Classic Italian Dishes

Italian cuisine is one of the most popular in the world with influences abroad making the best italian dishes. All of us know it like the country were is served the original pizza and pasta in many types. The italian dishes are made only from four to eight ingredients and usually cheese and wine are the major part of it.

The shape of the pasta gives the name to the dish, and most popular are penne, macaroni, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, lasagne, ravioli and tortellini. The pasta is usually served with a sauce. Italian cuisine also has very famous desserts which are very popular outside of Italy. If you had a chance to go to Italy I’m sure you’ve tried one of these, but if you still hadn’t chance to do it, than we give you our „menu“ with the top Italian dishes, so just pick one and try it at home.

Amazing Italian Dishes

• Pasta e fagioli

This means „pasta and beans“. This is traditional meatless dish, which is made from olive oil, garlic, onion, spices, tomato or tomato paste with a small type of pasta like macaroni or ditalini. Today this Italian dish can be found in every restaurant, not only in Italy, but in the United States too.

 

• Fettuccine Alfredo

This is a pasta dish made with fettuccine pasta with parmesan cheese and butter. This dish was named by the famous Italian restaurateur, Alfredo Di Lelio. Fettuccine Alfredo is rarely used in Italy and in US cuisine this dish is mixed with cream, broccoli, garlic and chicken.

 

• Spaghetti alla Bolognese

As the name says this type of pasta is made from spaghetti and Bolognese sauce with a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano cheese. Bolognese sauce is made from tomato sauce and meat (beef or pork) added. The dish consists of ground beef, tomato, onion, bacon, spices, possibly cream and additional vegetables such as carrots, celery, or parsnip. It’s interesting that this dish is very popular outside of Italy, and it never existed in Bologna.

 

• Pasta alla carbonara

Pasta alla carbonara was created in the middle of the 20th century. This Italian pasta dish is based on and cheese (Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano), bacon and black pepper. Some believe the dish was first made as a Hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers because of the name „carbonaro“ which means charcoal burner.

 

• Frittata

Frittata is dish based on eggs, and it’s similar to an omelette enriched with ingredients like meat, cheeses, vegetables or pasta and it may be flavored with herbs. Unlike an omelette, which is generally served whole to a single diner, a frittata is usually divided into slices, and it may be served hot or cold, accompanied by bread, olives, fresh salads or beans.

 

• Penne all’ arrabbiata

Here is used penne and sauce which is made from garlic, tomatoes and red chili peppers cooked in olive oil. Arrabbiato in Italian means angry, so the name of this Italian dish is due to the heat of the red chili peppers. So if you’re a fan of chili you would probably like this.

 

• Gelato

This is dessert similar to ice cream and is made with milk, cream, various sugars, and flavoring such as fresh fruit and nut purees. The popularity of Gelato increased in the 1920s–1930s in the northern Italian city of Varese where the first Gelato cart was developed.

 

• Tiramisu

If you haven’t heard about it before I guess you think this is pasta meal, but it isn’t. We made a place for the Italian desserts in our top 10 list of Italian dishes. So this tiramisu I was talking about, for me is the king of the desserts. In Italian Tiramisu means „pick me up“ metaphorically, “make me happy”. Well I don’t know about you, but one piece of this sure would make me happy. Tiramisu is made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone cheese, and flavored with liqueur and cocoa.

 

• Bruschetta

This is antipasti dish which consist toasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra virgin olive oil. You can also add tomatoes, vegetables, meat, basil, red pepper if you want to experiment. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer.

 

• Neapolitan pizza – „Pizza napoletana“

Pizza is round bread topped with tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings. The original pizza first was made in Naples, Italy, but this dish today is popular all around the world. In 2009, upon Italy’s request, Neapolitan pizza was safeguarded in the European Union as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed dish. Neapolitan pizzas are typically made with tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese. If you have been to Italy and you didn’t try the original pizza, that’s just like you have been to Paris, but you didn’t saw the Eiffel Tower. But still if you haven’t been there on the internet you can find many recipes how to prepare your own homemade Italian pizza.

I hope we inspired you to try the Italian cuisine of the best Italian dishes at your home.