Low-Carb Italian Recipes
Eating fewer carbs in Italy doesn’t mean giving up flavor. Tuscan roasts, braises and vegetable dishes are built on olive oil, herbs, wine and slow cooking, with little or no pasta, bread or sugar. Try arista roast pork with fennel seeds, stracotto beef braised in red wine, eggplant parmigiana, Roman-style artichokes, cardoons in tomato sauce, peperonata and a creamy fennel and saffron soup.
These are dishes that are naturally low in carbohydrates rather than strictly keto. Some use a light dusting of flour or a few breadcrumbs, which you can leave out. Several of them are on the menu during our Tuscan cooking week.
Tuscan cauliflower with tomato, rosemary and fennel seeds
Even self-professed cauliflower haters will love this dish, if you can convince them to try it.
Calamari ripieni: Italian stuffed squid in white wine and tomato sauce
Cleaning whole squid can look daunting the first time, but it’s easier than it seems, and fresh calamari are well worth it. Here the tubes are filled with garlic, parsley, olives and breadcrumbs, then simmered in white wine and tomato until tender. A coastal Italian classic, with step-by-step photos.
Tuscan slow-cooked green beans with tomato and basil
This is a signature dish of the late great Mario, the multitalented father of Tina who used to be one of our amazing instructors at our cooking classes in Italy. You may say that you like your green beans to be firm and crunchy, but after tasting this dish you may also appreciate their sweet, melt-in-the-mouth quality when slow cooked.
Peperonata: Italian sweet and sour stewed peppers
This dish is even nicer the day after it has been made and is delicious warm, cold and at room temperature!
Tuscan pork stew with white wine, sage and rosemary
The white wine, stock and slow cooking make the pieces of pork really melt in your mouth.
Crostini with roasted peppers and goat cheese
Crostini are little appetizers that you can invent yourself depending on what’s in season and what ingredients you happen to have around. We often serve these crostini (which are red, white and yellow) alongside our green salsa verde crostini. A pretty combination!
Arugula pesto: a fresh, peppery pasta sauce in 10 minutes
Creamy fennel and saffron soup
A silky Tuscan soup of browned fennel and saffron, light and golden, made with just a handful of ingredients. An elegant first course for autumn.
Gnudi: Tuscan “naked” ricotta and spinach dumplings
These are called "naked" dumplings since they are like ricotta and spinach ravioli without their pasta "clothing". They are easy to make and delicious!
Crunchy pan-fried Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and chili
They key to enjoying them is not to overcook them! This recipe keeps them crunchy and tasty.
Homemade sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil with capers and garlic
Sundried tomatoes prepared like this tend to much tastier than the ones you find already prepared in oil.
Salsa verde crostini: Tuscan green sauce with parsley and capers
Crostini are little appetizers that you can invent yourself depending on what’s in season and what you have in the house. Salsa verde is a tangy herby sauce often served to accompany boiled meats, but delicious in its own right.
Chicken involtini: stuffed chicken or turkey rolls in white wine
Chicken or turkey breast fillets are filled, rolled up and cooked to make a succulent, interesting dish.
Crostini toscani: Tuscan chicken liver pâté with capers and vin santo
This is the most classic of all Tuscan crostini. Even those who say they don’t like paté love this one!
Tuscan herb-crusted roast beef cooked on the stovetop with Vin Santo
Tuscan herb-crusted roast beef, cooked on the stovetop with rosemary, sage, and Vin Santo. Tender, thinly sliced beef with fragrant, herby pan juices.
Baccalà alla livornese: salt cod in tomato sauce, Livorno style
This is the classic way to prepare salted cod, but you can use any firm-fleshed fresh white fish.
Stracotto: Tuscan slow-cooked beef in red wine
The vegetables in this slow cooked dish produce a velvety-textured sauce which goes perfectly with the tender meat.
Eggplant parmigiana with grilled eggplant
This Italian restaurant classic is a little time-consuming (the grilled eggplant takes a while) but your guests will tell you that it is well worth all the effort.
Arista: Tuscan roast pork loin with rosemary, sage and fennel
this is one of the classic tuscan roast meat dishes, herby and succulent.
Tuscan chicken cacciatora with red wine, olives and orange
Tuscan hunter’s-style chicken, slow-cooked in red wine with herbs, vegetables, black olives, and a hint of orange.
Carciofi alla romana: Roman-style braised artichokes with mint
These make a tasty little side dish or aperitif.
Fennel gratin with Parmesan and fennel seeds
A simple yet delicious way to prepare this nutritious and aromatic vegetable.
Tuscan cardoons in tomato sauce (gobbi al pomodoro)
Cardoon grows everywhere and is from the same family as the artichoke and as well as being nutritious (plenty of potassium, calcium and iron) is incredibly tasty.