An Italian feast for the ages with Italian comfort food at its best: pasta fagioli, crispy zuchini bites, Sicilian ziti and chicken parmigiana. This home-cooked Italian feast will rival the best that New York City or Boston has to offer.
Close your eyes and imagine your home filled with the delicious aromas of an Italian feast. The oh so satisfying Parmesan crusted zucchini bites, the homey flavors of pasta fagioli, the sizzling Sicilian ziti, and the cheesy chicken parmigiana just waiting to be consumed. Have you been transported to the famous Italian feast NYC or Boston? Open your eyes and see a table laden with these delicious and homemade Italian classics. All of these can be made from the comforts of your own home with recipes from our food blog!
Let’s begin with the first course, or antipasto of Parmesan crusted zucchini bites and Pasta Fagioli, a hearty soup made with beans, pasta and vegetables. The zucchini bites are a delicious and addictive way to wet your appetite. The pasta fagioli is the perfect dish to start your feast and warm your soul.
The main course includes Baked Sicilian Ziti, a twist on the classic dish made with pasta, cheese and tomato sauce. This version omits the ricotta, in favor of a thick meat ragu, sweet peas and a crunchy breadcrumb topping for added texture. It’s a crowd-pleaser that’s sure to satisfy everyone at your table. After the pasta, enjoy chicken parmigiana, made with breaded chicken cutlets topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, another Italian-American classic. It’s crispy, cheesy and perfect for any occasion.
With the summer heat a pleasant memory, this is the season we begin to crave these Italian comfort foods. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or simply enjoying a meal with family and friends, these three dishes are sure to impress. They are easy to make and our version allows you to enjoy them with minimal guilt. Add some crusty bread and a glass of your favorite Italian wine for a complete and satisfying meal.
Antipasto
The first course, or antipasto is designed to warm you up and prepare for the main courses. In a way, like stretching before initiating a strenuous athletic activity. The trick to the antipasto is to avoid overdoing it and ruining your appetite. This can be difficult as the appetizers selected for this feast can be used as a main course for a weeknight meal.
The Parmesan crusted zucchini bites are bite sized medallions of zucchini dipped in Parmesan cheese and baked to a crispy finish. They are served with a side platter of marinara for dipping. The result is an amazing combination of sweet, savory zucchini covered with a sharp, crunchy coating of cheese which is then dipped into a sweet and spicy marinara sauce. Our suggestion is to limit yourself to two or three to avoid overeating in your warm up.
After the zuchini bites, it is time to enjoy a small bowl of pasta fagioli. This soup is the conglomeration of a sweet tomatoey broth with a hint of saltiness from the ham, blended with kidney beans and barley. Enjoy your bowl with a small slice of crunchy Italian bread. To prepare each appetizer, a decent quality soup pot and griddle are necessary. Check out the options above to purchase. Click on the links below for recipes to make each of the appetizers.
Healthy Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Bites
Difficulty: EasyA healthy, simple, quick and delicious side using zucchini, an abundant summer vegetable
Healthy Pasta Fagioli
Difficulty: EasyA simple and healthier version of the Italian classic pasta fagioli.
The Main Course
A traditional Italian meal or feast follows a distinct order. After your antipasto, it is time for a plate of pasta or primi, the official first course. This is then followed by a meat dish referred to as Secondi, or second course.
Primi
The pasta course for our Italian feast is a baked pasta dish we refer to as “Moms Sicilian Ziti.” Most of us are familiar with Baked Ziti, a delicious but extremely heavy dish comprised of ziti with ricotta, mozzarella and a hearty meat sauce. Delicious, but after a plate of that you are usually done.
Our alternative ziti dish is also baked, but eliminates the ricotta and adds sweet peas, mozzarella and a crunchy breadcrumb topping. We make this often, in place of traditional bake ziti. The sweetness of the peas with the hearty tomato ragu and crunchy topping is an amazing pasta experience unknown to many. A good oven safe sauté pan is a must to prepare this dish. Moderate and higher end options for pans to prepare this dish are recommended below. Click this link for the recipe:
Sicilian Ziti
Difficulty: MediumA lighter version of baked ziti with a zesty ragu, sweet green peas, mozzerella and a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Secondi
If you haven’t paced yourself, the Italian feast will have beaten you by now. It is only the experienced who make it to the “secondi” course and have the space left to truly enjoy it. If you are still hungry, congratulations! You will not be disappointed.
For our meat dish, we selected the classic chicken parmigiana. There aren’t many who do not love this dish. Made with a crunchy breaded cutlet and topped with sweet marinara and plenty of cheese. If you are really good at this, you can enjoy the chicken parmigiana with a side of Sicilian ziti. Only the Italian feast pro’s will be able to enjoy this option.
We make our Parmigiana using an air fryer to reduce the fat and calories inherent with the traditional manner of preparing the dish. The air fryer provides a delicious, moist and crunchy cutlet. The trick is to not overcook the cutlet. Without all of the fat absorbed while frying, the air fried cutlet can get dried out quickly. So do not overcook the cutlet. When preparing, the air fryer below is a great option as it has a large capacity that will save you time if you need to prepare a lot of cutlets.
Our recipe then uses a cast iron skillet to cook the cutlets in a delicious bath of sweet marinara sauce and a blend of mozzarella and pecorino Romano cheese. Its a bit messy, but irresistibly delicious. A large cast iron pan like the one recommended above is necessary to prepare the dish. We find the cast iron pan keeps the cutlet crispy when placed in the oven. Click this link for the recipe to prepare our Chicken Parmesan recipe:
Air Fryer Chicken Parmigiana
Difficulty: EasyA healthier version of traditional chicken parmigiana. Crispy, breaded, cheesy chicken made with our homemade marinara sauce.
Dolce, Caffe and Digestivo
So congratulations, you made it through the Italian feast. Well not yet. A true Italian feast culminates with a sweet, often cake, pie, pastry or gelato. Try our recipe below for Italian sesame seed cookies
Sesame cookies
Difficulty: EasySesame cookies are a traditional Italian Christmas cookie that cannot be replicated by a bakery!
The sweet is always served with coffee, a strong espresso would be traditional. Finally, after embibing in this decadent feast, a digestive drink is appropriate. Our recommendation is limoncello.
Unfortunately, we do not yet possess many recipes for desserts on our food blog. Hopefully, you have a good Italian bakery that can help with this course. If you have guests outside your home, the intelligent host would request their guest provide dessert and a bottle of limoncello.
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