Herbs to Pep up Your Italian Dishes

Add flavor and spice to your dishes with these popular Italian Herbs

Italian cuisine is renowned for its simplicity, but certain herbs play an essential role in enhancing flavor. Fresh herbs are best used in season, while dry can be used year-round to add some oomph to your Italian cooking.

The right herbs can brighten and complement other ingredients in Italian cooking. And the good news is that many herbs used are likely already sitting on your shelf or cabinet.

So, which are the most popular herbs used in Italian cooking? Let’s get started.

OREGANO

Fresh oregano is best used if it’s available, but dried is the next best thing and packs an impressive punch.

Oregano is highly aromatic and has a strong flavor that’s both earthy and minty. Oregano is traditionally used in Southern Italian and Sicilian cooking, including in the likes of succulent grilled fish and tomato-based pasta sauces. It’s also great sprinkled on pizza.

BASIL

Basil is a member of the mint family with a sweet-and-savory taste with deep green, pointed leaves. It offers hints of anise, mint, and pepper to add a kick to your Italian dishes.

There are also several varieties of basil, including sweet, lemon, holy, and Thai sweet basil. Basil can be used both fresh and dried to spice up a range of Italian foods, including meat and sauces.

Basil is also one of the main ingredients of pesto, a popular sauce containing fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, kosher salt, parmesan, black pepper, and olive oil. In Italian food, basil is often paired with tomato sauce to create marinara pasta.

Like oregano, basil is also often used for Margherita pizza.

THYME

Thyme is recognized by its small, pale green leaves and strong scent. Fresh thyme is a durable and versatile herb, holding well to heat, and can be used at any point during cooking.

There are three varieties – English, French, and German thyme. In Italian cooking, thyme is often added to hearty dishes such as chicken breasts, pork loin, and fatty meats. 

PARSLEY

Parsley has a peppery and distinct flavor profile. It’s often added to a range of meats, pasta, and sauces in Italian cooking.

When it comes to Italian herbs, parsley may not be as highly regarded as basil, but it adds enough vivacity to enhance the entire flavor profile of a dish. Use this punchy herb sparingly to add taste to pesto or to spruce up roasted salmon or meatballs.

SAGE

Sage is warm and woodsy, making it excellent for rich, non-tomato-based foods like gnocchi or ravioli cooked in butter or browned butter sauce. It also goes well with risotto, arancini, and roasted butternut squash.

A highly versatile herb, sage also combines well with meats like pork, beef, duck, and chicken.

HOT PEPPER

For some cooks, Italian dishes aren’t complete without a pinch of hot pepper to add some fire. In Italy, Calabrian cuisine, in particular, is renowned for its inclusion of hot pepper.

In the United States, hot pepper is typically sold as crushed red pepper flakes and made with cayenne or jalapeno peppers. But, if you strike gold and find imported Italian red peperoncino flakes, make sure to grab them. The flavor is wonderful, and the heat is both subtle and noticeable.

Add a dash to pasta sauces like marinara or clam, sprinkle some on pizza, or use it to spice up sausage and peppers. But be sure to use it with haste to avoid a burnt mouth.

BAY LEAF

While the bay leaf is native to Asia, it’s commonly associated with Italy and Greece. The bay leaf is a strong, aromatic herb with a slightly bitter taste. It’s usually used in dried, whole form and steeped in soups, sauces, and stews during the cooking process for infusion.

MARJORAM

Marjoram is similar to oregano in appearance, with grassy, lemony leaves. Add it to herby butter, egg dishes, and poultry recipes.

Small marjoram leaves are ideally used fresh and can infuse soups, sauces, and other cooked foods for a lovely herby flavor.