30+ Italian Dinner Recipes – Meals We Make In Italy That Everyone Likes

Last updated on September 16th, 2024

I always say the hardest part about running a household is planning dinner recipes. It’s so easy to get caught in a rut and end up making the same old recipes over and over again. I am so guilty of this. Are you with me?

That is why I created this running list of Italian dinner recipes to refer to and go over when I just can’t wrap my brain around planning my weeknight dinner recipes to make. 

As a busy mom of four in Tuscany, I don’t really have time to waste pondering new and fun recipes to make, which is why I have several lists by food type that I refer to each week when planning what we will be having for dinner (and I add to them continuously). 

When I can, I will share with you the recipe I always use, making it easy to actually follow through with these Italian dinner recipe ideas. 

Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is an easy Italian chicken recipe made by quickly pan frying chicken and making a pan sauce with white wine, capers and garlic. Quick and easy, this is a no-fuss easy weeknight meal that I serve with rice and frozen peas or green beans. 

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is another simple chicken breast recipe that comes together in about 30 minutes, not unsimilar to how Chicken Piccata is made. The chicken breast slices are quickly pan fried and the Marsala sauce is made in the same pan, making for easy clean up. 

Ragu Bolognese

Any kind of ragu or meat sauce is a staple in my Italian house. I usually make up a huge batch and freeze it in individual portion sizes that I can easily defrost and serve as a quick weeknight dinner or pull out for busy weekends when I don’t have time to make lunch. 

Pasta meals in my  house are usually served with a side salad with lots of seasonal veggies such as tomatoes, fennel, carrots, radishes and herbs. 

Polpette

Polpette in Italian are meatballs but instead of being served in a red sauce over spaghetti, they are served as a main course with vegetables and a starch like mashed potatoes, rice or polenta. 

I make meatballs in all sorts of different ways including in tomato sauce, pan fried, oven baked or even deep fried. What makes meatballs one of the more popular Italian dinner recipes in my house is that it’s versatile and they are fun to eat. You can make them different each time by using a combination of ground meats and adding different flavors such as parsley, sun dried tomatoes or parmesan cheese. 

I even make a canned tuna meatball with ricotta cheese, lemon and parsley which we love to dip in homemade mayonnaise! 

Osso Buco

Osso buco are veal shanks slow cooked and served with a gremolata. This is one of those recipes that’s a show stopper yet easy to prepare as you can make it in a crockpot or slow-cook it in the oven as a braise. 

Spezzatino

Italian beef stew or spezzatino is a great one-pot meal to make once and serve twice. I add carrots and potatoes (sometimes frozen peas right at the end), making it a complete meal. This way, I don’t have to rack my brain for other sides to serve with it. 

Get The Recipe: Make spezzatino with easy to follow instructions in Traditional Italian Beef Stew – Our Tuscan Nonna’s Recipe.

Carbonara

Carbonara is my go-to weekend pasta dish in our household. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love it. It’s rich and creamy with plenty of protein from the eggs. 

Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e pepe is another go-to pasta dish that my whole family loves. I find it a little tricky to learn to make so if you have never made it, don’t do it on a busy weeknight when you are stressed for time. Once you learn how, it’s a crowd pleaser for sure. 

Get The Recipe: Learn to make cacio and pepe in Cacio e Pepe – Pronounce it Like an Italian (+ Audio).

Frittata

A frittata is an Italian omelet served as a main course in Italy for either lunch or dinner. It’s an extremely versatile dish that you can adapt to what you have leftover in the refrigerator. I make a roasted potato frittata which my kids love as well as a pea, prosciutto and parmesan version. Use zucchini, asparagus or whatever veggies you have and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes!

Studying in Italy? A frittata is one of my favorite Quick and Easy Meals to Cook as a Student in Italy.

Roman Chicken Cacciatore

Roman chicken cacciatore is a stewed chicken dish flavored with rosemary, sage, white wine and lots of vinegar and garlic. I like this because I can make it in a crockpot or earlier in the week and serve it another day when I know I will be home late.

Get The Recipe: To make Roman chicken cacciatore, follow my instructions in White Chicken Cacciatore Recipe – Roman Chicken Cacciatore.

