Italian, Cheese Recipes

Stuffed polenta with meat sauce: two layers of Parmesan polenta sandwiching a meaty tomato-basil sauce and mozzarella, baked hot until bubbly. A lighter Italian alternative to lasagna.

Eggplant Parmigiana with bechamel, tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, and artichoke hearts. A layered Italian casserole where egg-dipped eggplant bakes into a bubbly, cheesy masterpiece.

Hearty Italian spaghetti with ground beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste, black olives, and green peppers simmered 90 minutes. A slow-cooked Sunday sauce topped with Parmesan cheese.

Slow-simmered puttanesca sauce cooked 6 to 8 hours with plum tomatoes, a whole head of garlic, anchovies, kalamata olives, and capers. Dark, rich, and deeply concentrated.

Chunky Italian sausage baked in a hearty tomato and vegetable casserole with red wine, oregano, and melted cheese on top. A Sicilian-style one-dish dinner ready in an hour.

A slow-simmered meat sauce with ground beef, red wine, mushrooms, and Italian herbs ladled over spaghetti and showered with Parmesan. Two hours of simmering builds layers of deep, rich flavor.

Brunch pizza topped with ham, mozzarella, and a poured egg-milk custard baked on pizza dough until set and golden. Five ingredients, 30 minutes.

Broccoli linguine tosses pasta and steamed broccoli florets with a creamy sour cream and egg yolk sauce, plus romano cheese and herbs. A 20-minute Italian-American weeknight pasta.

Homemade pizza on a nutty whole wheat crust topped with a quick-simmered tomato sauce, chopped green chilis, mozzarella, pepperoni, and olives. From dough to table in about 40 minutes.

Chunks of tomatoes and lots of Italian spices make this a real winner.

Pizza on the grill with a homemade whole-wheat crust, creamy garlic-tomato sauce, and crumbled gorgonzola. Hot-grilled two-stage crust method delivers smoky char and crisp bottoms.

Ribollita, the classic Tuscan bread soup layered with vegetables, kidney beans, spinach, and Parmesan. Baked in a casserole with toasted bread soaking up a rich chicken-wine broth.

Traditional Italian Pasta Fagioli Bean Soup recipe

Penne with eggplant, mushrooms, and red wine tomato sauce finished with melted mozzarella. A hearty Italian pasta ready in 45 minutes.

Eggplant di Carnevalle layers crispy breaded eggplant with ricotta-spinach filling, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella. A hearty Italian bake that's part eggplant parm, part lasagna.

Sicilian meat roll stuffed with ham and shredded mozzarella, seasoned with oregano and garlic, then baked and topped with melted cheese. An Italian-American stuffed meatloaf for Sunday dinner.