18 Italian-American Recipes Everyone Should Try At Least Once

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Italian-American cuisine blends familiarity and comfort. It's the kind of cooking people turn to for family gatherings, weddings, holidays, and those nights when you just want something familiar on your plate. But at its heart, this culinary tradition reflects the everyday lives of immigrants, people who adapted to a new land — often influenced by urban life in places like New York and Philadelphia — where they raised families and told stories around the dinner table.

In this collection, you'll find some of the most iconic Italian-American recipes you should try at least once. These dishes are shaped by Italian regional cooking, fit to American palates, and are full of flavor yet very attainable for the home cook. They're often passed down from relatives or friends, adjusted and transformed, and frequently become a beloved part of the dinner rotation. Many of them are designed to feed a crowd or stretch into leftovers. Each comes with a side of history and information about how it's typically served or what makes it uniquely Italian-American.

Biscotti, meaning "twice baked" in Italian, has roots in Ancient Rome, where it was the perfect transportable food for sailors and later explorers like Christopher Columbus.

This modern double chocolate cherry version leans sweet, buttery, and more dessert-forward than traditional recipes. Serve the biscotti alongside boozy lattes at your next brunch and you'll be conscripted into breakfast duty for the foreseeable future.

Recipe: Double Chocolate Cherry Biscotti 

For many Italian-American families, Easter means pies. Every region has a unique take on these dishes, but most have a core of meat, cheese, and a pastry shell. This version includes traditional ingredients like prosciutto, as well as smoked ham, pepperoni, and a homemade crust formed with cold butter instead of lard. 

This pie is best served at room temperature and can be served as a main dish at breakfast or as a side. Pair it with sweet anise bread and you'll have a meal worth celebrating.

Recipe: Italian Easter Pie

Italian wedding soup has nothing to do with nuptials. Its name comes from a similar Italian dish known as minestra maritata, which means "married soup," after the way the meat and vegetable flavors mingle harmoniously in the broth. 

This Italian-American version is satisfying, made with a mix of beef and pork meatballs, spinach, and pasta seasoned with herbs and lemon. It strikes a perfect balance of protein, greens, and broth, freezes well, and is a great meal-prep item to add to your roster.

Recipe: Rustic Italian Wedding Soup

In Italy, the term "antipasti" is associated with small plates served before a meal — typically meats, cheeses, and olives. This veggie antipasti pasta salad is designed to be flavorful and easy to customize. You can swap out ingredients, such as pepperoncinis for spicier pickled jalapeños or black olives for green olives, to suit your tastes. Make the zesty lemon dressing ahead of time and dress your salad before you plan to serve it.

Recipe: Veggie Antipasti Italian Pasta Salad

Stromboli is an Italian-American invention of the late 1940s and is thought to have originated among Italian immigrants near Philadelphia. Unlike its calzone cousin, stromboli is rolled rather than folded, allowing the fillings — often meat, cheese, and peppers — to blend with the flavor of the dough.

This simple recipe relies on pepperoni, a distinctly Italian-American cured meat, for its savory bite and premade pizza dough for convenience. Stromboli is easy to slice and serve, making it ideal for casual dinners, especially when dipped in fresh marinara.

Recipe: Homemade Pepperoni Stromboli

This classic Italian-American sandwich turns simple meatballs and sauce into a full meal. Serving them on great bread or a sub roll with melty cheese turns a side dish into a favorite that you'll find at many sub shops or on Italian-American restaurant menus.

Prepare yourself for a little mess but a whole lot of flavor, thanks to pillowy meatballs, fragrant tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella. Make all the ingredients ahead of time and freeze them for later, then serve it with a simple salad or salty chips.

Recipe: Italian Meatball Sandwich

The Philly cheesesteak is one of the most recognizable Italian-American sandwiches, with roots in South Philadelphia in the 1930s. Allegedly created by an Italian-American hot dog cart owner, it combines thinly sliced beef, onions, and melted cheese on a long roll. 

Despite its simplicity, technique matters, from slicing the beef properly to choosing the right cheese — the classic is provolone or Cheese Whiz. Our version is easy to recreate at home and works well for feeding a crowd. 

Recipe: Homemade Philly Cheesesteak

If you've ever been to a pizza place in New York, you've probably seen garlic knots on the menu. They are simple but full of flavor, thanks to ingredients like butter, garlic, dough, and herbs.

