Italian American

At Pietro’s, the cooks deep fry the chicken cutlets in a large, wide skillet, which allows the oil to come up to temperature very quickly and stay there once the cutlet is added. Smart, but potentially messy (it’s a lot of oil!). If you have a Dutch oven with high sides, that will minimize splatter—we’d feel rotten if you got burned.

Add another ½ tsp. red pepper flakes if you like it fiery; omit them all if you don’t. This sauce pairs perfectly with our mozzarella sticks.

Visit an Italian deli and splurge on the cold cuts, but hit the supermarket for everything else, including the not-too-crusty rolls that are usually loaded into bins in the bakery section.

There’s nothing wrong with a regular tomato-and-mayo sandwich, but this shredded lettuce and Italian vinaigrette masterpiece is worthy too.

At L.A.'s Chi Spacca, chef Chad Colby loves grass-fed, a.k.a. red, veal for its marbling and color, but regular milk-fed veal will work well. He often brines his meat, too: Here is his go-to basic brine recipe.

We wanted a recipe that was a better expression of “primavera,” literally "spring" in Italian. We swapped the oft used tomatoes and angel hair pasta for sturdy linguini and the first of spring’s green offerings.

Let’s cut to the chase: Nobody likes tough balls. Easy. Don’t overwork the meatball mixture, and make sure to simmer gently.

The second rise is key to the finished pie’s texture; if baked too soon, the dough will be firm and too chewy. Make sure it feels floppy, with plenty of puffy air bubbles.

A version of this recipe helped chef Danny Bowien win the Pesto World Championship in Italy in 2008. He was kind enough to let us adapt it a bit.

Leftovers are the key to packing lunches easily—and this recipe is perfect for that. Plus it freezes well, too; if you freeze in small portioned containers, all you have to do is reheat and go.

You know those days when you can’t decide if you want to grill sausage or burgers? Problem solved.

In this turkey-spinach meatballs recipe, you brown them under the broiler instead of in the pan. It’s faster, neater, and big-batch friendly.

Ask anybody’s nonna: Making Sunday sauce is not an exact science. You can use other meats—like thick pork chops or short ribs—in place of or in addition to the ones listed here.

For this classic garlic bread, you can cut and butter the bread well in advance, but don’t bake it until guests arrive. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

To prevent the pasta from getting too soft, we cook it separately and toss it with olive oil and chopped parsley, then spoon it into each bowl of soup.

Warm spices, supersweet Sun Gold tomatoes, and a short cooking time reinvent the ordinary marinara.

Use your favorite low-fat turkey or chicken sausage in this slimmed-down version of the Italian sandwich classic.

Using chicken thighs instead of breasts ensures juicy cutlets, and the best chicken parm recipe you'll ever make.