Chicken Cacciatore

Italian chicken cacciatore is another go-to in my house similar to the Roman style version but made with tomatoes. What makes these stewed chicken recipes so nice is that you can use whatever chicken pieces your family prefers. We usually double the recipe and use two full chickens cut up into pieces but if your family prefers dark meat, stick to thighs and legs. 

Get The Recipe: Follow my fool-proof instructions in Authentic Chicken Cacciatore – My Tuscan Family’s Recipe.

Peposo

Peposo in a peppery red wine beef stew that is so easy to make you won’t believe. It’s an ancient recipe that requires you to literally throw 5 ingredients in a pot and walk away. You don’t even have to brown the meat! 

Get The Recipe: Learn to make this no-fuss Tuscan beef stew in Brunelleschi’s Peposo: The Easiest Italian Stew to Learn to Make at Home.

Saltimbocca

Saltimboca is a Roman dish made from veal cooked with sage and prosciutto. Although more expensive than what I typically prefer to spend on a weeknight meal, this is something fun and exciting for a Friday or Saturday night at my house that everyone loves. 

Minestrone

Italian minestrone or vegetable soup is a winter dish that even my pickiest kid eats. I make mine with plenty of olive oil and serve it with either small pasta, rice or cannellini beans, giving it lots of flavor and bulk. Make a double batch and freeze it for a second dinner.

Get The Recipe: Learn how to make my kid-friendly Italian vegetable soup in Italian Recipe for Minestrone Soup – That Your Kids Will Actually Want to Eat!

Ribollita

Ribollita is a dish we only make in the winter when leafy winter greens are in season but when we do, it’s a meal we end up enjoying for both dinner and as leftovers for lunch throughout the week. It’s super healthy and vegan! 

Get The Recipe: Vegan vegetable and bread stew can be made easily with my recipe Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Recipe – Straight from Italy!

Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma is a hearty pasta dish even for those folks who claim they don’t like eggplant. Although the original recipe asks you to fry the eggplant, you certainly don’t have to (bake, grill or saute), making it much healthier and easier to clean up after.

Dig Deeper: To read more about the most popular pastas in Italy check out Famous Italian Pasta Dishes – by Region.

Scaloppine

Scaloppine is more of a technique or category than a specific dish characterized by cooking thin slices of beef, veal or chicken and making a sauce in the same pan, often with wine, mushrooms, butter, parsley and/or lemon. Scaloppine comes together really quickly and can be pieced together with what ingredients you have in the fridge. Use red or white wine, capers, fresh tomatoes, butter, garlic, olive oil, seasonal herbs, whatever! 

Braccioline Fritte

Braccioline fritte are fried veal cutlets that we make for dinner on the weekends. My Italian husband grew up with these and although it took me several years to finally love them as much as he does, they are a dish I can count on everyone enjoying in my house. Thin slices of beef or veal are breaded and fried quickly. Served with lemon and a salad, this meal is true Italian comfort food. 

Risotto

Risotto is a favorite vegetarian meal we make on a weekly basis switching out the flavors based on the season. In the summer, we like to use tomato and basil, zucchini and eggplant while spring versions include peas, asparagus and artichokes. 

Risotto is a recipe that I am able to make even when I have nothing in the house by adding a cup of reconstituted dried mushrooms, which is actually one of the most flavorful versions of risotto you can make! 

Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e fagioli is one of those penny dinners that comes together at no cost. Use either canned or dried beans cooked with a soffritto to create a filling and hearty base. Add cooked pastina or small pasta and dinner is served. 

Tip: Use dried beans and make them ahead of time for the cheapest version of this dish. If you are crunched for time, use canned beans and this meal comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. You can even use frozen soffritto to speed things up. 

Lasagne

Lasagne is a hearty winter meal our whole family considers comfort food. This Italian dinner recipe is more of a weekend meal as it takes several steps and pots to make (which is why I like to make two at a time and freeze one).

To learn all about Italy’s most beloved lasagne and how versatile it is, read Eight Types Of Lasagna (Lasagne) – My Italian Family’s Favorite And Where To Eat It In Italy.

