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Italians love lentils and cook them in lots of creative ways, including the traditional lentil and sausage dish that is served on New Year’s Day. Lentils are also very often used as the basis of a main-course salad like this one, which is a little more refined than most thanks to the sweet, juicy grapes and chopped hazelnuts. Like lentil soup, this salad develops more flavor the longer it sits, and it makes a wonderful bed for flavorful fish such as salmon. Certainly you can eat this right away, or make it ahead of time, refrigerate overnight, and serve at room temperature the next day.

Of all the recipes I’ve done for Giada at Home on TV, this one has been the biggest hit with both viewers and my crew. I’ve always said that if you want to get kids (and picky adults) to eat something, bake it with marinara and cheese and they’ll be demanding seconds. You’ll be happy because they’re eating lots of healthy veggies, they’ll be happy because it tastes awesome, and as an added bonus, your kitchen will smell fantastic, too. Use any vegetable that you love or have on hand in this dish; it’s very versatile.

At Christmas time in Italy every visitor seems to show up with a panettone for his host, meaning most homes end up with lots of extra panettone. I’ve become pretty creative when it comes to finding new uses for this delicious, fruit-laden yeast bread. Bread pudding is one obvious possibility, but I once cut some up for croutons and thought they were sensational. Combined with candy-sweet roasted fruits and peppery arugula, they make a very sophisticated dish to serve with poached eggs for brunch or alongside grilled chicken or chops.

If you’re in the mood for a light but filling dish, look no further. Halibut is low in fat but delicate, sweet, and flaky, and it embraces the flavors of most anything you pair it with. I like to marinate and then roast halibut before serving it on top of a colorful, warm spring salad of peas and mint. This is my kind of food.

This is my favorite way to eat fish, with a very clean, fresh, and simple preparation. Agave is a natural sweetener from the blue agave plant in South America, and brushed on the salmon it creates a nice caramelized crust. Topped with salsa verde made of citrus zests and herbs, this dish is super-light and perfect on a hot summer day. Jade loves the grilled salmon, too!

I love the look, flavor, and textures of this delicate and pretty dish. It’s a perfect way to spotlight the flavors of spring, when fava beans are in season. Other times of the year you can substitute frozen lima beans for the favas; either way the purée is bright from the mint and satisfies your starch cravings. Just be careful not to overcook the beans, as they can turn an unattractive gray. Red snapper, with its pinkish hue, is a quite flavorful white fish that works perfectly with the fava beans. Finish it off with a drizzle of really good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

I recently served this roast for the Thanksgiving holiday, thinking a departure from the usual turkey would be a welcome surprise—and it definitely was. The sweetness from the mustards absorbs into the meat, while the bacon keeps it nice and moist and adds a wonderful smokiness. Served over a lightly dressed fresh arugula salad, this will become a fast favorite—I promise.

Cooking a fish whole is the best way to ensure it will stay moist and flavorful, and the process is a lot less intimidating than it looks. Branzino is a small Mediterranean sea bass with a mild flavor and delicate texture, enhanced here with a bright, fresh stuffing of fennel and lemon. Todd says he always feels like he’s on a diet when he eats fish, so I cook it with some pancetta to hearty up the dish a bit. Do watch out for small bones when you serve the branzino.

In my experience even people who complain that lamb can taste too gamey love lamb chops. I would be lying if I didn’t also acknowledge that lamb chops are the most expensive cut, but I think they’re worth it, because they deliver a lot of flavor in just minutes. These chops, with a sweet tangy dressing drizzled on top, are an easy and fast meal that delivers, specifically on special occasions or for a Sunday night family dinner. Even Jade loves them!

Few things are more enticing than the smell of a chicken roasting, but for a special meal or a romantic evening such as Valentine’s Day, I like to serve game hens, so each person can have a whole bird of his or her own. It’s a beautiful presentation that is ridiculously easy to put together, and the pan juices, full of fresh citrus flavors, are especially delicious. If you prefer, though, you can easily make this with a large chicken; just increase the roasting time to 60 to 75 minutes, depending on its weight.