The key is knowing when to stop baking them, which keeps the dough soft on the inside and lightly crisp on the outside. Our classic recipe is best served warm, with a side of marinara, and can be served as an appetizer or a side.

Recipe: Classic Buttery Garlic Knots

This iconic Italian-American dish, also known as "shoemaker's chicken," is distinctly tangy, peppery, moderately spicy, and full of flavor. 

Our authentic recipe features chicken cooked with peppers, sausage, garlic, and a unique pan sauce. It's a great option for those who don't care for tomatoes but still want that bright flavor. Serve it with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Recipe: Authentic Chicken Scarpariello

Stuffed shells are a comfort food made with pasta, cheese, meat, and sauce. They're filling, easy to scale up or down, and can be frozen and reheated for busy families. 

In this hearty take, large pasta shells are filled with ricotta and spinach, layered with marinara and sausage, and baked until bubbly. Serve them alongside pans of chicken scarpariello or chicken marsala at your next Sunday dinner. 

Recipe: Baked Stuffed Shells

Baked ziti, which originated in Southern Italy and was adapted to American tastes, is another reliable Italian-American recipe. Rather than being stuffed like shells, these noodles are mixed casserole-style with aromatic red sauce, cheese, and sweet Italian sausage. 

While simple in concept, baked ziti is endlessly customizable with different meats and cheeses and even different levels of heat, depending on which spices you add. Leftovers reheat well, making it a practical choice for planning meals in advance.

Recipe: Classic Baked Ziti

Alfredo sauce, as it's known in the United States, is a creamy Italian-American adaptation of the simpler Italian butter-and-cheese pasta. The cream makes it richer, but it's still rather straightforward and affordable to make at home. 

It also pairs well with almost any meat, from chicken and shrimp to steak. Grill or saute your meat with simple seasonings, slice it, and layer it on top of your pasta, and you'll have a full meal in minutes.

Recipe: Easy Alfredo Sauce

Penne alla vodka is a relatively modern, arguably Italian-American pasta dish that combines tomato sauce, cream, and vodka. The alcohol helps balance the flavors from the tomatoes and cream, adding depth without overpowering the sauce. 

Our recipe is rich but balanced and can be served on its own or alongside a meat dish. Leftovers hold up well, making it a good option for meal prep.

Recipe: Classic Penne Alla Vodka

Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American favorite featuring pan-seared chicken in a sauce made with mushrooms and Marsala wine. The wine adds sweetness and depth, making the sauce both savory and slightly rich. If you're not a fan of fungi, you can omit them and still achieve great flavor. 

This dish comes together relatively quickly and works well for weeknight dinners or entertaining. It's best served with pasta, mashed potatoes, or vegetables.

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Marsala

Chicken Parmesan is one of the most recognizable Italian-American restaurant dishes. Breaded chicken cutlets are fried, topped with sauce and cheese, and baked until melted and bubbly. 

While versions exist in Italy using eggplant, chicken Parmesan is largely an Italian-American creation. While you can serve our version with pasta, it can also stand on its own. This dish is comforting, filling, and well-suited for feeding a group.

Recipe: Crispy and Saucy Chicken Parmesan

The term "scampi" originally referred to a small, lobster-like creature found in the North Atlantic. Because these crustaceans were never widely available to Italian-American cooks, they applied the same garlic-and-butter cooking style to other seafood while keeping the name. 

Our version combines shrimp and scallops with a white wine, butter, garlic, and red pepper flake sauce and pasta for a rich, decadent main or side. This scampi comes together quickly, making it ideal for a special dinner that doesn't require hours in the kitchen.

Recipe: Shrimp and Scallop Scampi

Toasted bread, butter, and garlic — this is the deceptively simple trifecta that makes garlic bread pair beautifully with pretty much anything.

This homemade garlic bread can be customized with herbs or cheese. It's also a convenient way to use up bread before it goes stale. Our recipe calls for ciabatta, but leftover baguette or thick slices of a rustic homemade loaf would work perfectly as well.

Recipe: Homemade Garlic Bread

Italian rainbow cookies are a fun and colorful challenge. There's a reason they've become a regular in Italian-American bakery displays, holiday spreads, and cookie exchanges — and they're sure to become a requested favorite if you bring them to your next party. 

This dessert recipe, adapted from "Everyday's a Sundae" by Stephen Collucci, requires time and precision. The layers of almond sponge cake, jam, and chocolate are both visually striking and downright delicious. 

Recipe: Italian Rainbow Cookie

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