52 Classic Italian Dinner Recipes That Go Beyond Pasta

To cook Italian food means to cook love—from these epic meatballs to this classic lasagne to baked ziti, there is everything you could possibly imagine here to get your creative, Italian juices flowing. Throw on an apron campers, because making marinara is a thing and we recommend you get fully involved. We're talking heavy on the olive oil, maybe some dramatic wafting, tasting periodically—the whole shebang.

Italy and America merging together in the food world gave us our favorite dishes of all time. We took that lovechild and brought a few ideas of our own to the table. Because let's face it, no other cuisine in the history of the world has been so renowned and beloved as Italian—facts. The secret? Simplicity. Most home cooks learned on their grandmother's shoulder, and what's incredible is that most of those recipes haven't changed that much since a few generations ago. Those old-school recipes include only a couple of key ingredients and the name of the game is high quality. Now we're not asking you to be first in line at the farmer's market on a Saturday, but if you are making a recipe with just a handful of ingredients, go for some organic garlic and high quality olive oil—it'll make a difference.

So ok, we know you love pizza and pasta, but we have a few other ideas. Of course the best idea would be to pair a fun Italian dessert to go with this feast—but hey, it's your party! Ciao!