From Better Homes and Gardens

Ground beef, sausage, and just the right seasonings make these meatballs a soon-to-be family favorite.

Handmade Italian Meatballs

From Better Homes and Gardens

Tangy goat cheese, bright lemon zest and peppery arugula perfectly complement the toasted warmth of crusty baguette in this elegant appetizer. Serve alongside a Mediterranean style frittata and fresh fruit salad for a light and refreshing Sunday brunch.

Fresh Arugula Bruschetta

From Better Homes and Gardens

These tomato-and-Parmesan crumb-topped artichokes are elegant enough to serve with your fanciest meals.

Artichokes Parmesan

From Prego Italian Sauce

Aromatic garlic bread, topped with mozzarella cheese, is served with a rich Italian tomato sauce for dipping.

Mozzarella Cheese Bread Sticks

From Better Homes and Gardens

Instead of using fresh mozzarella for this appetizer, try another fresh soft cheese, such as queso fresco or feta.

Marinated Mozzarella with Basil

From Food & Wine

In this recipe, adapted from Wine Bar Food by Tony Mantuano and his wife, Cathy, lush ricotta-filled crepes bake in a rich marinara sauce.

Crespelle with Ricotta and Marinara

From Better Homes and Gardens

Olives, capers, radishes, and anchovy add exceptional flavor to the filling in these deviled eggs.

Italian Style Deviled Eggs

From Better Homes and Gardens

This make-ahead appetizer spread was inspired by the classic prosciutto-melon combination served as an Italian-style first course.

Appetizer Fruit Plate

From Better Homes and Gardens

These Parmesan breadsticks are a great snack with your choice of dipping sauce. Serve leftover breadsticks with soup or salad.

Parmesan Breadsticks

From Better Homes and Gardens

Sweet caramelized onions and a puree of white beans pack rustic flavor onto rounds of Italian bread.

Savory Focaccia Wedges

From Food & Wine

Elena Boroli, who co-owns the Locanda del Pilone farmhouse inn and restaurant in Piedmont, says bell peppers are the best symbol of Piedmontese cucina povera (peasant food). This simple recipe for involtini (little Italian rolls) is all about the deeply flavored, slow-roasted red bell peppers, which get wrapped around fresh ricotta cheese, and plum tomatoes.

Roasted Red Pepper Involtini

From Food & Wine

Ethan Stowell loves mussels all year round, but he's particularly fond of the plump summer ones from Washington's Puget Sound. "I often grab a couple handfuls of mussels at the end of the night and cook them at home for a late-night snack," he says. Here he flavors the briny mussels with lemon juice, fresh herbs, and speck, the salty cured ham.

Mussels with Speck, Lemon, and Oregano

From Better Homes and Gardens

You can serve this meatless pizza as a main dish or an appetizer.

Walnut-Apple Pizza

From Prego Italian Sauce

Robust Prego® Italian Sauce, red wine and mozzarella cheese meld together for a delicious Italian-style fondue.

Italiano Fondue

From Better Homes and Gardens

These easy-to-prepare miniature pizzas, or pizzettes, can be part of an antipasto selection served before a casual meal.

Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza

From Food & Wine

As a nod to the grape harvest, chef Ben Towill of Silkstone and The Fat Radish restaurant in New York City adds golden raisins to this tangy caponata. It's delicious on toast or with pecorino cheese.

Eggplant Caponata with Golden Raisins

From Food & Wine

Andres Barrera's version of caponata, the tangy Sicilian eggplant dish, mixes in olives, zucchini, and yellow squash and is topped with shaved Asiago cheese.

Caponata with Kalamata Olives and Asiago Cheese

From Food & Wine

"Chorizo is so underused," says Shea Gallante. Here, he uses the spicy Spanish sausage in a savory crostini topping.

Crostini with Creamy Ricotta and Chorizo

From Food & Wine

In this amazing appetizer, two types of honey serve two distinct purposes: Mellow, slightly spicy clover honey intensifies the sweetness of the tangy tomatoes as they slowly roast. After the bruschetta is assembled, a drizzle of robust buckwheat honey balances the creamy ricotta cheese.

Honey-Tomato Bruschetta with Ricotta

From Food & Wine

This garnet sauce is Chris Cosentino's take on the classic Piedmontese anchovy-and-olive-oil dip, enriched here with red wine. Italian for "hot bath," bagna cauda is served warm with crudites. This version, with both oil-packed and marinated anchovies, doubles as a terrific sauce for grilled meat.

Red Wine Bagna Cauda with Crudites

From Food & Wine

In an homage to spring, Rolando Beramendi makes these lush custards with fresh artichokes; the flavor is wonderfully vivid.

Artichoke Custards with Fava Bean Sauce

From Food & Wine

Spiedini are pieces of meat and other foods grilled on skewers. "Sausages and chicken livers are staples of Tuscan cuisine," says Rolando Beramendi.

Sausage, Bread, and Chicken Liver Spiedini

From Food & Wine

"It's a tradition for winemakers to bake bread with grapes to celebrate the harvest," says David Page. Each fall, he uses his wood-burning oven to make this crusty flatbread studded with creamy crumbled blue cheese and sweet table grapes.

Rosemary Flatbread with Blue Cheese, Grapes, and Honey

From Food & Wine

Persimmons are typically reddish-orange in color. Two varieties are commonly sold in the U.S.: round fuyu, which can be eaten right away, and heart-shaped hachiya, which require ripening or cooking (when underripe, they are extremely astringent). Jason Travi wraps prosciutto around persimmon wedges and roasts them until the meat crisps and the fruit turns tender and sweet.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Persimmons

From Food & Wine

Broiling ricotta intensifies its creaminess: It's ideal with both sweet and savory toppings. Here, Maria Helm Sinskey serves it on garlic toasts garnished with olives and a tangy sun-dried-tomato relish.

Broiled Ricotta with Olives and Sun-Dried-Tomato Relish