Random Italian Food Generator – 56 Dishes in 4 Courses

How it works

This random Italian food generator picks one of 56 Italian dishes, from carbonara and risotto to ossobuco and tiramisu, with a line on what goes into each and, where it has one, the town or region it comes from.

Read the full guide

Tonight's pasta, or the whole menu

Press once for a single dish to cook. For a whole menu, draw one course at a time: a pasta first, then a main, then a dessert. Set the count to 3 when you would rather choose from a short list.

Pick a course

After the first press, the list beside the button keeps the draw to pasta (18 dishes), pizza, rice and bread (10), soups, mains and salads (18) or desserts (10). Pasta covers the Roman four: carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia and amatriciana.

Tips

Short on time? Spaghetti aglio e olio needs only pasta, garlic and olive oil from the cupboard.

Questions and answers

Is fettuccine Alfredo Italian?

Yes. It was first made in Rome in the early 20th century: fettuccine tossed with butter and Parmesan until they melt into a sauce. Today it is best known in the United States and other countries.

What is the difference between arancini and supplì?

Both are fried rice balls. Arancini are Sicilian, stuffed and crumbed, often round a ragù or mozzarella filling. Supplì are Roman, made with rice and tomato sauce.

Where do the dishes come from?

From Wikipedia's list of Italian dishes, read on 24 September 2026. Each line is ours, written from the opening of the dish's own article. Wines, liqueurs and other drinks are left out.

All 56 dishes

Pasta 18

Bucatini all'amatriciana Bucatini in a sauce of tomato, guanciale, pecorino and chilli, named after the town of Amatrice.
Cacio e pepe Spaghetti or tonnarelli with grated pecorino romano and black pepper, from Lazio.
Cannelloni Tubes of egg pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta or beef, baked under tomato sauce.
Fettuccine Alfredo Fettuccine tossed with butter and Parmesan into a rich sauce, first made in Rome.
Gnocchi Small dumplings of dough, often potato, flour and egg.
Lasagne al forno Wide sheets of pasta baked in layers with meat, cheese, vegetables and sauce.
Orecchiette Pasta from Apulia, named "little ears" for its shape.
Pasta alla gricia Pasta with guanciale, pecorino romano and black pepper, from Lazio.
Pasta alla Norma Sicilian pasta with eggplant, from Catania.
Pasta e fagioli A soup of pasta and beans, once a poor people's dish, now eaten by everyone.
Penne all'arrabbiata Penne in a spicy "angry" sauce of tomato, garlic and chilli, from Rome.
Ravioli Parcels of thin pasta round a filling, served in broth or with a sauce.
Spaghetti aglio e olio Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil, a cheap, quick dish from Naples.
Spaghetti alla carbonara Pasta with cured pork, hard cheese, egg and black pepper, from the Lazio region.
Spaghetti alle vongole Spaghetti cooked with fresh clams, garlic, parsley and olive oil.
Tagliatelle al ragù Ribbon pasta with ragù, the slow-cooked meat sauce of Bologna.
Tortellini in brodo Small stuffed pasta from Bologna and Modena, filled with pork and Parmesan and served in broth.
Trenette al pesto Pasta dressed with pesto: basil, olive oil, cheese, pine nuts and garlic, from Genoa.

Show all 56 dishes (38 more)

Pizza, rice and bread 10

Arancini Sicilian rice balls, stuffed, crumbed and deep-fried.
Bruschetta Grilled bread with garlic, olive oil and salt, often topped with tomato.
Calzone A folded pizza baked in the oven, stuffed with cured meat, mozzarella or ricotta and egg.
Focaccia A flat, leavened bread baked in the oven.
Piadina A thin flatbread from Romagna.
Pizza Margherita The classic Neapolitan pizza: tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil.
Pizza marinara Neapolitan pizza with tomato, olive oil, oregano and garlic.
Polenta Boiled cornmeal, eaten soft or left to set, then baked, fried or grilled.
Risotto Rice cooked slowly in broth until creamy, often finished with butter and Parmesan.
Supplì Roman snack: a ball of rice with tomato sauce, fried.

Soups, mains and salads 18

Arrosticini Skewers of lamb or mutton grilled over coals, from Abruzzo.
Bistecca alla fiorentina A Tuscan steak on the bone, grilled until rare.
Caponata Sicilian fried eggplant with celery, olives and capers in a sweet and sour sauce.
Caprese salad Sliced mozzarella, tomato and basil with olive oil, named after Capri.
Carciofi alla giudia Deep-fried artichokes, a dish of Rome's Jewish community.
Cotoletta A breaded veal cutlet.
Frittata An egg dish like an omelette, with meat, cheese or vegetables mixed in.
Minestrone A thick vegetable soup, often with beans and pasta or rice.
Ossobuco Braised cross-cut veal shanks from Lombardy, often served with risotto.
Panzanella A summer salad of soaked stale bread, tomatoes and onions.
Pappa al pomodoro A thick Tuscan soup of tomato, stale bread, garlic and basil.
Parmigiana Fried slices of eggplant layered with mozzarella and tomato sauce, then baked.
Pollo alla cacciatora "Hunter's" chicken, braised with onions, herbs, tomatoes and peppers.
Porchetta A boneless pork roast, slow-cooked for hours with the skin on.
Ribollita "Reboiled" Tuscan soup of bread, beans, kale and vegetables.
Saltimbocca Veal wrapped with prosciutto and sage. The name means "jumps in the mouth".
Stracciatella soup Meat broth with shreds of egg drizzled in, from Rome.
Vitello tonnato Cold sliced veal under a creamy tuna sauce, from Piedmont.

Desserts 10

Affogato A scoop of gelato "drowned" in hot espresso.
Biscotti Twice-baked almond biscuits from Prato: dry, crunchy and made for dipping.
Cannoli Sicilian tubes of fried pastry filled with sweet ricotta cream.
Gelato Italian ice cream, lower in butterfat than many other styles.
Granita Sicilian ice of sugar and lemon, coffee or fruit juice, stirred as it freezes.
Maritozzo A bun filled with a generous amount of whipped cream.
Panettone A tall sweet bread with fruit, from Milan, made for Christmas and New Year.
Panna cotta "Cooked cream": sweetened cream set with gelatin in a mould.
Sfogliatella A shell-shaped pastry of thin layers with a sweet filling, from Campania.
Tiramisu Coffee-soaked ladyfingers under a cream of egg yolk, sugar and mascarpone, dusted with cocoa.

How this list was compiled: Dishes named in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Italian_dishes, fetched through the MediaWiki API on 2026-09-24. Each line is ours, written from the opening of the dish's own English Wikipedia article, read the same day (address in x.src). No wines, liqueurs or other drinks. Licence: own work