You can thank our Nonna for these 11 delish Italian dishes

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Do you love making Italian food at home? Well, then, you’re going to love taking a peek inside Nonna’s recipe box for 11 can’t fail Italian dishes and ideas for meals, plus one delish dessert. Once you’ve added them to your collection, you’ll never order take out Italian food again.

A person pulling apart a gooey, cheese-filled arancini with more of the fried rice balls and sauce in the background.
Photo credit: Leah Ingram.

Easy Pasta Puttanesca

A pan full of spaghetti and tomatoes on a tablecloth.
Easy Pasta Puttanesca. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

You won’t believe how quickly you can get Nonna’s Pasta Puttanesca recipe on the table for dinner. Even though it may have ingredients you may not be used to using, it will quickly become your go-to weeknight pasta.
Get the Recipe: Easy Pasta Puttanesca

Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce

A hand holding a slice of freshly baked pizza with cheese stretching between the slice and the rest of the pizza.
Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Just by adding a hunk of goat cheese to marinara sauce, you’ll discover a new and wonderful flavor for a pizza sauce. Layer on fresh slices of mozzarella and your kids won’t want pizzeria pizza ever again.
Get the Recipe: Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce

Sourdough Pizza Dough

Sliced gourmet pizza with arugula and balsamic glaze on a wooden board.
Sourdough Pizza Dough. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

You may think of using your sourdough starter only for making traditional loaves of bread. However, once you use it to make a pizza crust, you’ll discover the tastiest pizza you’ve ever baked. Your family will agree.
Get the Recipe: Sourdough Pizza Dough

Easy Meat Sauce

A pot of tomato sauce with a spoon in it.
Easy Meat Sauce. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Meat sauce is a traditional Sunday recipe in Italian households. This recipe offers an easy way to capture that tradition, plus offers ideas for vegan meat options that mimic the taste of the real thing without the guilt.
Get the Recipe: Easy Meat Sauce

Grandma’s Marinara Sauce

A pan of marinara sauce with a wooden spatula.
Grandma’s Marinara Sauce. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Marinara is the meat-free version of a meat sauce. So, it’s all vegetarian and the one sauce that can become so many different things in your kitchen, such as the basis for the delish goat cheese pizza sauce mentioned earlier. Get the Recipe: Grandma’s Marinara Sauce

Vegan Pesto Sauce

Homemade basil pesto in a glass jar surrounded by fresh basil leaves and a slice of lemon.
Vegan Pesto Sauce. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Nonna may not be vegan but she taught us how to make a basic basil pesto sauce. With a few substitutions, this becomes a wonderful vegan option for serving over pasta when you have vegan friends over for a meal.
Get the Recipe: Vegan Pesto Sauce

Fast No Rise Pizza Dough

Kneading dough on a floured surface.
Fast No Rise Pizza Dough. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Is it a busy weeknight and your family is clamoring for pizza but you’re looking to save money? No problem. You can make this fast, no rise pizza dough in a manner of minutes and get it in the oven for a fast dinner.
Get the Recipe: Fast No Rise Pizza Dough

Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls

Three golden-brown arancini on a red plate with a side of sauce.
Photo credit: Leah Ingram.

Do you miss being able to buy cheese-filled rice balls at Trader Joe’s since the store discontinued them? Well, this copycat recipe will have your taste buds cheering. These risotto balls taste like the real thing.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls

Pizza Toppings Bar

Five assorted pizza slices arranged side by side on a wooden surface.
Pizza Toppings Bar. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

It’s expensive to order pizza and add toppings. So why not create a pizza toppings bar at home so that everyone in your family can make their own pizza just the way they want it to taste. Bet you picky eaters will dig in, too.
Get the Recipe: Pizza Toppings Bar

Best Way to Reheat Lasagna

A slice of freshly baked lasagna with melted cheese on a white plate.
Best Way to Reheat Lasagna. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Leftovers are a great way to get dinner on the table fast. And pasta dishes are some of the tastiests leftovers out there. However, if you’ve ever tried to reheat lasagna, things might not have gone well. Well, not anymore.
Get the Recipe: Best Way to Reheat Lasagna

Italian Easter Cake

A bundt cake with white frosting and colorful sprinkles on a red plate, placed on a wooden table.
Italian Easter Cake. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Even if you’re not Italian and even if it’s not Easter time, you’ll love this easy-to-make cake which comes with a hint of anise. You can make it in a bundt pan so it’s circular or in a regular pan. Plus, the icing is super simple.
Get the Recipe: Italian Easter Cake

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