20 Italian Food Recipes You’ll Never Get Tired of Eating

Fresh Tomato & Ricotta Whole-Wheat Pasta

When tomatoes are in season, ditch the jar of pasta sauce. Perfectly ripe tomatoes don’t even need to be cooked down into a marinara – in fact, that’s a waste of a great heirloom.

For this recipe, pick small-to-medium tomatoes that are bigger than grapes but smaller than a baseball. The fresh tomatoes are quickly sautéed in garlicky olive oil, and then cooked pasta gets added to the pan.

Stir in spinach to wilt, put dollops of fresh ricotta on top, and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

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Creamy Lemon Pasta with Spinach & Grilled Chicken

Craving creamy alfredo? There are other ways to satisfy your stomach’s demands, like this low-fat pasta dinner. It still has Parmesan for the flavor you’re after, but the pasta sauce is made from ricotta instead of heavy cream.

That means this lightened up chicken alfredo is packed with protein, yet it has less than 20 grams of fat per serving.

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Mini Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Reduction

These veggie skewers are so easy to put together – you’ll find any reason to serve them.

They’re a beautiful appetizer for a dinner party or backyard cookout. But you can also enjoy caprese salad anytime when you enjoy these skewers as a snack or light lunch.

The assembly is most of the work. Cut the tomatoes and basil in half, and put everything on a toothpick. But the only real cooking involved is the balsamic reduction, which simmers over low heat for about ten minutes until it thickens like a syrup.

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Skinny Bruschetta Chicken

Baking chicken breast is extremely easy, but what’s delicious and healthy can become a boring dinner when you have it too many nights in a row.

With this recipe, baked chicken isn’t spiced up with a seasoning blend or stuffed with cheese. Just a simple topping of fresh tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil – inspired by basic bruschetta – will liven up your weeknight meal.

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Homemade Frozen Pizza

Frozen pizza can seem like a fair compromise when you’re craving takeout. Depending on the brand and toppings, the macros aren’t half bad. But you can do one better by planning in advance.

When assembling a pizza at home using the dough, sauce, and toppings of your choice, it doesn’t have to go in the oven right away. Pre-bake the crust before you build it up, and your homemade pizza can be frozen for up to three months.

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Chunky Italian Beef Stew

This recipe has beef, potatoes, carrots, and peas, so it’s the seasonings that make it into a delicious Italian stew. Of course you’ll need garlic – more or less, depending on your tastes.

The beef simmers in a mix of tomato sauce, garlic, basil, and oregano. To use fresh herbs instead, substitute a tablespoon of leaves for a teaspoon dried.

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Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Farro Risotto

It might seem inauthentic to make risotto with anything but Arborio rice. Farro, however, is another grain that’s been a staple in Italy for far longer than rice, which only arrived by trade in the Middle Ages.

So if you’re going to use anything else in your risotto, farro will keep the dish in line with real Italian cooking. Not only that, but it’s high in fiber and has greater nutrient density than white rice.

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Italian Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing

When it’s warm out and you’re craving pasta, hot marinara and melted cheese is probably not the way you want to go. Whip up this refreshing salad with cherry tomatoes and homemade Italian dressing instead.

It doesn’t take much skill in the kitchen, and like any pasta salad, it’s adaptable enough to add or take out ingredients to your liking.

Prefer less fat? Go light on the dressing, and serve the rest on the side. Need more protein? Chop up some pancetta, or add turkey pepperoni.

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15-Minute Lasagna

Normally when you’re cooking lasagna, it takes a long time minutes just to layer the noodles, sauce, and cheese in the pan. But even if you can get it out of the pan in neat slices, it’s going to come apart once you dig in.

So you may as well just forget about the squares of lasagna and make the whole thing in a skillet. The result has all the same flavor, and the noodles are still in thin sheets so it can’t be mistaken for a different pasta dish.

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Healthy Italian Sausage Soup

One trick to making a robust soup that’s lean is to use turkey sausage for most of the protein, yet add a couple slices of bacon for flavor. Since this recipe makes ten bowls of Italian soup, that’s hardly any bacon per person – as if there were crumbles added as a garnish.

