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Food and family just go together. These Italian dinner recipes will get you well on your way to planning one epic night!

Italian Dinner Brings Family Together!

What better way to party than Italian style?! That usually means LOTS of delicious foods, often several courses, and plenty of fun and laughter. Now that’s a fabulous dinner spread! I’ve gathered my favorite Italian dinner recipes. Buon Appetito!!

  • For Italian dinner tips & tricks, scroll to the bottom of this post!

Best Italian Dinner Recipes

Check out our other posts to find Italian Appetizers, Italian Sides, and Italian desserts such as Panna Cotta and Italian Cookies to round out your Italian feast.

Enjoy these classics!

1 Spaghetti Recipe

Main Course Spaghetti Recipe
Total Time: 55 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 365 votes
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2 Fettuccine Alfredo

Main Course Fettuccine Alfredo
Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 383 votes
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3 Chicken Alfredo Pizza Recipe

Main Course Chicken Alfredo Pizza Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes
4.98 from 35 votes
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4 Easy Lasagna Recipe

Main Course Easy Lasagna Recipe
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Recipe Video

4.88 from 88 votes
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5 Italian Pork Chops Recipe

Main Course Italian Pork Chops Recipe
Total Time: 25 minutes
5 from 25 votes
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6 Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe

Main Course Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes

Recipe Video

4.99 from 253 votes
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7 Chicken Piccata Recipe

Main Course Chicken Piccata Recipe
Total Time: 25 minutes
5 from 15 votes
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8 White Sauce Recipe

Main Course White Sauce Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Video

4.98 from 869 votes
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9 Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Main Course Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 21 votes
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10 Chicken Scallopini Recipe

Main Course Chicken Scallopini Recipe
Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe Video

4.87 from 23 votes
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Easy Italian Dinner Recipes

Need even more Italian recipes? I have plenty of easy dinner ideas, perfect for your next dinner spread!

11 Chicken Manicotti Recipe

Main Course Chicken Manicotti Recipe
Total Time: 43 minutes
4.91 from 21 votes
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12 Pasta Carbonara Recipe

Main Course Pasta Carbonara Recipe
Total Time: 25 minutes
4.73 from 18 votes
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13 Easy Baked Ziti Recipe

Main Course Easy Baked Ziti Recipe
Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 13 votes
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14 Crockpot Spaghetti

Main Course Crockpot Spaghetti
Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 8 votes
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15 Margherita Pizza Recipe

Main Course Margherita Pizza Recipe
Total Time: 23 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 14 votes
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16 Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe

Main Course Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe
Total Time: 25 minutes
4.59 from 12 votes
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17 Easy Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Main Course Easy Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 21 votes
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18 Baked Spaghetti Recipe

Main Course Baked Spaghetti Recipe
Total Time: 40 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 23 votes
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19 Artichoke Pizza

Main Course Artichoke Pizza
Total Time: 21 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 10 votes
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20 Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Recipe

Main Course Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes
5 from 7 votes
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21 Pesto Gnocchi Recipe

Main Course Pesto Gnocchi Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes
5 from 13 votes
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22 Healthy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Comfort food gets lightened up with this Skinny Chicken Parmesan! Healthy, easy and totally delicious!
Main Course Healthy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Total Time: 45 minutes
5 from 19 votes
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23 Italian Wedding Soup

Soup Italian Wedding Soup
Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe Video

4.89 from 9 votes
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24 Chicken Penne Pasta

Main Course Chicken Penne Pasta
Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 18 votes
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25 Pesto Pasta

Main Course Pesto Pasta
Total Time: 15 minutes
5 from 13 votes
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26 Caprese Pizza Recipe

Main Course Caprese Pizza Recipe
Total Time: 16 minutes
5 from 6 votes
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27 Chicken Orzo Recipe

Main Course Chicken Orzo Recipe
Total Time: 30 minutes
4.97 from 82 votes
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28 Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe

Main Course Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe
Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 19 votes
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29 Chicken Alfredo Recipe

Main Course Chicken Alfredo Recipe
Total Time: 40 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 30 votes
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30 Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Recipe

Main Course Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Recipe
Total Time: 25 minutes
5 from 5 votes
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31 Crockpot Lasagna Recipe

Main Course Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
Total Time: 4 hours 55 minutes

Recipe Video

4.94 from 15 votes
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More Italian Dinner Ideas

Meatballs in tomato sauce, spaghetti carbonara, and risotto are Italian classics, along with these additional favorites.

