Italian Recipes

This classic Italian dish includes fettuccine tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese, and it's quick and easy to make. U.S. versions of the dish may include chicken or shrimp. Whatever your choice, with three simple steps in our chicken alfredo recipe, you'll have a hearty dinner on the table in no time!

No pasta's more iconic than spaghetti and meatballs, and now, it's a breeze to make -- the meatballs simmer right in the sauce.

This quickly made pasta dish relies on the tang of lemons with the richness of cream sauce for its flavor.

A spaghetti carbonara sauce is typically made with bacon, eggs, and cheese. We've added a little half-and-half for a silky texture to this delicious pasta dish.

A simple garlicky tomato sauce and 3 Italian cheeses make this super-quick version of lasagna especially delicious.

Antipasto means "before the meal," and this antipasto recipe doesn't disappoint. Serve up this antipasto of cured meats, fresh cheeses, and herbs that will satisfy guests until the next course is ready.

Grilling eggplant is a lighter alternative to frying, and when you pile up cooked slices as they come off the fire, they continue to soften from the steam. Afterwards, the tender slices are stuffed and rolled with a mixture of three different cheeses, currants, pine nuts, and breadcrumbs, and baked in a fresh tomato sauce. The result is a vegetarian one-pan dinner and a culinary melting pot, reflecting influences from numerous invasions of Sicily over the centuries.

This rich Italian spaghetti carbonara favorite is flavored with a sauce of pancetta, cream, eggs, and Parmesan.

This great marinara sauce recipe is from "Rao's Cookbook," by Frank Pellegrino. It's delicious atop penne, angel hair, and even eggplant parmesan.

These delicate vegetarian meatballs are lighter in texture than standard meatballs, but full of flavor. For best results, form the meatballs and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight -- this helps them firm up and makes them much easier to sear.

When you're entertaining, you need a make-ahead dessert that wows. This rich confection takes just 15 minutes to prep, can be made up to a week in advance, and will not disappoint.

Roasting the radicchio mellows its slightly bitter flavor; balsamic vinegar adds a touch of sweetness. You can use either of the popular varieties of radicchio—round Verona or slender Treviso—in this recipe, since they both yield delicious results. Serve the radicchio wedges alongside the pasta.

Our freezer-friendliest chicken recipe makes one casserole that will serve 4 tonight, plus a second meal to freeze and pull out when you're in a pinch.

This quick-and-easy dessert is lighter than traditional cheesecake, since it calls for ricotta instead of cream cheese.

A delicious cake studded with masses of grapes is our nod to Olivagando, the annual Italian olive-oil-harvest festival, when growers celebrate their haul with a cake topped with grapes—a symbol of abundance since ancient times. Devour it as is or dress it up with a few dollops of whipped crème fraîche and a fresh bunch or two of this seasonal fruit. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Fruit Desserts: 100+ Ways to Savor the Best of Every Season ($24.49, amazon.com).

Traditional lasagna goes vegetarian when you substitute the meat for vegetables like spinach and zucchini. Layer this spinach lasagna with 3 types of cheese and bechamel sauce. You won't even miss the meat.

Use this recipe to frost your favorite layer cake.

Sautéed until tender, these porcini mushrooms will retain their bold personality and produce mega mushroom flavor. In a rich butter-and-garlic sauce mingling with fresh tagliatelle, their essence is further enhanced by chopped parsley and a lashing of sharp, salty Pecorino Romano. A time-saving tip: while it's hard to beat fresh pasta from scratch, especially with a three-ingredient recipe like the one here, you can swap in storebought fresh or dried tagliatelle.

This beloved Italian soup isn't just hearty and healthy -- it's really flexible. Minestrone typically includes lots of leafy greens, other veggies, and beans. Which to choose? You're only limited by the contents of your refrigerator and pantry.

Layered with delicate veggies, a creamy sauce,and 3 cheeses, this lasagna captures thefreshness of spring -- straight from the freezer.

A family favorite, this recipe makes one baking dish for now and one to freeze for a ready-made dinner when you're pressed for time.

Serve this tender, fall-off-the-bone meat with bread, polenta, or sauteed Swiss chard. You can also present it as a "sauce" by shredding the meat, mixing it with the leftover tomatoes from the pan, and tossing with pasta.From the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).

Shellfish is the star in the traditional Italian pasta dish linguine ai frutti di mare. Our recipe calls for five varieties: clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, and squid.

This eggplant ricotta bake satisfies a craving for simple comfort food.