Except in this recipe, the bacon gets a chance to enhance the whole thing because it’s stirred in with sausage, kale, and beans 15 minutes before serving.

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Homemade Makeover Italian Cream Cake

Although this dessert likely has American origins, an Italian cream cake is hard to pass up no matter where it’s being served.

And when you make it yourself, it’s possible to make a lighter version by substituting ingredients, like using applesauce in place of half the butter.

Yet this cake is more flavorful than one smothered in buttercream thanks to cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut, and walnuts.

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Eggplant Parmesan

There are countless ways to cook eggplant, but according to some eaters, this is the only one that counts.

This classic eggplant parm is easy to make with thick slices of the veggie topped with thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Although the recipe includes a quick tomato sauce, you can use pre-made marinara to save time.

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Lamb Chops with Mint Gremolata

To make tender Italian lamb chops, start by marinating them in olive oil, fresh herbs, and garlic. A couple hours later, remove the chops, brush off the excess oil, and broil them for a few minutes per side.

While the lamb cooks and rests to juicy perfection, throw together an Italian topping that makes almost any dish more amazing.

Gremolata is commonly made with parsley, garlic, and olive oil, but other herbs can easily be substituted. In this recipe, for example, fresh mint makes a great Mediterranean pairing with the lamb chops.

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Chamomile Yogurt Panna Cotta

Italians are known for rich desserts like cheesecake and tiramisu. However, you can end your hearty Italian dinner on a light note with this chamomile panna cotta. It’s so smooth and delicious, you’ll hardly believe this is a low-fat recipe using yogurt instead of heavy cream.

The chamomile adds an extra Italian touch. A traditional herbal tea brewed from flowers, it lends a soothing flavor as well as antioxidant properties.

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Crock Pot Italian Zucchini Meatloaf

The bulk of this meatloaf is lean ground beef, which is how there can be 25 grams of protein in a 200-calorie serving. Macros don’t reveal anything about the taste, though, because it’s not the bland meatloaf you may have grown up with.

This version is full-flavored with balsamic vinegar and Parmesan, plus mozzarella cheese melted on top. And if you have it on hand, use a homemade marinara instead of ketchup for an extra-special Italian meatloaf.

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Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe

Not all pasta dinners require making a sauce. Instead of worrying about marinara, focus on preparing some delicious garlicky greens.

This recipe starts by boiling a pot of water, but it’s not just for the pasta. Five minutes before it’s done, add the broccoli rabe. Mix together a quick sauce of olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes as everything cooks.

And of course, any Italian entrée is better with freshly grated cheese on top.

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Crispy Prosciutto-Wrapped Cauliflower

This recipe might not be traditionally Italian, but wrapping things in prosciutto is.

And you’ll want to try it because it’s like the fancy version of wrapping food in crispy bacon; yet it’s even easier to do at home to make an appetizer or afternoon snack.

Prosciutto is a kind of cured ham that’s shaved extremely thin, making it possible to wrap around even odd-shaped veggies like cauliflower.

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Tomato “Bruschetta” with Tuna & Cannellini Salad

It’s hard to say no to bread when you’re watching carbs, even if it’s just for a couple weeks to lean out. Look on the bright side, though, and you can try awesome alternatives like this that might actually make it into your regular meal rotation.

For a bread-free bruschetta, the tomatoes aren’t the topping but become the platform to serve white beans and tuna.

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Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs

Not all meatballs have to be eaten as a topping for spaghetti or a filling for subs. These are easy to make in a Crock Pot, yet good enough to wolf down without any extras.

These low-fat meatballs make a delicious appetizer, or you can eat a few with Parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top for a high-protein lunch. And, of course, they’re awesome with a bowl of any kind of pasta, and leftovers can make a mean sandwich.

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Hazelnut Protein Cookies

These low-carb Italian cookies are loaded with protein thanks to a combo of casein and whey powder. Aside from that, you only need egg whites, hazelnuts, and a couple squares of chocolate to make this cookie batter.

The result is an awesome sweet snack that has more protein than sugar. And since this recipe only makes a few cookies, you won’t be tempted to overindulge for days.

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