Italian meals without so much pasta

[jalapeno_pretzel]

What are your Italian favorites that don't include pasta? Or maybe include pasta but are dramatically different from pasta with marinara/bolognaise, pasta alfredo or lasagna? Meat dishes okay, seafood dishes better, vegetarian dishes preferred.

I've got eggplant parmesan on the list, and minestrone.

 

[mickey916]

I made a lasagna and replaced the noodles with strips of grilled zucchini. It was delicious!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Giambotta, Italian vegetable stew. A number of the Italian restaurants in the area have it, it's great.

Listed under House Specialties

https://www.lazingaraitalian.com/menu#menu=?la-zingara-trattoria

Recipe

https://www.runningtothekitchen.com/ciambotta-giambotta/

 

[anniemae]

You mentioned my favorite, eggplant parm. While not vegetarian, Italian subs are the best. When I was growing up we lived near an Italian shop and he made the best subs. The meat was from Italy and sliced paper thin. The bread was soft and he topped it with olive oil. Delicious. I also love cannoli. LOL

Similar to the pp, I made zucchini ravioli. It was delicious and very east to make.

 

[neverlandsky]

Caprese salad, Caprese sandwich, Classic Italian house salad, Mushroom pesto pizza, Toast with ricotta and roasted tomatoes, Grilled fish with olive oil & Italian seasonings, Spaghetti squash with marinara sauce, Scrambled eggs with sweet peppers and/or spinach and/or shallots & ricotta.

 

[mikehn]

Ciopinno, I cant get enough of that stuff. I'd dip some bread in it, or just eat it plain.

 

[eticketplease]

Giambotta, Italian vegetable stew. A number of the Italian restaurants in the area have it, it's great.

Listed under House Specialties

https://www.lazingaraitalian.com/menu#menu=?la-zingara-trattoria

Recipe

https://www.runningtothekitchen.com/ciambotta-giambotta/

Thanks adding it to my Paprika app to try later on.

 

[mjkacmom]

I’m lazy.

 

[clh2]

Shrimp Scampi with Zoodles is awesome, and easy-peasy to make!

 

[ronandannette]

What are your Italian favorites that don't include pasta? Or maybe include pasta but are dramatically different from pasta with marinara/bolognaise, pasta alfredo or lasagna? Meat dishes okay, seafood dishes better, vegetarian dishes preferred.

I've got eggplant parmesan on the list, and minestrone.

Chicken piccata. A chicken breast, pounded thin and lightly floured, pan-fried in butter and finished with a sauce of white wine, lemon juice and capers. Classic Italian and very light. I serve it with garlic mashed potatoes but a pasta side simply tossed with butter, garlic and parmesan would work too. I've also done salmon and sole this way and the flavor profiles are great with fish.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Italian white beans - https://www.platingsandpairings.com/italian-white-beans/

This is the concept, but I use canned and make life easy on myself.
I've also been known to offshoot from this and use garlic and basil with sauteed onions, bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes for a nice bean main...

And lemon, olive oil, and garlic shrimp - so good, so simple.

Another favorite dish is a macedonia (fruit salad). Normally, an Italian main without pasta still needs a side, and this serves nicely for a side.

I also like panzanella, and if you're concerned for the carbs, just change the ratios of bread to the vegetable in the salad (and add even more types of veg) and decrease the dressing slightly til the new ratio is right.

In fact, you can do that for pasta...rather than making a little sauce and a lot of pasta, do a lot of sauce with veg and less pasta. My bolognese or Lenten tomato sauce is pretty much my "empty out my fridge for appropriate veg" sauce and has about 1/2 sauce to 1/2 pasta by the end...

 

[mjkacmom]

Italian white beans - https://www.platingsandpairings.com/italian-white-beans/

This is the concept, but I use canned and make life easy on myself.
I've also been known to offshoot from this and use garlic and basil with sauteed onions, bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes for a nice bean main...

And lemon, olive oil, and garlic shrimp - so good, so simple.

Another favorite dish is a macedonia (fruit salad). Normally, an Italian main without pasta still needs a side, and this serves nicely for a side.

I also like panzanella, and if you're concerned for the carbs, just change the ratios of bread to the vegetable in the salad (and add even more types of veg) and decrease the dressing slightly til the new ratio is right.

In fact, you can do that for pasta...rather than making a little sauce and a lot of pasta, do a lot of sauce with veg and less pasta. My bolognese or Lenten tomato sauce is pretty much my "empty out my fridge for appropriate veg" sauce and has about 1/2 sauce to 1/2 pasta by the end...

I make panzanella in the summer and put in extra bread, so good. Sausage and peppers is made frequently as well.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Giambotta, Italian vegetable stew. A number of the Italian restaurants in the area have it, it's great.

