, these recipes are for you. Since Italian is a cuisine most people can agree on, these 18 restaurant-quality restaurants will earn a permanent spot on your menu.
Stuffed Chicken Parmesan
“This is a great new take on Chicken Parmesan. It’s delicious and filling! It has a creamy cheesy spinach stuffing. You can top it with your favorite sauce and add mozzarella to finish it off. Great served with roasted potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, or some kind of pasta.” – Annamaria
Savory Risotto
“My grandma used to make risotto all the time, and we all loved it. So when I get a chance to make it, I try to put my own spin on it. My family loves this savory risotto.” – Luana
Italian Meat Sauce
“This is our favorite Italian Meat Sauce, been making it for about 10 years now. As with many recipes we make that include garlic, we usually bump up the quantity more than what’s documented as we’re garlic heads!” – Dan
Crusty Italian Bread
“My husband loves bread in any form, but especially Italian bread. He loves it. I hope you enjoy it too!” – Gena
Classic Chicken Marsala
“There is something very special about simple, classic meals. In the last few weeks, I’ve been really focusing my efforts on cooking meals using very simple ingredients, with very simple cooking methods, and with very few steps and complexities.” – Maggie May
Eggplant Parmesan
“Since we always do more than one family dinner for Christmas, my family and I have decided to do a non-traditional dinner. This past year, I made eggplant parmesan and it was a huge hit!” – Jennifer
Ricotta Pie
“This is another Easter dessert tradition. Rigat pie! (An Italian NY’er pronunciation of ricotta – haha) I believe this was my mom’s favorite. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!” – Jessica
Easy Pasta e Fagioli
“This Pasta e Fagioli is so easy and full of veggies, beans, and pasta. It is super easy and better than any soup you will get in a restaurant.” – Debbie
My Lasagna Recipe
“This is far from being a secret recipe or original. It’s just quick and delicious.” – Lea
Polenta With Vegetable Tomato Sauce
“We try to eat vegetarian 3-4 nights a week and I tried this with what I had on hand. Family, especially my husband, loved it.” – Joyce
Eggplant Rollatini
“This is a great recipe for eggplant lovers!! Alternatively, veal, chicken, or fish may be used in place of the eggplant.” – Linda
Round Steak Pizzaiola
“This is a quick and easy meal ready in less than an hour. Can serve with mashed potatoes or pasta.” – marianne
Fettuccine Alfredo
“This rich, creamy dish is one of my favorite comfort foods and it has gotten rave reviews from even the pickiest eaters of the family. It’s also very easy to make; when my husband learned to cook, this was the first dish he made.” – Megan
Genovese Sauce
“A slowly braised beef and caramelized onion sauce that’s just packed with flavour!” – Kevin
Conforti Family Red Gravy (Spaghetti Sauce)
“When I was growing up my mother would open a jar of Ragu when we had spaghetti. Even though I do like Ragu, there is just nothing like homemade! This recipe was passed down to my husband from Great-Grandmom Mae Conforti. It’s been a family recipe for generations, way back in Italy.” – Lauren
Easy Sausage and Peppers
“When you bake the sausage it is not as greasy as frying it. After I bake it, then I pan fry it to incorporate the flavors of the peppers and onions.” – Ann
Basic Pesto
“I love pesto! This is quick and easy… and really good!” – Ann
Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs
“This is my family’s recipe. My mother always made this for our birthday dinner. It’s one of those recipes that needs to cook all day. My mom always served this with an antipasto salad and garlic bread.” – Julia