Italian food is a Mediterranean cuisine that’s known for its rich, hearty recipes made with fresh, simple ingredients. Popular Italian recipes include pasta, pizza, risotto and gnocchi, while ingredients include tomato, mozzarella, cured meats, seafood and basil. Many Italian recipes can be dated back generations, as food has always played a big part in Italian culture. To Italians, mealtimes are about sharing with family, so there’s no shortage of family-friendly recipes. Now, as its popularity spreads worldwide, Italian food is also known for its indulgent, romantic recipes, making it perfect for date nights too. It’s no mystery why Italian cuisine is a favourite among many.

Italian sauce recipes are great to master because once you do, you can whip up pasta dishes in no time. A pomodoro sauce is one of the easiest Italian sauces to make and is typically made from tomatoes, olive oil and basil. You can make it especially delicious by adding onion, garlic, beef stock and Worcester sauce too, like in this Linguine and Pork Polpette recipe. Carbonara is another popular sauce recipe, but an authentic Italian version can sometimes be a little tricker as it’s hard to get the consistency of the egg just right. If you’re looking for a simpler version to make as part of a quick midweek meal, try using crème fraiche, hard Italian cheese and one egg, like in our HelloFresh carbonara recipe. With one tomato based sauce and one creamy cheese sauce in your recipe collection, you’ll already be able to make countless Italian dishes.

Italian recipes can be so easily made with or without meat because their simple, staple ingredients are flavourful enough. This makes Italian food perfect for vegetarians or flexitarians who’d like both options. Many vegetarian Italian recipes don’t require a meat substitute, as the heartiness of ingredients such as bread, pasta and cheese is already filling and satisfying. However, some classic meat dishes can still be easily transformed into vegetarian recipes. For example, you can replace mince with lentils to make a ragu, or you can spruce up a risotto with roast veggies.