Recipes

19 Italian-American Classics That Bring the Red Sauce Experience Home

Open a bottle of Chianti, tuck your napkin under your chin, and dive right in.
An oval serving plate with four browned chicken cutlets in a garlicbutter sauce topped with capers parsley and lemon wedges.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene

There’s something absolutely perfect about a red sauce restaurant: The checkered tablecloths, the enormous portions, decor that hasn’t changed since 1973, the fact that the room is full of regulars. It’s so perfect, in fact, that you can expect to find a similar kind of experience walking into any joint, no matter where you are in America. (Read up on all of our favorites here.) But sometimes, you just want to bring that vibe—that “muzzadelle feeling,” as author Emma Straub describes it—home, and not just because of leftovers. From buttery, lemony chicken piccata to cheese-stuffed shells drenched in marinara, we’ve got 14 iconic Italian-American classics to satisfy that need.

  • Image may contain Food Lasagna Pasta and Pizza
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene
    3/19

    Sausage and Ricotta Baked Cannelloni

    Here's our compromise: You can use a good store-bought marinara, but don't skip the homemade béchamel—there's no substitute.

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  • An oval serving plate with four browned chicken cutlets in a garlicbutter sauce topped with capers parsley and lemon wedges.
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene
    4/19

    Chicken Piccata

    Convinced you don’t like skinless, boneless chicken breasts? This easy recipe for chicken piccata with its garlicky lemon-butter sauce will convert you.

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  • Manicotti in a ceramic dish
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon
    7/19

    Manicotti

    This manicotti recipe is made with crepes instead of dried pasta, for a result that’s both delicate and hardy.

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  • Image may contain Food and Plant
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens
    8/19

    Classic Cannoli

    Remember, the higher-quality ingredients you can find, the better the cannoli will be.

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  • Image may contain Glass Food Drink Alcohol Wine Beverage and Goblet
    Alex Lau
    9/19

    Steak Pizzaiola

    A boneless rib eye is your best bet, plus it’s easier to serve family-style.

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  • A slice of lasagna on a white plate
    Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht
    10/19

    BA’s Best Lasagna

    Layers of ragù and béchamel are all that’s right in this world.

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  • Gray platter of Caesar salad on a white backdrop with salad servers.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
    11/19

    Classic Caesar Salad

    A great Caesar salad recipe like this one gets its swagger from cold and crisp greens, a creamy and briny dressing, and freshly made croutons.

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  • Image may contain Cutlery Fork Food Dish and Meal
    Danny Kim
    12/19

    Pietro’s Chicken Parmesan

    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.

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  • Image may contain Burger Food and Sandwich
    Alex Lau
    13/19

    Party-Ready Italian Heros

    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.

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  • A shallow bowl of pasta alla vodka with rigatoni topped with grated Parmesan and torn basil.
    Photo by Heidi's Bridge
    14/19

    Pasta Alla Vodka

    It's creamy. It's cheesy. It's tangy. And it's about to be your new favorite pantry pasta.

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  • A loaf of tiramisu topped with cocoa dusted ladyfingers with one serving removed to a plate.
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene
    15/19

    Old-School Tiramisu

    This classic-done-right is moist but not wet, extra-fluffy, boozy but not overwhelmingly so, and made with real coffee instead of espresso powder.

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  • This image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable and Spinach
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene
    16/19

    Broccoli Rabe With Chile and Garlic

    Blanching tames the bitter bite of broccoli rabe without robbing it of its addictive spiciness: A quick dip in salted water makes it more palatable and tender, so that it cooks quickly in the skillet.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Pasta and Bowl
    Alex Lau
    17/19

    Stuffed Shells with Marinara

    Remember: If the shells are perfectly cooked in the first step, they’ll be mushy and flabby after baking. This recipe is from Palizzi Social Club in Philadelphia, PA.

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  • Topdown view of eggplant Parmesan in a baking dish with a few portions removed to plates.
    Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marc Williams
    18/19

    BA’s Best Eggplant Parmesan

    The mantra for this showstopping eggplant Parmesan recipe should be: “Good things take time.” Trust us, it’s worth it.

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