italian comfort food

This is Mary's classic lasagne recipe which has been perfected over the years. For the best results leave the lasagne to stand for six hours before cooking. 

Each serving provides 861 kcal, 50g protein, 56g carbohydrates (of which 17g sugars), 47g fat (of which 23g saturates), 5.5g fibre and 1.4g salt. 

Lasagne al forno

olive oil

beef mince

onions, roughly chopped

celery, diced (optional)

garlic cloves, crushed

flour

150 milliliters/¼ pint beef stock

tbsp redcurrant jelly (optional) or 1 tsp caster sugar

tomato purée

thyme

tomatoes

butter

750 milliliters/1¼ pints hot milk

Dijon mustard

Parmesan,

salt and black pepper

lasagne

75 grams/3 ounces mature cheddar, grated

This easy Mediterranean chicken recipe is a great meal to have bubbling away on the stove for a simple supper with friends or a family-friendly mid-week meal. This is designed to be a low cost recipe.

This recipe is perfect for batch cooking, cook the chicken sauce and divide it into portions and pop in the freezer, it will keep in the freezer for 2 months. You can cook the potatoes while you reheat the sauce. 

Mediterranean chicken with potatoes

chicken

onion, diced

carrot, finely diced

garlic cloves, sliced

tin tomatoes

250 milliliters/9fl oz chicken stock

herbs

potatoes,

salt and pepper

This slow-cooked beef ragù is perfect for batch-cooking and because it's cooked in the oven it's low effort. Serve three tablespoons of ragù to every 100g/3½oz serving of fresh pasta.

Ragù

steak,

brown onion, finely chopped

garlic clove, crushed

celery,

tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

350 milliliters/12fl oz Chianti red wine

tomato passata

pappadelle pasta (approximately 100 grams/3½oz fresh

Parmesan cheese,

The best homemade tomato soup! Comfort food loaded with delicious flavor and the recipe uses common pantry items you probably already have.

Homemade Tomato Soup

onion

garlic

italian seasonings

whole peeled tomatoes (canned, plus juice)

vegetable stock (chicken stock

salt

black pepper

chives (optional)

Heat a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, once hot add the onions and saute until lightly browned and translucent, 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and italian seasonings, stir and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, salt, and pepper.

Use a potato masher or large spoon to break up the tomatoes into larger chunks. Alternatively, crush using your hands before adding into the pot.

Simmer the tomato soup over medium-low heat, until the liquid slightly concentrates, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

Use a hand immersion blender and puree the soup until thickened and smooth. Leave small pieces of tomato for a chunkier soup. Alternatively, you can work in two batches to puree the soup in a blender. If doing so, make sure to remove the center of the lid and cover it with a towel so that steam does not build up.

Add more stock if needed to thin the consistency of the soup.

Taste and season with more salt and pepper as desired.

Serve soup hot and garnish with chives.

Puttanesca is a fiery, easy sauce for pasta that can be made in less time than it takes to cook a pan of linguine.

Linguine alla puttanesca

linguine

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

tin chopped tomatoes

anchovies, anchovy fillets

chilli flakes

capers,

black olives, stones removed if you wish

basil leaves

sea salt

The UK's foremost Italian food writer shows you how to make an authentic pasta puttanesca

The perfect pasta puttanesca by Anna Del Conte

White bean and Italian sausage stew is a wholesome meal packed with fresh garden vegetables, whole grains, fiber and protein in one pot!

White Bean and Sausage Stew

farro (uncooked)

Italian sausage

swiss chard

garlic (thinly sliced)

red bell pepper (¼-inch dice)

red pepper flakes (crushed)

oregano

zucchini (sliced, ¼-inch thick)

½ cups whole tomatoes (canned, chopped (reserve sauce))

cannellini beans

basil (chopped fresh)

parsley (chopped fresh)

Bring 2 quarts (8 cups) of water to a boil. Add farro and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In the meanwhile make the stew.

In a large pan or dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Cut sausage into ¼-inch slices and add to the pot in a single layer. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to the same pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic, onions, bell pepper, pepper flakes, and oregano, saute for 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium. Add zucchini and saute for 3 minutes, until tender but not completely cooked about 3 minutes.

Cut the stems off the swiss chard and discard. Slice the leaves crosswise into 2-inch strips and then add to the pot, saute until just wilted about 2 minutes.

Turn heat to medium high. Add chopped tomatoes and ¼ cup of the tomato sauce from the can, cook for 2 minutes. Add the sausage to reheat, cook about 2 minutes.

Add beans and ½ of the cooked farro, stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Add more farro to the bottom of the serving bowls if desired, then add stew on top. Garnish with basil and parsley and serve.

