Top 10 Best Italian Cookbooks of 2024

Do you love Italian cosine? Its’ time to learn how to make delicious Italian food. It I not as complicated as people might think. All you need to have is a great book and enjoy cooking like a chef. The good thing is these books are available authored by different people. Thus, the chances are you will get the ideal one to suit your cooking needs. With all levels of cooking available, it is possible to learn basic meals to the complicated without attending cooking classes.

Well, there is no need to struggle when looking for ideal ways to eat and cook like real Italian. With a collection of reputable books, it is now easy to be used to make several means without any complication. Amazingly, they are ideal in hard and soft copies hence one can enjoy their best reading formats. For the best collection and reviews of Italian cookbooks, here are the top rated in 2021 that will make you cooking fantastic.

List of Best Italian Cookbooks

10. Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home

Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home

The Mario Batali’s MOLTO ITALIANO is an easy to read Italian cookbook. It features several dishes that are easy to cook and serve. Among the foods, the book contains thirty anti pasta, ten soups, shellfish dish, twenty fish dishes, pork, chicken dishes, and twenty side dishes. The book provides an easy to follow the voice that provides a historical and cultural perspective and goes on to demystify even the most complex dishes. The best thing about this book is that it provides a shortcut for every cultural meal that has for long seemed tricky and tedious.

Pros
  • Intelligent cookbook
  • Well considered writing
  • Intense photography
  • Spectacular layout
Cons
  • Sounds too simple

9. Lidia’s Favorite Recipes: 100 Foolproof Italian Dishes

Lidia's Favorite Recipes: 100 Foolproof Italian Dishes

This is one of the most affordable cookbooks written a by a professional chef. Lidia is a famous chef and certified author who has produced a lot of cookbooks and recipes. In this book, she covers eggplant Parmigiana, seafood stew, bakes stuffed shells, chicken cacciatore among other incredible dishes. She says that most of her cookbooks consist of inspirations from her childhood memories. For instance, the chicken and potatoes were her mother’s favorite meal. Making delicacies such as Scaloppini Saltimbocca will give you a feeling that takes you straight to Rome. Ziti with Broccoli Rabe and sausages takes you to the heel of Italy-Puglia.

Pros
  • A rich variety of recipes
  • Inspiring cooking stories
  • Eye-catching photography
  • Easy to read and follow
Cons
  • A bit costly

8. Extra Virgin: Recipes & Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen by Gabriele Corcos

Extra Virgin: Recipes & Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen by Gabriele Corcos

Devi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos are renowned ambassadors of the contemporary Tuscan cooking. They both host the cooking show Extra Virgin. They bring the Italian lifestyle in style by providing over 120 Italian recipes as a way of celebrating the vast Italian culture. In this cookbook, the authors bring to you traditional antipasti, soups and a spin of entrees, pizzas, and desserts. Among the foods showcased in the book include; goat cheese Ricotta in grilled apricots, pecorino among others.

Pros
  • Rich culture tabled
  • Very simple recipes
  • Inspiring cooking tips
  • Brings to light the rich Italian American culture
Cons
  • Too many ingredients discussed

7. Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes

Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking: 150 Delicious and Simple Recipes

This is another top-rated Italian cookbook by Lidia. She explains the recipes in the form of storytelling and illustrating the recipes in an easy to understand format. She does so by recalling the original lessons from her mother and now adding more charm to improve them. She explains all the recipes well, and whether it is Citrus Roasted Veal or Rustic Ricotta Tart, she ensures each is a tangible feast. Also, she articulates each type of food to a particular culture present in different geographic regions in Italy. For instance, mozzarella is king in Campania, and the food is best taken after three hours of preparation.

Pros
  • Easy recipes
  • Excellent cooking shortcuts
  • Rich cultural lifestyle
  • Perfect and exactly as described
Cons
  • Some recipes lack matching pictures

6. The Italian Regional Cookbook by Valentina Harris

The Italian Regional Cookbook by Valentina Harris

The Italian-cooking expert Valentina Harris takes the reader to a tour in various geographical regions of Italy. The author brings carefully curated recipes with stepwise instructions and accompanying photos. This helps you achieve authentic and sumptuous meals at the end. The book helps you explore the diverse Italian food variety. You will realize that there are more to pizzas and risottos which are the most popular foods in many restaurants. With this book, you will discover about 325 recipes that are accompanied by about 1500 uniquely commissioned photographs.

