The scent of freshly prepared Italian food in the air can intoxicate anyone, even if they’ve never had a bite. The smell of tomato sauce with hints of oregano and basil is powerful enough to make you stop in your tracks, take a look around, and follow the trail to where Italian cuisine is being served. It’s easy to fall in love with these familiar meals, whether they take a long time to prepare or you can whip them up in the kitchen within minutes. Either way, you can prepare these meals at home and feed the whole family.
In many of these recipes, you savor different types of pasta tossed in a savory sauce. You have spaghetti, angel hair, and penne pasta to select from. Some of these meals include meat while others skip this ingredient and instead highlight the Italian flavors you appreciate in a simple sauce. These are the types of dishes that don’t leave you wanting more. They fill you up and leave you contented, feeling satisfied and comforted.
Baby boomers were influenced by Italian immigrants who brought their culture and cuisine to the States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Italian-American restaurants started sprouting up, making many of the dishes in this list popular. It’s no wonder Italian meals have become a source of comfort for this generation. It’s not just infused with flavors you love, but it also has an infusion of nostalgia.
To put this list of baby boomers’ favorite Italian dishes together, 247 Tempo reviewed data provided by YouGov. It’s a site designed for gathering and revealing data on just about any topic you can think of. (Craving Italian fare from the ocean? After this article, read Iconic Italian Seafood Dishes Everyone Try at Least Once.)
#21 Pasta Puttanesca
- Fame: 62%
- Popularity: 37%
This traditional Italian sauce is paired with pasta. The sauce is made with tomatoes, garlic, capers, anchovies, and olives.
#20 Pasta With Vodka Sauce
- Fame: 79%
- Popularity: 39%
Vodka sauce is a tomato-based sauce spread generously over pasta. The recipe calls for a splash of vodka to give it a tangy flavor. Then, heavy cream is used to soften the tanginess.
#19 Pizza Margherita
- Fame: 79%
- Popularity: 50%
This dish is bright with the colors of the Italian flag. It’s a simple and delectable pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil.
#18 Pasta With Pesto Sauce
- Fame: 94%
- Popularity: 54%
Pesto sauce defines this dish. It’s made with basil leaves, extra-virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, nuts, and salt.
#17 Bruschetta
- Fame: 92%
- Popularity: 60%
This Italian appetizer is a classic. It’s toasted bread topped with olive oil, tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and parmesan cheese.
#16 Baked Spaghetti
- Fame: 92%
- Popularity: 62%
This dish is hearty and comforting. It’s made by layering spaghetti, meat sauce, and melted mozzarella. When baking, the noodles are first boiled until they’re half-cooked then placed in the oven to cook all the way through.
#15 Tortelloni
- Fame: 93%
- Popularity: 63%
This type of pasta is stuffed like a dumpling. The dough folds over a filling and the ends are twisted together to create its distinctive shape.
#14 Macaroni Salad
- Fame: 100%
- Popularity: 66%
Unlike most of the other dishes in this list, macaroni salad is served cold. It typically incorporates fresh herbs and vegetables, cheese, tender pasta, and salami.
#13 Stuffed Manicotti
- Fame: 94%
- Popularity: 67%
Manicotti is a tubular pasta meant for stuffing. The filling is typically three types of cheeses, Italian sausage, and sauce. It’s a baked dish.
#12 Angel Hair Pasta With Shrimp
- Fame: 98%
- Popularity: 69%
This delicate dish calls for angel hair pasta, which is a long and thin noodle (significantly finer than spaghetti noodles). It’s paired with shrimp and tossed with sauce.
#11 Pasta With Chicken and Garlic Sauce
- Fame: 98%
- Popularity: 70%
This dish is straightforward, made with pasta of your choice, chicken, and a savory garlic sauce.
#10 Baked Ziti
- Fame: 94%
- Popularity: 72%
This baked Italian dish calls for three kinds of cheese, spaghetti sauce, ground beef, and pasta. The preparation is relatively simple, making it an easy go-to for the whole family.
#9 Fettuccine Alfredo
- Fame: 99%
- Popularity: 73%
This buttery dish incorporates fettuccine noodles, a rich and creamy Alfredo sauce, seasonings, and cheese.
#8 Taco Salad
- Fame: 99%
- Popularity: 73%
An Italian taco salad combines mixed greens with ground beef, mozzarella cheese, tortilla chips, and a zesty Italian dressing for a quick and simple yet satisfying meal.
#7 Macaroni and Cheese
- Fame: 100%
- Popularity: 75%
There are variations to this dish but to keep it Italian, you can incorporate only Italian cheeses along with uncured fried pancetta.
#6 Caesar Salad
- Fame: 99%
- Popularity: 77%
This salad is easy to make as it only calls for a couple of ingredients. They include romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, Caesar salad dressing, and croutons.
#5 Pasta With Tomato Sauce
- Fame: 99%
- Popularity: 78%
With such an uncomplicated name, there is no confusion about what this dish entails. It’s pasta with a classic tomato sauce.
#4 Ravioli
- Fame: 100%
- Popularity: 79%
Ravioli is egg pasta wrapped around a filling, which may include ricotta cheese, vegetables, and meat.
#3 Spaghetti With Meatballs
- Fame: 100%
- Popularity: 85%
You can’t go wrong with this top three dish, which combines spaghetti noodles with meatballs and tomato sauce.
#2 Lasagna
- Fame: 100%
- Popularity: 88%
This type of pasta is flat and wide. The dish is prepared by layering the pasta with tomato sauce, cheese, vegetables, and meat. Oregano, onion, garlic, and wine give it the typical flavor you’ve grown to love.
#1 Garlic Bread
- Fame: 100%
- Popularity: 91%
Baby boomers have decided garlic bread is their number one pick. This is a toasted bread topped with garlic (sometimes olive oil). It’s buttery and serves to enhance any dish you serve it with. (Next, check out Baby Boomers’ Favorite Mexican Dishes.)