Vegetarian Italian Recipes
Italian home cooking has always been generous to vegetarians. In Tuscany, cucina povera was built on bread, beans, seasonal vegetables, olive oil and herbs, and meat was kept for special occasions. These are the vegetarian recipes we cook with guests during our Tuscan cooking vacations: soups such as pappa al pomodoro and minestrone, eggplant parmigiana, ricotta and spinach gnudi, artichoke risotto, fresh pasta with simple sauces, and classic desserts like tiramisù and torta della nonna.
None of these recipes contain meat or fish. Traditional Parmesan and pecorino are made with animal rennet, so if you avoid it, look for a vegetarian hard cheese. Where a recipe lists anchovies as optional, simply leave them out.
Fresh egg pasta: how to make it with a pasta machine
Many people who come to our cooking school in Italy feel intimidated by the idea of making pasta from scratch. Once they see how easy and enjoyable it is, they become hooked! Put some music on in your kitchen, and take your time.
Licia’s moist Italian apple cake (torta di mele)
Manuela’s mother has offered lots of inspiration and recipes for our cooking classes in Tuscany. This is one of her recipes, now handed down to her children and grandchildren. Thanks Licia!
Fresh fruit tart with frangipane (crostata di frutta)
This is a tart to rival a patisserie bought one. In our cooking courses in Italy we show you just how the pastry should be rolled out: quickly, gently but firmly. It takes some practice, but is well worth mastering. Delicious with soft fruit such as raspberries.
Cantuccini: Tuscan almond biscotti
These are the classic “biscotti” as they are often known in the US (in Italian, this just means any “cookies”). Using the finest flour available results in the most mouthwatering morsels.
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.
Caramelized pear and fig upside-down tart
You can make this tart with pretty much any fruit, but the combination of figs and pears is divine! During our cooking classes in Tuscany, we use ripe figs from the trees at the top of the hill.
Baked butternut squash gnocchi in tomato sauce
These are not like boiled gnocchi at all, but are creamy balls of squash baked in a tomato sauce. Guests who come on our cooking courses in Italy say that they are one of their favorite fall dishes.
Spring minestrone: light Tuscan vegetable soup with beans
A slow-cooked minestrone made with fresh seasonal ingredients and served with good bread is a healthy and delicious dinner or lunch.
Flourless orange and almond cake with dark chocolate
This is a typical Sephardic Passover cake, which has various versions, made throughout the Mediterranean.
Dairy-free lemon custard (crema de llimona)
Made without milk, this lemon custard popularized by the Catalan chef Carme Ruscalleda is light, tangy and refreshing. Naturally gluten-free and very quick to prepare, it is lighter than classic lemon curd and an ideal summer dessert.
Italian apple crostata with almond frangipane
Moist, deliciously simple tart.
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.
Sicilian orange and fennel salad with black olives
The most refreshing of winter salads, this sounds a little odd, but is wonderful!
Tuscan minestrone with cavolo nero and beans
The distinctive taste of this soup comes from the cavolo nero ("black cabbage"). This has recently been popularized by chefs such as Jamie Oliver and is now available in many farmers' markets.
Ricciarelli: soft Sienese almond cookies for Christmas
For many, along with the spice-dense panforte, the light, sophisticated ricciarello is the true Tuscan Christmas treat. They used to be made in convents and apothecary shops, the only places where the right spices and storage conditions would be found.
Tuscan grape harvest cake with red grapes, rosemary and walnuts
In Tuscany, this complex-flavoured but simple to make cake is only made for a few weeks a year, when the small, sweet, seedy red grapes are around (many are “gleaned” in the vineyards after the harvest). Use the sweetest red grapes you can.
Artichoke risotto (risotto ai carciofi)
The best types of rice for making risotto are: Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone nano. These have round grains and are starchy, becoming creamy when cooked.
Baked fennel with oranges and olives
Baked Fennel with Oranges and Olives is a light, fragrant, and incredibly simple dish to prepare. Inspired by the classic Sicilian fennel and orange salad, this version takes the same refreshing ingredients and transforms them in the oven, deepening their flavors. The sweetness of the oranges, the subtle anise notes of the fennel, and the briny kick from the black olives come together beautifully in this elegant side dish.
Tiramisù without raw eggs: our cooking-class recipe
Tiramisu (literally “Pick me up”) seems to have been around for generations, but is in fact a creation from the 1970s! The version that we teach at our cooking school in Tuscany uses custard.
Tuscan mushroom crostini with porcini and Vin Santo
Best served warm, these crostini will have your guests demanding more. You'll see that the vin santo gives the mushrooms a very special flavour, and the butter gives them a melt in the mouth texture.
Rustic half whole wheat focaccia with rosemary
An easy but unusual focaccia recipe which makes a rustic-textured, half wholewheat bread. Ideal to eat with cheeses and salad.
Homemade potato gnocchi (plus spinach gnocchi)
The less flour you use, the lighter the gnocchi will be, but the more likely it will be to go mushy while you wait to cook it, handle it and when it is cooking in the water.
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!
Eggplant caponata: Sicilian sweet and sour eggplant, without deep-frying
Easy Sicilian eggplant (aubergine) caponata: a sweet and sour dish with celery, olives, capers and tomato. Lighter, make-ahead and best served cold.