18 Neapolitan Recipes That Bring the Bay of Naples to Your Kitchen
Explore the classic fare of Naples from your own kitchen with recipes for the ultimate spaghetti dishes, plus the pizza that started it all.
Credit: Bella Graves
As the birthplace of pizza , Naples is a nonnegotiable stop on any food lover's culinary tour of Italy. Named by Time Out in 2024 as the world's best city for food, Naples is compelling for many reasons, not just its iconic pizza Margherita. Situated on Italy's western coast in the southern Campania region, Naples is known for turning simple ingredients into incredibly flavorful dishes accessible to all. Spaghetti and seafood abound, as evidenced in the popular spaghetti con vongole and spaghetti alla puttanesca; humble eggplant takes on a whole new identity with breadcrumbs and cheese in Parmigiana di melanzane. Until your next trip to Italy , these are the recipes you need to re-create some of the city's signature dishes at home.
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Sfogliatelle
Credit: Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
At once flaky and creamy, these iconic Neapolitan treats showcase layers of shatteringly crisp pastry wrapped around a rich ricotta-semolina filling classically flavored with orange zest and cinnamon, plus cardamom and orange blossom water for an extra-special touch.
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Margherita Pizza
Credit: Bella Graves
This classic Neapolitan-style pie is easy to pull off at home with a little planning and quality ingredients. Matched with creamy mozzarella, the freshly snipped basil and uncooked sauce deliver big flavor.
03 of 18
Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)
Credit: Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This definitive Neapolitan vegetarian main from F&W recipe developer Craig Ruff comes together in just 30 minutes (in one pot, to boot) with pantry staples like canned chickpeas, ditalini pasta, tomato paste, and vegetable broth.
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Puttanesca Sauce
Credit: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
A Naples original, this robust tomato sauce features salty anchovies and kalamata olives, tangy capers, plenty of punchy garlic, and red pepper flakes for a hint of heat. Make it a traditional Neapolitan dish by pairing it with spaghetti.
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Zeppole di San Giuseppe (Cream Puffs with Lemon Pastry Cream)
Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel
Zeppole di San Giuseppe are a light and airy Italian filled dessert made from eggy choux pastry that can be baked or fried, with a bright lemon pastry cream filling. We use an oven for simplicity while maintaining the mandatory amarena cherry and powdered sugar on top.
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Caprese Salad
Credit: Matt Taylor-Gross
Caprese salad is supremely simple, but its flavor hinges on the quality of its ingredients, including ripe, juicy peak-season tomatoes and verdant basil. Paired with fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, the combination is even more delicious when nestled in a bed of peppery arugula.
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Spaghetti alla Nerano (Creamy Spaghetti with Zucchini)
Credit: Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hausser
A quick stint under the broiler gives zucchini coins a golden brown exterior for this essential summer pasta dish from Nerano, a small village about an hour south of Naples on the Amalfi Coast. A portion of the zucchini is cooked down with cheese and butter for a creamy sauce, and the rest becomes a crispy garnish.
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Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Refrigerated gnocchi are coated in a garlicky tomato sauce studded with fresh mozzarella for this comforting baked skillet dish that's easy to put together on a weeknight.
09 of 18
Pasta Frittata with Mushrooms
Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Lauren Mcanelly / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali
Repurpose leftover sauced pasta for this easy, satisfying frittata. It's infinitely customizable — though spaghetti with red sauce is the Neapolitan standard, the dish works beautifully with other shapes and white, cheese-based sauces as well. Sautéed mushrooms and prosciutto make this version especially hearty.
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Steak Pizzaiola
Credit: Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Skirt steak is served "pizza-style" with a garlicky burst-tomato sauce for this dinner from Marianne Williams. Crispy garlic and capers elevate every bite.
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Pasta Aglio e Olio
Credit: Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Breanna Ghazali
This simple, garlicky pasta from chef Roy Choi uses pantry ingredients — its beauty comes from building out the flavor profile in the olive oil. Even better, the whole thing comes together in the time it takes for the water to boil, making it the perfect back-pocket pasta to add to your weeknight rotation.
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Fire-Roasted Pasta e Fagioli
Credit: Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Charring tomatoes and peppers under the broiler infuses them with fire-roasted flavor in this modern twist on a Neapolitan classic. The recipe sticks with tradition by cooking the ditalini right in the broth and using pancetta for a rich, savory finish.
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Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan
Credit: Victor Protasio
For this truly effortless eggplant Parmesan, eggplant rounds are simply arranged on a sheet pan with mozzarella and tomatoes, then sprinkled with Parmesan and crisp, seasoned sourdough crumbs before hitting the oven. A touch of fresh basil ties together the flavors.
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Perfect Neapolitan Pizza Dough
Credit: © John Kernick
Featuring a thin, soft crust with slightly charred edges, the perfect Neapolitan pizza starts with a super-simple dough. "Flour, salt, water, and yeast — that's it," says chef Thomas McNaughton.
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Spaghetti with Clams and Garlic
Credit: © Simon Watson
This exquisite, super-simple version of spaghetti con vongole is from the chef-owners of Brooklyn's Frankies 457 Spuntino, Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli. It's packed with garlic and a judicious amount of crushed red pepper. If you prefer, shell the clams before tossing them with their juices in the pasta.
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Tomato-Oregano Pizza
Credit: © Lauren Volo
1990 F&W Best New Chef Nancy Silverton's outstanding cheeseless pizza recipe is modeled on the pies at cult favorite Pepe in Grani in Naples, Italy.
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Babas au Rhum with Mixed Citrus Fruits
Credit: © Chris Court
Born in France with Polish roots, this dessert rose to fame in Naples as the city's aristocracy began employing French-trained chefs in the late 18th century — in Italy, it is the beloved babà. Here, cookbook author and Chez Panisse alum David Lebovitz steeps milk with vanilla bean to flavor his airy yeasted cakes. To serve, he douses them in rum syrup, piles on a mix of grapefruit and oranges, and dollops them with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
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Sauce-Simmered Spaghetti al Pomodoro
Credit: Christina Holmes
In her classic take on spaghetti and red sauce, Top Chef finalist Sarah Grueneberg infuses parboiled pasta with extra flavor by removing it from the pasta water and finishing it in the tomato sauce — the traditional method for making this Neapolitan dish.
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