Notes about Recipes in this book

• Grossy's marinara

  • Soulkitchenjen on January 07, 2025

    A really delicious sauce recipe. And easy.

  • JDeMarois on January 19, 2026

    This turned out pretty good. I only used one can of crushed tomatoes. After about an hour simmer I ended up about a tbsp each of sugar, msg and Worcestershire. Definitely better than jar sauce but not mind blowing.

• Pastina: The Italian cure-all

  • RachaelHeath09 on September 18, 2023

    This was obviously super easy and a huge hit with my 14 month old, 3 year old and husband. Perfect comfort food.

  • kelly_aayk47 on March 20, 2026

    My favorite dish for when I’m not feeling 100%. Very comforting

• Salami & egg sheet pan hash

  • gootenbeez on May 21, 2025

    I didn't make the salad that goes with the hash but it was still delicious. I really enjoyed the fennel in the seasoning.

• Spinach & mushroom baked eggs

  • passatellikelly on April 03, 2024

    There is no baking temperature listed in the recipe

  • stacey_nn0o4j on June 03, 2026

    Simple to make and very tasty. I guessed and baked it at 350 degrees since the recipe does not list a temperature to preheat the oven to. (We just used regular Italian bread from the grocery store.)

• Ribollita

  • lauren424 on October 03, 2023

    Delicious. I doubled the recipe and used spinach instead of kale. Also, toasted the bread chunks in the oven rather than on the stove (drizzled with olive oil).

  • stacey_nn0o4j on May 08, 2026

    I split the recipe in half and made a gluten free, vegetarian version at the same time as one (as written) with chicken broth and regular bread. In addition to the kale, I used some spinach I had on hand. The Ribollita was easy to prepare and very tasty (even with substituting grated Parmesan cheese because I did not have a Parmesan rind).

• Mom's Italian bread

  • Soulkitchenjen on January 05, 2025

    At its core, this is just not a good recipe. It only came out because I made a LOT of judgment calls along the way. There is not enough flour at all. Probably needs a whole extra cup. The last rise in the pans does not take 30 minutes, more like an hour. Even then, I should have let it go longer. It comes out closer to soda bread than Italian bread. The taste is delicious. If you’re expecting Italian bread, this isn’t it.

• Bimpy's escarole & beans

  • olympia_mhnhwe on March 13, 2026

    (Ignore my store bought croutons)

• Four seasons salad

  • djnielsen64 on February 19, 2024

    Love the choose-your-adventure aspect of this, and the dressing is delicious.

• Charred garlicky green beans

  • Soulkitchenjen on January 07, 2025

    The times on this are too short. The beans could have benefited from some kind of steaming (maybe a few tablespoons of water and a lid) prior to the char portion. Still, simple and tasty.

• Roasted fennel, orange & olive salad

  • Ducksinarose on July 01, 2025

    I roasted the fennel in the countertop air-fryer at 400 for 20 minutes and the fennel was charred but soft enough to eat, so I took it out. This salad was delicious. The only modification that I would make is to use a bit less olive oil next time.

  • redbird on January 05, 2026

    Very refreshing salad. I did omit the breadcrumbs. Huge portions.

• Blender sauce

  • M2a7ggie on July 01, 2025

    Canned tomatoes / basil / anchovy

• Gigantic meatballs

  • Soulkitchenjen on January 07, 2025

    I used the panko and omitted the mint and the raisins. I just could not mentally make that combo work and I was unwilling to waste 3 lbs of meat in the process. With that omission, they were absolutely delicious. They stayed tender despite a fair amount of manipulation and packing them into tight balls. These are, in fact, gigantic.

• Four-cheese lasagna

  • Soulkitchenjen on January 07, 2025

    This recipe is very, very good. The only thing I would change is I’d do basil instead of mint. The mint kinda seems like an intentional attempt to be different and it just is kinda off. The cheese blend is unbelievable.

• Baked pasta primavera

  • Bessp on June 07, 2025

    This was a bit of a miss for us. The mint in a cream sauce threw us off a bit. I would also have preferred the vegetables roasted uncovered so they got some color and crispiness. A pretty good weeknight meal to throw together fairly quickly, tasted fine, but probably won't make it again. Would work with chicken, shrimp, or sausage.

  • jessie_458g3h on February 25, 2026

    Not a favorite per se. Felt it was missing a depth of flavor — at the very least, would definitely recommend adding garlic along with the shallot. Maybe also some chicken or veg broth or stock or a bouillon cube? Hmm.

