90 italian appetizer recipes

Marinated mushroom and artichoke salad with tarragon vinegar dressing, chilled 24 hours and served on greens. Italian-style cold appetizer with sharp, herbal flavor.

Jewish caponata with eggplant, tri-color bell peppers, green olives, capers, and a sweet vinegar sauce. Serve warm as a side dish or chilled as an appetizer.

Italian sweet and sour onions braised in white wine vinegar, honey, and coriander. Cipollini-style agrodolce side dish simmered until glazed and tender.

Pomodori secchi imbottiti: sun-dried tomato "sandwiches" drizzled with garlic and red pepper-infused olive oil. A simple Italian antipasto with intense flavor.

Italian roast onions (cipolle arrositite) baked whole in their skins with olive oil until soft and golden. Three ingredients, hands-off, and versatile as a side or antipasto.

Tangy Italian antipasto spread packed with artichoke hearts, two kinds of olives, mushrooms, and a zesty vinegar-olive oil dressing. Make it ahead - it's better the next day.

Bite-size pepperoni pizza bites made on English muffins with pizza sauce, green pepper, and melted mozzarella. Microwaved in 1 minute for a 5-minute snack.

Fettunta Toscana is Tuscan grilled bread rubbed with raw garlic and topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. The original Italian bruschetta, simple and seasonal.

A savory and delicious dish made with eggplant, pine nuts and tasty kalamata olives.

Italian rice and endive soup with fresh tomatoes, carrots, and basil. A light vegetarian meal ready in 45 minutes, simmered in vegetable stock with curly endive for a pleasantly bitter depth.

This tantalizing pesto sauce full of flavor is perfect for soups or with pasta to make a main dish.

Italian no-cook tomato cucumber summer salad with red onion, basil, parsley, and a touch of red pepper flakes. Italian-style topping for bruschetta or tossed cold with pasta.

Microwave Italian tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic, basil, and oregano, ready in under 10 minutes. No stirring, no stovetop. A quick base sauce for pasta, pizza, or chicken Parmesan.

A Roman-style spicy bruschetta with fresh parsley, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil and red wine vinegar. No tomatoes here, just a punchy herb topping on grilled country bread. Vegetarian.

Condimento Pugliese: roasted red pepper spread with olive oil and red pepper flakes. A chunky Italian condiment for crostini, pasta, or bruschetta. Five ingredients, no cook.

Ligurian caviar is an Italian olive paste spread blended with capers and red pepper flakes. A briny, spicy vegetarian crostini topping that keeps in the fridge for two weeks.