• Breadcrumbs on June 04, 2011

  I know there are some Giada-haters out there but I have nothing but great things to say about Giada's books. I've made a number of dishes from this book and most have been wonderful. If I ever get some free time, I'll add reviews for other dishes we've tried . . . pre-EYB! If you're a pasta lover, I'd happily recommend this book.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Crostini with anchovy butter and cheese

  • julesamomof2 on May 10, 2022

    Nice alternative to garlic bread. Used anchovy paste from a tube versus actual anchovies. Would repeat.

• Fried ravioli

  • julesamomof2 on May 10, 2022

    I very rarely, if ever, fry anything but I am getting sick of charcuterie boards and wanted a warm appetizer. These were actually quite easy to make. I made 1/2 a package of refrigerated mini ravioli and that was more then enough for 4 people to snack on before dinner. I could see it being a once in a great while sort of thing in the right circumstances.

• Spinach salad with citrus vinaigrette

  • julesamomof2 on May 10, 2022

    The citrus vinaigrette makes the salad- very light and refreshing. Will make again.

• Italian white bean, pancetta and tortellini soup

  • PennyG on February 05, 2011

    This was okay - nothing great. Good way to use greens.

• Ribolita

  • debcapecod on November 20, 2010

    This is a delicious soup. Use thicker hollow spaghetti (can't think of proper name)

• Rigatoni with sausage, peppers and onions

  • swiand on March 26, 2026

    This was a really great weeknight pasta. We didn't find any turkey sausage so we used mild pork Italian sausage. We ran out of Marsala wine so we topped it off with cabernet sauvignon. Great for the whole family but my wife really loved it.

• Roman-style fettuccini with chicken

  • Breadcrumbs on November 06, 2010

    Oct 2010 - First use of this recipe. Reading through the ingredients, this recipe sounds delicious and it certainly looks yummy in the book's photo as well. Unfortunately, somehow the dish failed to deliver on flavour. Not really sure what the issue was. There was a LOT of chicken so that did become the predominant flavour. Even the table-side addition of chile flakes and parmesan didn't elevate the dish sufficiently for our tastes. It just seemed bland. We won't be having this again.

• Turkey and artichoke stuffed shells

  • ecasey830 on May 23, 2011

    Very yummy! But the stuffing makes a lot so have some extra shells on hand or be prepared to make a small side of lasagna like I did!

  • PennyG on May 05, 2013

    I have made this dozens of times and it never fails to turn out great! It is worth the time to make the arrabbiata sauce from scratch. I generally make the sauce and filling one day then cook the shells, stuff them and assemble the dish the next day. Makes a ton and freezes well.

• Baked gnocchi

  • Cheri on March 03, 2011

    very good. Make 1/2 recipe. Could add diced ham for 1-dish meal

  • Rebeccajwj on April 30, 2022

    I also only made half the recipe. I used my own homemade gnocchi that I had frozen the week before. Everyone who tried this dish I loved it! The goat cheese is what makes the dish. I could’ve even added more spinach I just didn’t realize it. I will definitely put this in a permanent rotation at my house.

• Saffron orzo with shrimp

  • Shelmar on September 06, 2019

    A waste of saffron, could use more liquid, none of it lemon.

• Creamy orzo

  • Yildiz100 on January 13, 2018

    Made a half recipe but didn't halve the garlic as I didn't want a leftover half clove. Garlic was still very subtle. Once I had the sauce prepped, before I added the orzo, I felt it was going to be way too much pasta for the sauce, but I was wrong. The balance was just right for a creamy orzotto type dish. Very much a comfort food. It is nothing particularly special but it is a nice for a light lunch from the pantry when there isn't much in the house. I did add the cheese to taste and may have needed more than called for. Would be nice with a bit of basil. Would also up the peas a bit next time. It does not reheat well so try to scale the recipe back to what you will eat.

• Farfalle with broccoli

  • Breadcrumbs on April 30, 2011

    p. 161 I’ve made similar broccoli/chili flake/garlic dishes in the past but what sets this one apart is the use of anchovies. Marcella has a similar recipe in Essentials but I went w Giada because her sauce uses butter and I planned to serve this w a Saltimbocca dish that’s cooked in butter. I steamed my broccoli a la minute as I don’t like it cooked in the pasta water. This dish comes together in no time and is really delicious. The anchovy flavour is subtle yet it truly deepens the overall flavour of the dish. We loved this. I’d be happy to have it on its own but K said it needs meat alongside. The chicken worked perfectly. Delicious. K-9

• Cheesy baked tortellini

  • cjannace on January 13, 2015

    I made this recipe to use up some mascarpone and it was very good. Definitely a great warming winter meal.

