Slow-cooked red sauce is the backbone of Italian American cuisine. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
It's hard to think of a more comforting cuisine than Italian-American, in all of its red sauce-smothered, meaty, pasta-packed glory, and all week we've been celebrating Italian-American classics with a series of all-new recipes. But really, it was all leading up to this end goal: a comprehensive recipe guide for pretty much every Italian-American dish you can think of.
Don't see it on this list? Let us know, and we'll start working on it!
Sauce
The Best Slow-Cooked Red Sauce [Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
- The Best Slow-Cooked Red Sauce: This is red sauce that tastes like it's cooked all day because it really has. The key is using the oven to concentrate flavors.
- Quick Red Sauce: Don't have all day to make sauce? This 40-minute version still packs in plenty of long-cooked flavor.
- Fresh Tomato Sauce: The ultimate sauce for folks who have a summer harvest of fresh tomatoes.
- Marinara Sauce: A more classic approach flavored with celery, carrots, and onions.
- Vodka Cream Sauce: A creamy, vodka-spiked sauce for pizza or pasta.
Soups
Pasta e Fagioli [Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
- Cioppino: The seafood and tomato stew born in San Francisco.
- Pasta e Fagioli: A pasta and bean soup packed with tomato and Parmesan flavor.
- Chicken Pasta e Fagioli: Turn the pasta e fagioli into a bona fide meal by adding some tender chicken.
- Italian Honeymoon Soup: A lighter variation on Italian wedding soup with meatballs, pasta, and greens.
Pizza, Bread, and Sandwiches
Muffuletta [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
- Stromboli with Olives, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Ham, Salami, and Cheese: Pizza dough stuffed with flavor-packed ingredients, rolled up, and baked.
- Muffuleta: A New Orleans staple made by stacking cold cuts and olive salad onto Italian bread.
- New York Pizza: Our New York pizza is designed for eating by the crisp, cheesy slice.
- Foolproof Pan Pizza: The easiest pizza recipe we've ever seen. Bake it directly in a skillet for ultra-crispy edges.
- Sicilian Pizza: Square pie baked in a rimmed baking sheet with a crisp crust and a deep, airy crumb.
- Italian Beef Sandwich: The classic Chicago sandwich with tender thin-sliced beef, sauce, and pickled peppers.
- Pull Apart Pepperoni Garlic Knots: These crispy knots come with pepperoni, garlic, and cheese flavor packed into every nook and cranny.
Pasta for a Crowd
American Chop Suey [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
- American Chop Suey: This New England classic is known by different names around the country, but whether it's beefaroni, Johnny Marzetti, goulash, or even slumgullion, one thing's for sure: It's delicious.
- Lasagna Bolognese: The classic baked lasagna dish with creamy, meaty layers.
- Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna: A vegetarian lasagna that still packs in the flavor with mushrooms, spinach, and a ton of cheese.
- Baked Ziti: Tender pasta baked with sauce and cheese. The secret to ours is a Parmesan cream sauce and two types of mozzarella cheese.
- Cheesy Chili Mac and Cheese: Combine chili with macaroni and cheese for an insanely cheesy, meaty casserole.
Pasta and Grains
Seared Skirt Steak With Blistered Cherry Tomatoes and Polenta [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
- Fettuccine Alfredo: Our version of the cheesy fresh pasta dish has all the creaminess of the original, but won't weight you down.
- Penne alla Vodka with Chicken: Penne pasta in a creamy pink sauce with tender chicken.
- Polenta with Skirt Steak: Polenta is generally reserved for braises and stews, but we make a quick, rich pan sauce to moisten it up in this easy recipe.
- Polenta with Chicken: Cheesy polenta and braised chicken.
- Grilled Polenta Cakes with Egg: What to do with that leftover polenta? Let it sit overnight until you can slice and grill it into cakes served with eggs for brunch.
- Pasta with Mushroom Bolognese: A vegetarian version of the classic Bolognese meat sauce.
Mains
Chicken Parmesan [Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
- Super Simple Friday Night Meatballs: Easy meatballs designed for entertaining a big crowd with minimal work.
- All-American Eggplant Parmesan: Our All-American eggplant Parm uses slices of breaded and fried eggplant in a deep casserole.
- Asparagus and Pea Frittata: A tender frittata packed with asparagus and peas.
- Grilled Sausage with Peppers and Onions: Italian sausages grilled with peppers and onions. We use a combination of two cooking methods to deliver the juiciest sausages around.
- Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches: Italian sausages and smothered peppers stuffed into a hearty sandwich.
- Porchetta: Pork belly seasoned with garlic, pepper, and sage, rolled and slow-roasted until crisp and juicy.
- Chicken Parm: Our update on the classic employs a buttermilk brine for extra moisture and flavor.
- Grilled Sunday Gravy: All the flavors of the Italian-American weekend sauce, with the smokinesss of the grill thrown in for good measure.
- Slow-cooker Sunday Gravy: Forget standing above a pot and stirring all day, our Sunday Gravy recipes uses the slow cooker for faster results.
- Shrimp Scampi: Shrimp seared in a skillet and served with a garlicky lemon and wine-based butter sauce sauce.
Desserts
Ricotta and Chocolate Chip Cannoli [Photograph: Carey Jones]
- One Bowl Tiramisu: Super simple tiramisu made with just one bowl.
- Chocolate Tiramisu: A classic tiramisu packed with extra chocolate flavor.
- Ricotta and Chocolate Chip Cannoli: Jenny McCoy's take on the cannoli, stuffed with ricotta and chocolate chips.
- Olive Oil Pistachio Biscotti: Light and crisp biscotti flavored with pistachios and olive oil.
- Lemon Pine Nut Biscotti: Biscotti packed with pine nuts and lemon.
- Candied Almond and Chocolate Chip Biscotti: Cinnamon-coated almonds and dark chocolate give these biscotti an updated flavor.