32 Bruschetta Chicken Recipe

Main Course Bruschetta Chicken Recipe
Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
5 from 6 votes
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33 Italian Meatball Recipe

Appetizer, Main Course Italian Meatball Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 48 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 9 votes
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34 Homemade Lasagna Recipe

Main Course Homemade Lasagna Recipe
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 7 votes
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35 Pepperoni Pizza Recipe

Main Course Pepperoni Pizza Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 10 votes
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36 Healthy Chicken Piccata Recipe

This "Skinny" Chicken Piccata is easy enough to make on a busy weeknight but also fancy enough to make when you have company over! Plus it's a skinny version, which makes it even better!
Main Course Healthy Chicken Piccata Recipe
Total Time: 40 minutes
5 from 18 votes
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37 Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells Recipe

Main Course Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells Recipe
Total Time: 50 minutes
4.97 from 30 votes
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38 Sausage and Potatoes Recipe

Main Course Sausage and Potatoes Recipe
Total Time: 50 minutes
5 from 9 votes
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39 Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Chicken cacciatore on grey plate served over pasta
Main Course Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour
4.80 from 5 votes
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40 Chicken Parmigiana Recipe

Main Course Chicken Parmigiana Recipe
Total Time: 37 minutes
5 from 6 votes
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41 Spinach Lasagna Rolls Recipe

Main Course Spinach Lasagna Rolls Recipe
Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe Video

4.91 from 11 votes
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42 Chicken Lasagna Recipe

Main Course Chicken Lasagna Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Recipe Video

4.93 from 57 votes
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43 Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Main Course Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Total Time: 40 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 20 votes
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Minestrone Soup Recipe
This Minestrone Soup is not only delicious and comforting, but it's also really nutritious! It makes a hearty meal or side.
Total Time: 1 hour
5 from 10 votes
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FAQS

  1. Quality ingredients create much better Italian dishes.
  2. Using fresh herbs makes a huge difference. In general, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs = 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs. Fresh basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, mint, and thyme will all grow in your kitchen, can’t get any fresher than that!
  3. Quality cheese. Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, and ricotta are other ingredients you should invest in. Avoid pre-shredded packaged cheese.
  4. Taste as you go. Add seasoning according to taste rather than an allotted amount. Give enough time for simmering for flavors to incorporate before adding more. 
  1. Don’t overcook your pasta. Al dente is usually the preferred cook.
  2. Donโ€™t discard the pasta water. The starchy leftover water can be used to thicken sauces.
  3. Sauces. Another key to perfect pasta is to learn which pasta goes best with the dish.
    • Light sauces. Thin long noodles like spaghetti, angel hair, capellini, and spaghettini.
    • Creamy hearty sauces. Flat long noodles like fettuccine, linguine, tagliatelle, pappardelle, and lasagna noodles as well as short-shaped pasta like farfalle (bow tie), conchiglie, fusilli, gemelli, orecchiette, rotelle (wagon wheel), rotini, cavatelli and campanelle.
    • Light fluid sauces. Long tube noodles like perciatelli and bucatini.
    • Soups, salads, casseroles, and pasta dishes. Short tube pasta like penne, rigatoni, ziti, cavatappi, and campanelle.
    • Creamier bakes, soups, and pasta salads. Small tube pasta like macaroni and ditalini.  

For More Italian Dinner Recipes:

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and Iโ€™m the mom of SIX stinkinโ€™ cute kids and the wife to my smokinโ€™ hot hubby, Lo. My momโ€™s maiden name is Luna, and Iโ€™m one of the many crafty โ€œLilโ€™ Lunasโ€ in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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