Chimichurri is the A1 sauce of Argentina, and no self-respecting steak there would be served without a dose of this herby green sauce. But chimichurri also has a lot in common with an Italian salsa verde, which gave me the idea to pair it with the more delicate combo of chicken and shrimp. I add oregano for a deep earthiness, and crunchy bites of pancetta put it over the top; you’ll want to serve this sauce over everything from broiled fish fillets to sliced tomatoes or even crostini.

I like to make turkey meatloaf as a way to serve up a satisfying meaty entrée without resorting to red meat. I load it with sweet sun-dried tomatoes and salty bites of feta, which just barely melt as the meatloaf bakes. When you cut into the meatloaf it looks so colorful. This is one of my top picks for serving a large group because it makes a lot, is hearty, and doesn’t require any last-minute fussing. Leftovers make terrific sandwiches the next day, too.

Cutlets cooked à la milanese—breaded in a cheesy crumb coating and pan-fried until crisp—are popular in every part of Italy (and here, for that matter!). They are usually made with veal, but my little aunt Carolyna wanted something she could serve her college friends, many of whom don’t eat veal. So I substituted chicken for the veal and added fennel to the quick pan sauce in this dish I devised for her; it is quite light and fresh-tasting, yet still true to the original.

This homey one-pot meal is reminiscent of the stews you find in Tuscany and Umbria, which are loaded with vegetables, potatoes, and herbs. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a dish to serve to a crowd; the succulent stew can simmer for a long time—the sauce just becomes richer and more intense—and it’s hard to believe you can get so much flavor from a relatively inexpensive piece of meat. Just be sure to use a Chianti that’s good enough to serve along with the meal.

You can’t really go wrong with a beef tenderloin. It’s a prime cut of meat that can be pricey, but I consider it for the holidays and special occasions. Really, it’s so tender and flavorful that you don’t have to do too much to make it taste delicious. The crust on this tenderloin, with garlic paste, cumin, and coriander, is so simple yet a wonderful surprise, and the basil-curry mayo is perfectly herby, spicy, and creamy. With any leftovers, you can make some pretty gourmet sandwiches, too.

In Italy, as in this country, steak and eggs are a classic combination. But while you’ll most often find the dish on breakfast menus here, Italians would be more likely to eat it at lunchtime, their most substantial meal of the day. I remember Todd flipping for it when he first tried it many years ago at my uncle’s house in Rome, and now it’s one of our favorite easy dinner recipes. Sometimes I serve the steak on a bed of greens, such as arugula, and serve slices of rustic bread alongside to sop up the runny yolk and meat juices. Steak, salad, egg, and bread—what more could you want, any time of day?

Other than in Tuscany, where the thick-cut steak fiorentina reigns supreme, you won’t find a lot of simple grilled steaks in Italy. Instead, Italians tend to serve their beef pounded thin and braised in a flavorful sauce. Pounding is a good way to tenderize a tougher (and less expensive) cut of beef such as London broil, and the cheesy stuffing here adds lots of flavor. Plus, I find that everyone, especially kids, enjoys the surprise of discovering the rich, melted filling inside these cute little breaded rolls. I know I did when I was a kid . . . and I still do!

This is a dish typically found in the Lombardy region of Italy, or in the Veneto. The extra-creamy consistency of this risotto belies its bold flavors: each super-rich bite is woodsy and earthy all in one. Because it’s so rich, a small portion makes a big impact. I serve it with a simple side salad and a full-bodied red wine, such as a Barbera.

This dish has become very popular on restaurant menus, because it seems extra-special—and tricky to make at home. Special it is, but in fact it’s quite easy to pull off, as it uses frozen lobster tails—no live lobsters to boil. The key is to brown the butter well for a deep, nutty flavor.

Italy is best known for its short-grain rice dishes, like risotto, but long-grain rice is popular there as well. My grandmother Nonna Luna loved to cook rice, and her secret was toasting the grains before adding the broth and a tablespoon of hot sauce. Unlike in a risotto, the grains stay fluffy and separate, not starchy. This dish is super easy to make—the only trick is taking the full six to seven minutes needed to toast the rice grains. That step gives the dish a nutty flavor that takes it from good to great, and the shrimp make it a full meal.