Leek and smoked trout tagliatelle with lemon pangrattato

breadcrumbs

tbs extra virgin olive oil

tbs finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

tagliatelle

unsalted butter

baby leeks

piece of hot-smoked trout (or salmon), skin removed and flaked

(60 grams) mascarpone

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Three ingredients, three steps to a speedy midweek supper of trendy cacio e pepe (‘cheese and pepper’). Tangy pecorino cheese combines with the pasta cooking water to make a creamy sauce that clings to the pasta.

Cacio e pepe

spaghetti

tsp black pepper

These Italian-style meatballs are seriously rich &amp; flavorful thanks to the perfect combination of ground beef + pork &amp; a generous amount of fresh aromatics, like onion, garlic, &amp; fresh basil. Soaking the breadcrumbs in ricotta cheese creates the best light &amp; meltingly tender texture. The ricotta meatballs bake, broil, &amp; simmer in a simple, delicious tomato sauce, making them both golden-brown &amp; perfectly tender all at once.
Enjoy them over a bowl of fresh pasta, as a holiday appetizer, or tucked in a meatball sub, these ricotta meatballs are endlessly versatile &amp; absolutely perfect every single time. An instant classic! 

Best-Ever Meatballs: Italian-Style Ricotta Meatballs with Simple Tomato Sauce

beef (see Recipe Notes)

pork (see Recipe Notes)

nonstick cooking spray

medium yellow onion, diced

garlic,

whole milk ricotta (approx. 3/4 cup)

panko breadcrumbs

eggs

parsley

basil

Italian seasoning

red pepper flakes

salt black pepper, to season

olive oil,

medium yellow onions, diced

cup tomato paste

dry white wine

(one) 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

(one) 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes

water

cup grated parmesan

Prep

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the top 1/3 of the oven, about 8 inches under the broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil for easy clean up as desired. Spray the prepared baking sheet generously with nonstick cooking spray. Gather &amp; prep all ingredients according to the Ingredients List, above.

Soften onion &amp; garlic for the meatballs

Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot &amp; shimmering, add in the yellow onion. Season with a pinch of salt &amp; ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened &amp; fragrant, 5-6 minutes. Add in the garlic &amp; cook 1-2 minutes longer, until fragrant. Transfer softened onion &amp; garlic to a bowl &amp; set aside. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Soak the breadcrumbs

Meanwhile, as the onion &amp; garlic cook, soak the breadcrumbs. Add the ricotta &amp; panko breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine well. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes.

Cook aromatics for the simple tomato sauce

Meanwhile, as the breadcrumbs soak, begin cooking the simple tomato sauce. Return the skillet used to soften the onion &amp; garlic for the meatballs in Step 2 over medium heat. If needed, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Once the oil is hot &amp; shimmering, add the yellow onions. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt &amp; ground black pepper as desired, &amp; stir to combine. If anything begins to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes, until softened &amp; fragrant.

Build &amp; simmer the tomato sauce

Stir the garlic &amp; crushed red pepper flake (if using) into the skillet, cooking until just fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir the tomato paste into the skillet. As it heats, stir to coat the veggies. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until deeply red. Deglaze the skillet with the white wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that have formed at the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. Once the wine reduces by half, add in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, &amp; water. Stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, maintaining a gentle simmer. Simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. If needed, cover to prevent splattering.

Mix the meatballs: 

Meanwhile, as the sauce simmers, continue prepping the meatballs. To the large mixing bowl with the soaked breadcrumb mixture from Step 3, add the softened onion &amp; garlic from Step 2, eggs, grated parmesan, chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh basil, Italian seasoning, &amp; crushed red pepper flakes (if using) to a large mixing bowl. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt &amp; ground black pepper, as desired. Use your hands to mix well. Once the breadcrumb mixture is combined, add in the ground pork &amp; ground beef. Using your hands, mix just until combined – take care to avoid over-mixing.

Form the meatballs: 

Gently form the mixture into meatballs slightly larger than the size of a golf ball, rolling just until smooth – take care to avoid pressing the meatballs together too compactly. For quickness &amp; ease, I like using a 2-inch spring-loaded scoop. The mixture will yield 16-18 2-inch meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the meatballs

Transfer the meatballs to the oven &amp; bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn on the oven&#8217;s broiler &amp; broil for an additional 5-8 minutes, until a golden brown crust forms on the meatballs. Check them every so often as they broil, rotating the sheet pan as needed to broil evenly.

Simmer the meatballs

Once baked &amp; broiled, add the meatballs to the skillet with the sauce, carefully stirring to coat. Simmer 10 minutes, carefully stirring occasionally. Finish the sauce by carefully stirring in the grated parmesan, parsley, &amp; basil. Simmer 5 minutes more, just to combine.

Serve the meatballs: 

Serve the meatballs immediately as desired, with pasta or in a meatball sub, etc. Enjoy!

