Cooking like an Italian means valuing local, seasonal ingredients and the power of connection that mealtime can bring. While you don’t necessarily need recipes to capture this essence, recipes surely do help. This summer, while fresh, delectable produce is in season, cracking open a new cookbook can help you explore new dishes and put fresh twists on old classics.
To help get you started, we’ve rounded up five of the best Italian American cookbooks that are renowned for both their homage to tradition and creative spirit.
From celebrated food critic John Mariani to veteran celebrity chef Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, the authors of these cookbooks represent the very best of modern Italian American cuisine.
Lidia's a Pot, a Pan, and a Bowl: Simple Recipes for Perfect Meals: A Cookbook
For more than 40 years, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich has been a pillar of Italian American cooking. The celebrity chef has authored multiple cookbooks, appeared on numerous television programs, and opened several world-class restaurants.
Her latest cookbook features one-to-two dish recipes, drastically simplifying Italian cooking. These recipes are accessible and easy to execute, yet they are just as delicious and exciting on the palate as Bastiacnich’s more complex recipes.
Italian American Cookbook: A Feast of Food from a Great American Cooking Tradition
Award-winning journalist John Mariani spent the better part of his life covering food and cuisine for America’s top publications. It’s no surprise, then, that he and his wife Galina Mariani created one of the best– and most comprehensive– Italian American cookbooks that one can buy.
The cookbook features over 250 recipes— many of which have origins in Italian American immigrant culture. Dishes like manicotti and St. Louis' "toasted ravioli” can be found on these pages. You’d be hard-pressed to come across them in a traditional Italian cookbook!
Italian American: Red Sauce Classics and New Essentials: A Cookbook
Who better to learn the ins and outs of Italian American cooking from than Michelin-star husband and wife duo Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli? The Don Angi chefs present 125 recipes that reimagine Italian American cooking.
While the cookbook features classic family recipes that have been passed down for generations, it also reinvents traditions with dishes like pinwheel lasagna and shrimp parm meatballs. Now, you can bring the signature taste of Don Angi into your home.
Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook: More Than 100 Classic Italian Dishes to Make at Home
If you’ve ever sat down for a meal at Carmine's, the restaurant has likely shaped your very idea of what an authentic Italian American meal is. Written by Carmine’s founding chef Michael Ronis, this cookbook shares more than 100 beloved recipes from Carmine’s famous Caesar salad to veal parmesan and salmon puttanesca.
These meals are hearty and perfect for sharing with the whole family— just like a sit-down meal at Carmine’s.
Laura in the Kitchen: Favorite Italian-American Recipes Made Easy: A Cookbook
Laura Vitale– also known as Laura in the Kitchen— is everyone’s favorite YouTube chef. With over 8 million monthly views, her recipes have become everyday favorites for so many.
Her debut cookbook focuses on easy recipes that anyone can make and enjoy. It includes fan favorites– such as her Cheesy Garlic bread– and also takes readers through quick dinners and lengthy meals alike. As you work through this cookbook, you’ll not only learn the art of Italian American home cooking, but you’ll learn to have more fun in the kitchen!
Buon appetito!
Natalli Marie Amato
Natalli Amato is a music and lifestyle journalist from Sackets Harbor, New York. Her bylines include Rolling Stone, Vice, and The Boot. She is also the author of several collections of poetry.