Giada De Laurentiis Just Shared Her Top 5 Recipes of 2022, And You'll Want to Have Them on Repeat All 2023

a photo of Giada De Laurentiis
a photo of Giada De Laurentiis

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Yes, we know we know that January is typically the season of Whole30 challenges, lower-carb crusades, amped-up gym resolve and more. But in a plot twist you may not have seen coming—but will totally understand if you've been hanging with us at EatingWell for a while—our on-staff dietitians have decided to opt out of resolutions again in 2023.

Related: Eat Well to Feel Well: Your Relationship with Food is Just as Important as What You Eat

That said, even if you did choose to make a health resolution related to diet, that certainly doesn't mean you can't mangiare on Italian cuisine. Since Giada De Laurentiis released her book, Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out nearly two years ago, she has dished with us about the ways she's been able to embrace the cuisine of her family's homeland while supporting her gut health, eating intuitively and finding balance. (ICYMI, here's what Giada eats in a day to stay healthy and vibrant.)

Italy is part of the Mediterranean, after all, and the diet inspired by that eating style was just voted the best diet by U.S. News & World Report for the sixth year running. Fully loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables (as these nutritious De Laurentiis recipes exemplify), healthy fats from sources like olive oil and fish, plus a splash of antioxidant-rich wine in moderation, we love following a Mediterranean diet meal plan.

If you, too, are feeling inspired to cook more as we turn the page on a new year, De Laurentiis just revealed her top five most popular recipes of 2022.

Giada De Laurentiis' 5 Most Popular Recipes of 2022

We're making our shopping lists already so we can cook through them all—and have them on repeat throughout 2023 and beyond!

1. Simple Bolognese

Coming in at the top spot is this classic Italian sauce recipe that De Laurentiis says, "is a staple in the house, and it's one of [her daughter] Jade's all-time favorite dishes." She often makes a double batch of this beef and vegetable blend; first, to serve over pasta, and later, to use in other entrees throughout the week. We're already dreaming up oodles of potential uses, like Bolognese-coated chicken breasts, zoodles, roasted veggies and beyond. (For a meat-free alternative, try our five-star Vegan Mushroom Bolognese.)

Get the recipe: Simple Bolognese

2. Lemon Spaghetti

De Laurentiis was kind enough to share the secrets for her Spaghetti with Rosemary and Lemon with EatingWell in 2021. This fan-favorite rendition is even simpler—and is 5 minutes quicker to create. No wonder it ranked as the second most popular Giada De Laurentiis recipe of 2022. "One of the easiest pasta dishes you'll ever make, this is great as a light meal or as a side dish, especially for grilled fish. This dish was inspired by a famous pasta in Capri," De Laurentiis explains on her Giadzy website. "It's quickly become a fan favorite both online and in my restaurants—it's the #1 seller at my restaurant, GIADA, in Las Vegas!" The secrets for success? Allow the pasta to sit in the lemon mixture for a few minutes first, then add just enough pasta water to bring the sauce to your desired consistency. We're definitely going to try that method with our  Lemony Spaghetti with Parmesan and Thyme, too.

Get the recipe: Lemon Spaghetti

3. Pizza Dough

The next time we're wanting a break from our go-to Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough, we'll definitely be turning to this Neapolitan-style crust concept that was De Laurentiis' third most popular creation of the year. Carve out 10 minutes, round up salt, water and oil, add three more ingredients, and you're all set to create your own parlor-style masterpiece. (Might we recommend these colorful and creative vegetable pizza topping combos?)

Get the recipe: Pizza Dough

4. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

For intense, concentrated, rich and jammy tomato flavor in a mere 10 minutes, De Laurentiis swears by infusing her top-rated pesto recipe with sun-dried tomatoes and the oil that they're packed in. To recreate her fourth most popular recipe of the year, blend both the oil and the sun-dried tomatoes "with some garlic, a generous amount of fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste, and Parmesan cheese to create a rich and deeply flavorful pesto," she suggests. Serve warm or cold with pasta—or tossed with veggies a la our Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.

Get the recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

5. Sicilian Tomato Pesto

"It's a common misconception that pesto is just one thing: the green one from Genoa! While I absolutely love pesto alla Genovese, the world of pesto doesn't stop there. There are all kinds of pesto sauces in Italy, but this particular one is inspired by Sicilian tomato pesto," De Laurentiis says of this fifth MVP recipe that's also known as "Pesto alla Trapanese." In place of the pine nuts, Sicilian pesto calls for almonds, and rather than basil, this blend is finished with fresh tomatoes which lend a brighter and lighter flavor then the aforementioned sun-dried version. (We also like to cook fresh tomatoes for Roasted Tomato Pesto.) Toss with pasta and mozzarella, slather on crostini, use a topping for grilled proteins or veggies or add a little jar to a cheese board. Any or all of these ideas are brilliant ways to enjoy a pop of summer flavor any time of year.

Get the recipe: Sicilian Pesto (Pesto Alla Trapanese)

For more inspiration, check out 14 Giada De Laurentiis recipes we can't stop making and our 22 best easy Italian-inspired dinners with 5 steps or less.