These meatballs are incredible! I normally make meatballs the way my mother taught me (she is born of/from Italy) and I honestly love this recipe more. They have amazing flavor, hold together nicely and don’t dry out. The sauce is great as well. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!

These meatballs felt like a labor of love. They were so worth it!! So flavorful, so good! I served them with a side gnocchi. Delicious!

Delicious ! Made these meatballs and made sliders with them using Hawaiian Sweet Rolls..perfect with the leftover soup we had. I was lazy so I used a jar of Rao’s Marinara Sauce.  Will make pasta for the leftover meatballs &amp; sauce. 
This is a “will make again” recipe 👌

I made this recipe for my in-laws over the holidays and it was a huge hit! I then sent the recipe to my family and my whole family said that these were some of the best meatballs that they had ever made. 

You can't go wrong with this recipe. I recently made a large batch and froze these so that I have delicious meatballs on hand whenever I need a quick meal.

These were delicious! I made them a month ago and froze them and just heated them up for dinner tonight. They will absolutely be my go to meatball recipe now

I am making the meatballs for a party.  Of course my husband and I had to sample some, they are delicious. I used organic meat ( beef n turkey) and the beef sometimes can be gamey, so I actually doubled the amount of ricotta.  Baking the meatballs is the way to go. Thanks debra

Nonna&#039;s classic pastina recipe with egg is the Italian equivalent of chicken soup. It&#039;s comforting, yummy, and easy to digest- perfect to get you back on your feet when you are sick!

Nonna's Pastina Recipe

pastina

egg (beaten)

tbsp butter

Parmesan cheese (shredded, shaved, or grated)

salt & pepper (to taste)

Add the water to a pot, and set over high heat. Add salt to the water.

Once the water&#39;s boiling, add the pastina to the pot and stir.

Cook, stirring often, until most of the water&#39;s been absorbed- about 3-4 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat, and whisk in the beaten egg. Whisk immediately and quickly so the egg incorporates and doesn&#39;t cook right away.

Add the butter &amp; cheese to the pot, stirring until evenly incorporated.

Season with salt &amp; pepper, to taste.

Spoon the pastina into bowls, and serve immediately.

Donal's aubergine parmigiana is so easy to make and tastes wonderful. It's simpler than a lasagne and lighter, too. The tomato sauce can be doubled and frozen for another easy dinner. 

Each serving provides 390 kcal, 20g protein, 14g carbohydrate (of which 13g sugars), 24g fat (of which 11g saturates), 6.5g fibre and 1.3g salt. 

Aubergine parmigiana

aubergines,

100 grams/3½oz ricotta

grams/3½oz Parmesan, grated (or alternative vegetarian hard cheese)

grams/3½oz mozzarella, sliced

sea salt and black pepper

garlic cloves, finely chopped

red onion, finely chopped

x 400 grams tins chopped tomatoes

125 milliliters/4fl oz red wine

Mary Berry's aubergine lasagne is filled with flavour and oozy, cheesy goodness. Serve with garlic bread or a simple green salad.

Mary Berry's melanzane pasta bake

grams/1¾oz plain flour

568 milliliters/1 pint milk, warmed

grams/3½oz Parmesan (or

500 milliliters/18fl oz passata

basil,

tsp caster sugar

Skillet bruschetta chicken with spiralized parmesan zucchini noodles is a healthier version of classic Italian comfort food. Fresh and simple with a burst of flavor!

Top 19 italian comfort food recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian comfort food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Lasagne al forno

Mediterranean chicken with potatoes

Ragù

Homemade Tomato Soup

Linguine alla puttanesca

White Bean and Sausage Stew

Leek and smoked trout tagliatelle w...

Cacio e pepe

Best-Ever Meatballs: Italian-Style ...

Nonna's Pastina Recipe

Aubergine parmigiana

Mary Berry's melanzane pasta bake

Bruschetta Chicken with Zucchini No...

Perfect mushroom risotto

Baked pasta shells filled with chee...

Hearty wholewheat pasta with Brusse...

Minestrone soup

Lentil Soup

The Best Gnocchi alla Sorrentina Re...

Top 19 italian comfort food recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian comfort food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Lasagne al forno

Mediterranean chicken with potatoes

Ragù

Homemade Tomato Soup

Linguine alla puttanesca

White Bean and Sausage Stew

Leek and smoked trout tagliatelle w...

Cacio e pepe

Best-Ever Meatballs: Italian-Style ...

Nonna's Pastina Recipe

Aubergine parmigiana

Mary Berry's melanzane pasta bake

Bruschetta Chicken with Zucchini No...

Perfect mushroom risotto

Baked pasta shells filled with chee...

Hearty wholewheat pasta with Brusse...

Minestrone soup

Lentil Soup

The Best Gnocchi alla Sorrentina Re...

The most viewed italian comfort food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine