This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
Italian recipes are always a crowd pleaser! These are some of our favorites, perfect for easy entertaining.
A few days ago, we shared a post called Italy for a Day... an Italian Culinary Adventure, covering a fun day Scott and I spent in Italy, which is just an hour from where we're currently spending two weeks in the French Alps. We've got two delicious Italian recipes coming up, one from the culinary class in Italy (Franka's Fabulous Mint Pesto) and the other a Zucchini Involtini that we shot before leaving home.
To stay with the Itay theme, we thought we'd share some of our favorite easy Italian recipes. These tried and true, make-ahead recipes are perfect for entertaining and everyone seems to go crazy over them. Prep them early in the day then enjoy your family, friends, guests... We've included our new favorite salad, the best focaccia bread, some family favorite entrees, and even a few desserts. Buon appetito!
Think you don't like kale salad? Think again! This delicious Tuscan Kale Salad with crisp, buttery bread crumbs, salty, savory Parmesan and a fabulous lemon basil dressing will have the most adamant kale hater requesting seconds!
Think you need to avoid Italian food if you're trying to eat healthier? Nope! This fabulous ancient grain salad is loaded with all the delicious flavors of Italy minus the refined carbs and high-calorie counts!
With less than 10-minutes of hands-on time and no-kneading, the name Ridiculously Easy Focaccia Bread says it all! Almost. It's also ridiculously delicious!
These Italian Chicken Meatballs are made from boneless, skinless chicken breasts, not ground chicken. They're lean, light, tender, juicy and full of flavor!
This Eggplant and Italian Sausage Gratin is bursting with fabulous Italian flavor. A delicious, make-ahead, dinner party-worthy meal!
This Italian Sausage Puttanesca is a delicious entree for a dinner party, but it's also great for a weeknight meal. It can be made ahead, freezes well and its a big hit with young and old alike!
This make-ahead, Homemade Manicotti is beyond delicious with an Italian sausage marinara and tender melt-in-your-mouth pasta.
If you're a pizza lover, this crazy-delicious, super-easy, Deep-dish Pepperoni Pizza is the stuff dreams are made of. It never fails to bring rave reviews!
This impressive, but easy Chocolate Budino with Candied Maple Walnuts is a creamy Italian-inspired dessert that takes pudding to a whole new level. You'll fall in love with the first silky smooth bite!
Delicious, unique and super-versatile, this Limoncello Syrup is fabulous drizzled on fresh fruit, yogurt, ice cream and fruit desserts.
Thought for the day:
As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.
 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Psalm 42:1&2
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you try any of these recipes, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
Shop Our Café Loves
We’ve gathered our favorite kitchen tools, tableware, and entertaining treasures in one place, the Café Loves store. It’s a wonderful spot to find something special for yourself or the cooks and hosts you love!