• Rigatoni with sausage, artichokes and asparagus

  • ecasey830 on May 23, 2011

    Really nice and filling!

  • Breadcrumbs on March 25, 2012

    p. 175 This recipe was screaming Springtime and the fact that it happened to contain some of our favourite ingredients was a real plus. Quick, simple and delicious this dish gets top marks on all fronts. The spiciness of the sausage was balanced by the sweetness of the sundried tomatoes. The artichokes and asparagus added freshness and contrasting textural elements to the dish. The fresh herbs, tossed in just prior to serving brought visual appeal and a final burst of flavour. We did elect to add the fresh mozzarella which became gooey, stringy and made the dish predictably fun to serve - kids seem to love this! Though my artichokes were canned vs frozen, I don’t feel the dish suffered. Excellent dish worth repeating.

• Linguine with turkey meatballs and quick sauce

  • Breadcrumbs on December 29, 2013

    p. 177 Another delicious dish from Giada. I had to use veal since my ground turkey hadn’t defrosted in time to make this dish. I used strained Pomi tomatoes for the sauce and it turned out wonderfully. We were impressed with its deep flavours despite only being cooked for such a short period of time. The only issue was with the meatball mixture. 2 eggs seems excessive for just 1lb of any type of ground meat. I used 1 and the meatballs turned out beautifully. Mine cooked in just over 10 mins at Giada’s suggested temp of 450° I actually prefer to bake mine at 375° and would do so next time around. Nonetheless this dish is good and worth repeating.

  • dianev on September 13, 2015

    Sauce was very good but the meatballs were flat tasting in spite of the flavor-boosting add-ins. I guess I just don't care for turkey meatballs!

• Farfalle with spicy sausage and kale

  • Breadcrumbs on September 26, 2010

    p. 181 Sept 2010 - First use of this recipe and very pleased with the results. Didn't have sweet Italian sausage on hand so used basil and sun-dried tomato sausage and toasted some fennel seed in dry pan along w adding some extra chile flakes.

• Spaghetti with pino grigio and seafood

  • julesamomof2 on May 02, 2022

    Fabulous- This was a staple for me many years ago and I turned to it again last weekend for dinner at home for 4. I did replace the sun dried tomatoes with cherry tomatoes for a fresher and less dated version. I don't see sun dried tomatoes used much in today's cooking and the cherry tomatoes made a lighter substitute. Could easily sub spinach for the arugula but I liked the spicy addition.

  • Rinshin on May 06, 2022

    I love linguine with clams in red sauce but not much love for white sauce in the past. But, this turned out great. I always keep frozen clams on hand and this was was quick weeknight cooking and instructions spot on. I used combination of fresh tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes. Did not taste much of arugula but maybe for color, this works very well. I also think any leafy greens will work well here including often discarded radish or turnip greens. Repeat for sure. Photo posted.

• Pappardelle with seafood cream sauce

  • angrygreycat on August 17, 2022

    Made this tonight for dinner. It sounded like a good idea and to be fair my kids both liked it . i just thought it wasn't anything special. Tasted mostly like just cream with some seafood. I think it could have benefitted from some seafood broth or clam juice.

• Basic marinara sauce

  • minervasowl on December 14, 2012

    This has become my go-to marinara recipe, although sometimes I improvise. When it is finished cooking, I use an immersion blender to make it nice and smooth and really harmonize the flavors. Then I freeze it in ice cube trays, and once frozen, store the sauce cubes in freezer bags. (Double bagging keeps freezer burn to a minimum.) Whenever a recipe calls for sauce, I can defrost the cubes in the microwave in just a few minutes.

  • cjannace on January 13, 2015

    My family has always made gravy for our pasta and not marinara sauce. So when I made the baked tortellini from this same book, I decided to follow Giada's recipe for marinara as well. This was delicious and so easy to make. I have several portions saved in the freezer and look forward to having this again.