Pizza

Pizza is one of those ‘all hands on deck’ Italian dinner recipes that is more of a family event. Each of our kids make their own pizza and we make a whole evening of it. The dough and sauce can be prepped ahead of time, giving you time to actually enjoy your weekend and come home to a fun family activity. To learn more about pizza in Italy, read Pizza In Italy – A Traveler’s Guide To Eating Pizza In Italy.

Get The Recipe: Get my recipe to Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce Recipe – Straight From Italy!

Tuscan Kale Soup

Tuscan kale soup is an Italian dinner recipe we make every week when we have kale growing in our garden. It’s so healthy and with some homemade bread such as schiacciata or focaccia, it’s filling and satisfying. 

Get The Recipe: Learn to make all my favorite kale recipes in Popular Tuscan Kale Recipes – What Italians Make With Tuscan Kale and this soup with

Polenta with Kale and Cannellini Beans

Polenta with kale and cannellini beans is one of my favorite vegan dinner meals to cook in the winter. It’s made by slow cooking stone ground polenta with cannellini beans and kale for a comforting, hearty stew. 

Get The Recipe: Learn to make Polenta with kale and cannellini beans here.

Tortellini in Brodo

Tortellini in brodo, tortellini stuffed pasta served in broth, is considered pure comfort food in my house. There is nothing better than coming home on a winter day to stuffed pasta cooked in really good, homemade beef broth. This recipe can also be made with bone broth.

Pasta al Forno

Pasta al forno is any kind of baked pasta in Italian. This can mean baked ziti, pasta baked in a white sauce with sausage and mushrooms or any other vegetable. Our favorite is one of the easiest of all made with meat sauce that I pull out of the freezer, bechamel sauce and mozzarella cheese. The sky’s the limit when it comes to making pasta al forno. Get creative and see what your family likes best. 

Stracciatella alla Romana

Stracciatella alla Romana is Italy’s version of egg drop soup. Eggs are scrambled into simmering beef or chicken broth to create “rags” of eggs. If my kids are sick, I make this for the whole family. 

Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice

Stuffed tomatoes with rice is an Italian dinner recipe I like to make when it’s too hot to cook. I will make it earlier in the day when it’s not super hot and then serve it at room temperature at dinner time. It’s a great vegetarian dinner, easily adapted to be vegan as well. 

Get The Recipe: Follow my step-by-step instructions in Stuffed Tomatoes With Rice – My Tuscan Family’s Favorite Vegetarian Meal.

Pizza Pinsa

Pizza pinsa, just like pizza night, is a fun activity for the whole family. This Roman pizza dough recipe is made with a combination of rice, soy and regular flour, creating an extra flavorful dough.  

Get The Recipe: Learn how I like to top my pizza pinsa and how to make the dough in What Is Pinsa? – All About Rome’s Healthy Pizza.

Pasta Pomodoro

Pasta pomodoro or pasta with tomato sauce is perhaps Italy’s most iconic dish and certainly an easy weeknight meal in my house. Just like with meat sauce, I usually make up a large batch of tomato sauce and freeze it in individual portions, making weeknight meals a lot easier. You can also make a simple version with just garlic, salt and basil (no soffritto or onion needed!), ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta. 

Get The Recipe: For fresh tomato sauce, follow my recipe here. If you have canned tomatoes, read Pomodoro Sauce Recipe – Authentic Tomato Sauce Straight From An Italian Kitchen. Also, read about the different types of Italian canned tomatoes.

Italian Farro Salad

Italian farro salad is a favorite dinner recipe that I use to incorporate whatever I have in the fridge. I will use asparagus, zucchini, green beans and whatever cheese I have including parmesan, mozzarella or even chunks of hard cheese like pecorino.

It can be served warm or room temperature, depending on what ingredients and flavorings you use, making it a perfect picnic item.

Get The Recipe: Get my recipe for Italian farro salad in Spring Italian Farro Salad – The Easiest Whole Grain Picnic Salad.

Italian Lentil Soup

Italian lentil soup is the ideal winter soup for serving with a crusty slice of bread and a hefty drizzle of olive oil. Make this crockpot meal and have it ready for when you get home in the evening. It freezes well and can be enjoyed all week for lunch. 

Get The Recipe: Learn how to make Italian lentil soup using my recipe Italian Lentil Soup Recipe – Easy Italian Dinner Crockpot Recipe.