Between the tomatoes, the basil, and the easy-cooking fresh pasta, Italian cuisine tends to be my go-to inspiration in the summer. Knowing a few basic Italian-inspired (and Italian-American!) recipes can help you throw together fresh, impromptu meals in the summer with a minimum of recipe research and prep. Throw fresh tomatoes on a bed of quick pizza dough and grill; make a last-minute batch of fresh pasta, and toss with basil and ricotta. Read on for 15 classic Italian-inspired recipes we think everyone should know.
PIZZA
• 1 How To Grill Pizza - A grilled pizza is as good as it gets in the summertime. Here are clear instructions for making great pizza on the grill.
• 2 Homemade Thin Crust Pizza - And if you need a dough recipe, here's a good one — it needs almost no rise time. Mix it and use it right away.
PASTA
Pasta — the base of so many great Italian dishes. Start off with fresh, homemade pasta (it's really not hard) and then toss it with meat, greens, and cheese for your impromptu Italian supper. Extra credit if you use pesto.
• 3 Pasta with Mint Pesto, Peas and Ricotta Salata - A great example of how just a handful of vegetables and cheese transforms pasta into a real meal.
• 4 How To Make Lasagna - Everyone should know how to make lasagna!
• 5 Lighter Stuffed Pasta Shells - Another great way to turn pasta into a meal.
SAUCES
Any one of these sauces will make leftover sausage or a quick bowl of pasta into a great meal.
• 6 Basic Tomato Sauce (with Optional Zing!) - A simple, basic tomato sauce.
• 7 Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce - That classic, slow-cooked Italian flavor with a heaping helping of meat. Make in the slow cooker to keep your kitchen cool.
• 8 Uncooked Tomato Sauce - Or go the other direction and make sauce with no cooking at all.
MEATBALLS
These delicious meatball recipes are also good grilled. Use a grill basket or string them on bamboo skewers.
• 9 Totally Tender Meatballs in Tomato Sauce - Old-fashioned meatballs, tender and tasty.
• 10 Turkey Meatballs over Greens - A healthier, lighter approach to meatballs. Serve over any greens from the garden or your CSA box.
RISOTTO, GNOCCHI & POLENTA
Pasta gets all the starchy glory, but it's not the only carb in the Italian cook's repertoire. Try one of these easy meal bases.
• 11 Easy Ricotta Gnocchi - Tender little dumplings.
• 12 Red Pepper, Sausage, and Chard Risotto - A simple risotto with summer vegetables.
• 13 Homemade Piadinas - Sort of like an Italian burrito!
• 14 How To Make a Quick Bowl of Polenta in the Microwave - Polenta is good for so many things, and it's easy to make in the microwave.
• 15 Eggy, Crispy Polenta with Tomatoes & Mushrooms - An easy dinner, lunch, or even breakfast.
What are your go-to Italian recipes in the summertime?
More on Italian Cooking
• How To Make Pasta: Tips From My Italian-Mother-in-Law
• 10 of Our Favorite Ingredients for Italian Cooking
• Cooking By Feel: Italian Ingredients and Flavors
(Images: See linked recipe for full image credits)
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Oh man...about to ignite the North vs. South Italy Edition. Let's just say I'm Italian American and this would not be my list. Too much tomato sauce.
and as an Italian I shiver every time I see meat balls ... and why include two pizza recipes when your title is about going beyond Pizza.
And to agree with cmcinnyc - to much tomato and the usual suspects - where are the fish and seafood recipes - where the mushrooms?
Haha cmcinnyc, that is so true. My dad was from Venice and I'm certain he would have asked why everything was red. And the microwaved polenta would have him rolling too. Yikes.
Agreed with other commenters. This is a very Americanized look at Italian cooking.
Besides, most Americans don't even really associate pizza with Italian anymore. Pizza Hut and the like of readily available pizza is about as Italian as Kraft macaroni and cheese.
I am an american of Southern Italian descent (2nd gen), and I also find this list lacking. For starters, there's no main courses--only antipasti and primi. A basic repertoire should include one or two meat dishes--chicken milanese or veal piccatta, for example. Furthermore, any Italian cook worth his or her salt would also know how to make one or two simple dolci.
OK, Italian-American roll call: who's who? Piedmontese in the house. I see one Venetian and "Southern" which could be di Napoli or Sicilian or ? I swear there's a "15 essential recipes" list for every corner of Italy, and all of them good. Now you'll excuse me, I've got to go home and decide between fusilli with pesto and spring vegetables or just reheating last nights sedano e riso.
No seafood? I'm kind of confused by that. I'm not saying you need all seven fishes and I don't even eat calmari but not one of the fifteen is fish or veal?
I'm VERY loosely Italian and I don't get why its all lasagna/pizza and what my grandmother called "red gravy."
I'm Italian-American and I don't have a problem with this list! In fact, I just made grilled pizza this past weekend and it was delicious. :)
Most people recognize there's a big difference between Italian-American and Italian food, that the different regions have very different cuisines as well, and that all are good in their own right. Yes, there are some Americans who think people in Italy are chowing down on meatballs... but they also think Ceasar salad and Turkey Tetrazzini are Italian, so really, there is little hope for them.
pugliese here! i'm w/ Frank. where's the seafood? or any other mains for that matter?
I am not Italian. I am Danish/English. I LOVE these recipes! You actually make me believe I can make homemade pasta!!!
Thank you!
A first generation Italian American here from Calabria. We write all about Italian American food and recipes and yes the list above is a bit on the "American Italian" side. There are many fallacies to Italian food in American, including:
What's real Italian American food?
since there are so many Italian officials here, is there by any chance a foodnetwork chef celeb which is your fave? (just curious) maybe I'll check out their recipes more closely. thanks!
I looked at that list and thought: I always though I knew Italian food pretty well, could I be wrong? Happy to see that the Italians agree with me and that meatballs isn't Italian. I would be disappointed if I discovered I didn't know an Italian basic food recipe but not knowing American Italian food doesn't really bother me.
Two polenta recipes, two tomato sauce recipes, two meatball recipes, two pizza recipes- but many other basics are missing. No antipasti! Strange.