Pros
  • Incredible ingredients variety.
  • Beautiful and clear photos
  • Well written cookbook
Cons
  • Too many ingredients for a beginner, but extremely educative

5. Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis

Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis

This cookbook is the best for everyday cooking. The author directs the reader’s mind into real-life situations where you can actually cook what is readily available in your refrigerator or pantry. The recipes cover a wide range of foods whether it is sauced pasta or a family friendly roast. Also, it covers some recipes that show how to transform leftovers into excellent entrees. Besides, it also includes brilliant concepts of leftover pasta. If you want a soul warming stew, baked pasta or a quick sauté, this book covers all that.

Pros
  • Easy recipes
  • Focuses on affordable meals
  • Offers easy and quick cooking methods
  • Easy to follow
Cons
  • Pricey

4. Rustic Italian Food by Marc Vetri

Rustic Italian Food by Marc Vetri

Are you searching for the best Italian cookbook? Well, this is the best book if you want to learn the rustic Italian foods that will change your nutrition life forever. The author is a renowned chef and also a home cook. Over the years, he has been a veteran cookbook author. His prowess thrives because of his thoroughness and detail while capturing the Italian meals recipes. In this book, he comes out hilarious by telling the readers that they can actually start making own pasta spinach and ricotta gnudi ingredients.

Pros
  • Fascinating
  • Precise writing
  • Clear recipe details
  • Affordable cookbook
Cons
  • Some mistakes in writing weight units.

3. Pam Wattenbarger the New southern Cookbook

Pam Wattenbarger the New southern Cookbook

The rich southern food has propagated a culture that has been passed from generation to another. So, Pam Wattenberg brings an Italian cookbook that features traditional and updated classic recipes to ensure the rich culture is not lost. It features healthy recipes which you can eat in any day of the week. In this book, you won’t be surprised to find the Easy Shrimp Creole and also Breaded Pork Chops with Avocado Peach Salsa. In short, this cookbook covers a captivating introduction to the southern kitchen, classic recipes such as buttermilk pie, fried chicken and updated new family recipes.

Pros
  • Delicious classics
  • Sweet traditional recipes
  • Fascinating stories
  • Easy recipes
Cons
  • Pricey

2. Italian Street Food: Recipes from Italy’s Bars and Hidden Lane-ways

Italian Street Food: Recipes from Italy's Bars and Hidden Lane-ways

The Italian culture is rich, and people love me all over the world. However, the most interesting bit of this culture is that the bigger proportion is captured in the traditional foods. Now, this book covers the important details of this rich culture by bringing in easy to follow and classic recipes. The author Paola Bacchia explains the recipes in the form of pictures and really fascinating stories that will blow up your mind. With this interesting cookbook, you will be able to prepare authentic arancini polpettine, stuffed cuttlefish, fritters, cannoli’s and perfect your gelato-making skills with authentic Italian flavors such as lemon, affogato, basil, and Aperol, and other delicacies.

Pros
  • Very rich food culture captured
  • Captivating cooking stories
  • Well-polished recipes
  • High quality and eye-catching photography
Cons
  • Pricey

1. A Taste of Italy: Authentic Italian Recipes by Bennie Scott

A Taste of Italy: Authentic Italian Recipes by Bennie Scott

Italian culture comprises a rich diversity of foods and their cooking methods. One of the best cookbooks for beginners that capture this old culture is this one by Bennie Scott. The author is not only a professional cook but a home cook with a passion for putting the Italian cooking culture into writing. As a matter of fact, the majority of internationally recognized recipes can be traced back into the Italian culture. The difference in the recipes can be found in terms of color, availability of ingredients and flavors. To cite just a few, this book covers Best Marinara Sauce Recipe Fettuccine Florentine, Fresh Vegetable Frittata, and Chicken Marsala Pomodorie Gnocchi among others.

Pros
  • Easy to follow
  • Comprehensive coverage of Italian recipes
  • Authentic recipes discussed
  • Captivating and colorful images
Cons
  • Pricey