8 Italian classics every home cook should know, according to chefs

With a few quintessential Italian dishes in your repertoire that you can practically ‘graduate’ in, you’ll impress your guests every time. And especially if, as a home cook, you’re not into fussy little bites but prefer putting real comfort food on the table, these are eight Italian dishes to show off with…

It’s no coincidence that many chefs also like to cook simple, warming food at home; things can get complicated and challenging in a restaurant kitchen. At home, you want something that isn’t overly contrived – which doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be made with love and attention! These are the quintessential Italian dishes that chefs think belong in everyone’s repertoire at home too:

Lasagne

With lasagne, it’s all about the layers, of course. It’s a dish that brings together characteristic products from Emilia-Romagna: good dairy, beef and grains (the flour in the pasta dough), along with that incomparable Parmigiano Reggiano. So what are you waiting for? Here is the ultimate lasagne recipe.

Bolognese

What we really mean here, of course, is ragù: the Italian meat sauce that spaghetti Bolognese has become synonymous with, but which is called ragù in Bologna. According to chefs, the most important thing is to give it really, really, really plenty of time; people are often in a hurry and throw everything into the pan too quickly. Take a few hours at your leisure and do as the Italians do: in the meantime, simply enjoy a glass (or two) of good Sangiovese.

Cacio e Pepe

If you’ve ever tried making this at home, you may have ended up with a sad pan full of lumpy, stringy cheese, looking nothing like the steaming dish of pasta with an ultra-smooth cheese coating you were aiming for. It can be a deceptive dish: it seems so simple because of the small number of ingredients, but it really does take some practice. To create a smooth emulsion of the cheese and the small amount of pasta water, your timing has to be spot-on, so keep practicing. Because once you’ve mastered it, this is such a wonderful classic!

Panzanella

This classic tomato bread salad, originally devised to use up stale bread, is another dish that looks easy but actually requires quite a bit of attention. If you don’t get the balance right, you’ll end up with a disappointing, wet, soggy mouthful, so you need to find the right mix of textures and flavors. Juicy ripe tomatoes, savory olives, fruity olive oil and crunchy bread. Yum!

Meatballs

Especially among Italian Americans, the dish spaghetti with meatballs is a classic hit, and an iconic part of it is the red sauce. But you can perfect your own version at home too, because it’s a cozy dish that offers endless room for variation. Try making the meatballs with plenty of Parmesan, roasted garlic mixed into the ground meat and fresh parsley! Or roasted pine nuts—also absolutely delicious…

Melanzane Parmigiana

An editorial favorite, this incredibly delicious layered eggplant dish combines the earthy flavors of eggplant, the umami of tomato sauce and the sheer deliciousness of really good mozzarella. Ultimate comfort food—and because of the tomatoes and eggplant, healthy too (so we think)…

Risotto

Stirring a pan of risotto calms me completely—a glass of wine alongside, mentally going over the day that’s just passed, and then, after half an hour, you emerge from a kind of trance to find a pan full of creamy happiness in front of you. Wonderful, right! With saffron (risotto Milanese), with fresh truffle, with peas and sage: I think they’re all equally fantastic. The same applies here: with few ingredients, but plenty of calm and time, you can put something wonderful on the table.

Linguine or spaghetti alle vongole

You’ll find this classic along virtually every coast of Italy, and it’s also easy to make at home. Ask your fishmonger for a net of vongole, although I’ve also secretly made it with cockles when those were readily available. So briny, and with the freshness of parsley and lemon and the heat of red chili peppers, it’s a truly excellent dish.

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