Listed under House Specialties

https://www.lazingaraitalian.com/menu#menu=?la-zingara-trattoria

Recipe

https://www.runningtothekitchen.com/ciambotta-giambotta/

This looks really good, definitely will try. I haven't ever heard of it before.

I’m lazy.

Lol, the menu did remind me I would sometime like to try making eggplant rollatini. I've never even actually had it, but I think it sounds really good, and I frequently "almost" order it. Calamari usually wins out for the appetizer choice.

Italian white beans - https://www.platingsandpairings.com/italian-white-beans/

This is the concept, but I use canned and make life easy on myself.
I've also been known to offshoot from this and use garlic and basil with sauteed onions, bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes for a nice bean main...

The beans (both plain and in a stew) sound really good!

 

[barkley]

Chicken piccata. A chicken breast, pounded thin and lightly floured, pan-fried in butter and finished with a sauce of white wine, lemon juice and capers. Classic Italian and very light. I serve it with garlic mashed potatoes

love this! there's a place local to us that does a PHENOMINAL chicken marsala and serves it with root veggies-my favorite there.

vegetarian ideas-

pesto tomato-slice a tomato in half, score the top and then top it with a layer of pesto. broil until the pesto is bubbly.

stuffed portabellos-hollow out portabello, smear pesto on interior of hollowed out portion, top with some marinara. fill remainder of hollowed out with goat (or other soft) cheese. sprinkle with pine nuts. bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. we serve with additional marinara to drizzle over.

 

[LuvOrlando]

LOVE zoodles with home made pesto and shrimp or chicken, not a fan of zoodles with tomato sauce. Make the home made pesto, it is super easy and when it sits the basil gets funky and bitter, basil is one of those things that completely changes as it ages and not in a good way, use a mini chopper or even a blender.


Mussels in red sauce is delicious served with a side of garlic bread or just bread.

Caponatina is amazing, it is OK if you eat it fresh but is amazing if you let it sit a few hours or overnight. Love serving with garlic bread or bread rounds but crackers are nice too. I actually prefer kalamata olives to green, and when they say green they do not mean the ones with pimentoes, if you do green get the ones in a can like from Pearl.

 

[gmi3804]

* Pasta e fagioli. It's a bean and pasta stew, flavored with pancetta/bacon, touch of tomato paste, onion/carrot/celery, and chicken stock. Filling and satisfying, and somewhat healthy too.Like a warm hug on a cold day.

* Scampi. Usually made with shrimp (which isn't scampi at all, but that's another post), cooked in butter, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest/juice, and finished with parsley and red pepper flakes. Serve it plain with a good crusty bread.

 

[Deb]

Chicken or shrimp francese

 

[HopperFan]

Years ago was in Louisville visiting DD and they took us to a small old dated Italian restaurant. Being it is a foodie town and I am from NJ, I was excited by the hole in the wall. I wanted to try something different so I ordered ... and clearly didn't read details correctly. I was presented with a big bowl of meat sauce. NO PASTA, NO NOTHING but sauce. It was so weird. I filled up with my salad and bread and asked for my sauce to be boxed. Next day at her house I cooked pasta and added my to go sauce.

Ciopinno, I cant get enough of that stuff. I'd dip some bread in it, or just eat it plain.

My brother made it for our family Christmas (Italian theme this year) and DH said it was excellent. Good option for the theme less pasta.

 

[Imzadi]

if you're concerned for the carbs [. . .]

In fact, you can do that for pasta...rather than making a little sauce and a lot of pasta, do a lot of sauce with veg and less pasta. My bolognese or Lenten tomato sauce is pretty much my "empty out my fridge for appropriate veg" sauce and has about 1/2 sauce to 1/2 pasta by the end...

(Shameless promo for Barilla Protein Plus Pasta coming: )

Barilla Protein Plus Pasta. (Yellow box.)

It is the ONLY pasta I eat now, (other than quinoa.) Barilla Protein Plus is 100% plant protein, made with protein from lentils, chickpeas, and peas and fiber.

It tastes like regular pasta. It does NOT taste like boiled cardboard the way "whole wheat" pastas do. It is a better choice for anyone who would still like to eat pasta, but not all the carbs, and have a protein substitute.

You can check the chart for the ratio of protein and fiber:
Barilla Protein Plus pasta. It is more expensive than regular pasta, but in exchange for buying/adding less of other protein foods, it's probably still less expensive - and more heart healthy & filling.

 

[ncc1701]

Lidia Bastinach's Balsamic Chicken Stir-fry . https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...CAgQAQ&sqi=2&usg=AOvVaw37NsQtc0H9iEh_OITC-or5
It uses rice as the starch. I also make her Light Chicken Parmigiana. For that I usually do a small side of pasta but rice, polenta or even crusty bread would work.