• Ceci e pepe

  • sosayi on June 20, 2024

    As always, cacio e pepe pasta is a winner, and I really liked the addition of the chickpeas (although I wanted more). If we made it again, I'd add the whole can of chickpeas to the simmering pepper sauce. For the crispy chickpea topping, I'd probably crisp a whole other can in the oven (rather than stovetop for ease).

• Broccoli rabe & sausage pasta

  • ginger2212 on February 16, 2026

    Very easy and delicious! I halved it easily for 3 of us. Great back pocket weekday dinner. I also found the broccoli rabe more delicious and less bitter.

  • Clambake7 on February 21, 2026

    Full recipe available online at https://danpelosi.com/recipe/broccoli-rabe-and-sausage-pasta/

• Fork & knife carbonara

  • Soulkitchenjen on January 13, 2025

    The flavor is fine, but the texture is all off. The big pieces of bacon and the large pasta is more impactful than you’d think.

• Mushroom Bolognese

  • lauren424 on January 25, 2024

    Since we had a vegetarian in the group, I made this for Christmas dinner and it was a hit. It smelled amazing and tasted even better. Very filling, i paired it with homemade cavatelli.

• Grossy's vodka sawce

  • lofolky on September 16, 2023

    An absolute staple, we like it with rigatoni or gemelli pasta and will sometimes add peas and ground Italian sausage at the end.

  • lauren424 on September 19, 2023

    So good! Nice and creamy. Best vodka sauce I've had.

  • secretsmjk on January 02, 2026

    Made w/cascatelli

  • kelly_aayk47 on March 20, 2026

    The best vodka sauce ever, good enough to drink!

  • sam_q4d8yh on March 20, 2026

    The goat

  • Chelsea_c88 on April 24, 2026

    10/10, absolutely perfect vodka sauce in my opinion. Thick, creamy, solid tomato flavor with that nuance vodka provides…good lord! Pair with a nice acidic salad and I think you’ll be in heaven.

• Pesto corn tomato pasta salad

  • Ducksinarose on July 01, 2025

    I halved the recipe and used banza pasta, pesto from Costco, and cooked the corn with the green beans. I served this with the roasted fennel salad from this book and a roast chicken. I like this pasta salad because a significant portion of it can be made ahead. Delicious!

• Early dismissal pot roast

  • lofolky on September 16, 2023

    So good! Made it according to the recipe, except I used a 10oz. bag of frozen pearl onions. Served with the Herby Horseradish Cream and mashed potatoes.

  • RachaelHeath09 on January 15, 2024

    I have a trusty pot roast recipe I make over and over that is super quick to throw together and tasty, but I was very excited to try this one which is very different than mine. It was a little bit more effort, but not a ton, and was very good. I loved the addition of the herby horseradish sauce. We served it over polenta, although next time making this I would do it over mashed potatoes.

• Sausage & peppers & potatoes & onions

  • jessica_me21zm on February 16, 2026

    We make this all the time. Hardest part is the chopping. Perfect for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner.

• Tagliata di manzo

  • Soulkitchenjen on January 09, 2025

    Absolutely delicious. We used a seeded loaf for the bread. This was also so easy a 7 year old made it. Do not omit the balsamic drizzle. I did not make my own.

• Aunt Chris's cheesecake

  • haikuhsu on December 01, 2023

    I used small curd cottage cheese and I still had solid curds in the final product. They don't blend in by simply whipping, so if you're going to make this I suggest pre-blending the cottage cheese by itself with an immersion blender or something to get it to a smooth consistency. Otherwise you'll have the textural difference of small, solid curds in your otherwise smooth cheesecake filling. The crust directions felt suspect as well, so I used a different recipe for crust involving some butter to hold it all together. The final product was quite good and felt very light compared to other cheesecakes I've tried. I would make again despite the curd issue.

• Chocolate & orange marmalade bars

  • jimandtammyfaye on March 07, 2024

    Excellent! Chocolate cake batter, layer of orange marmalade, and crumb topping. Start checking bake 5 minutes early. Edges were a little too brown, but the body of the cake was perfection.

• Rainbow cookie loaf cake

  • lauren424 on January 25, 2024

    Delicious! Tastes just as good as the cookie. I was a little intimidated by the recipe, but it wasn't as hard as it seemed. Well worth the time and effort.

• Pistachio bundt cake

  • sgpinson on February 19, 2024

    Very very crumbly (I don’t think the oats help or add anything), but good flavor!