If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis is the “modern Italian meets California” cuisine queen. “I try to lighten recipes and make them more accessible to people. I wouldn’t say that I make Italian food that your grandma would make, but more of a younger, more modern version,” she told us in 2012. So, it’s no wonder the author of more than 10 cookbooks relies on a set of ingredients that mirror just that: a healthy mix of traditional Italian ingredients and popular pantry items.
De Laurentiis is so particular about the ingredients she uses, in fact, that she dedicated the entire first chapter of her 2018 cookbook Giada’s Italy to it, writing, “Italians consider grocery shopping an integral part of the cooking process and buy perishables like fish, meat, cheese, and produce nearly every day, relying on a limited but essential store of pantry good to round out their meals.”
But De Laurentiis gets that this isn’t an option for everyone, which is why she shared her go-to list of essential ingredients — those she always keeps in stock in her own pantry. “They offer so much big, authentic flavor that you really can’t duplicate any other way,” she wrote.
From Calabrian chile paste to anchovies, here are some ingredients we found on Amazon that De Laurentiis uses to make Italian food.
A version of this story was originally published September 2020.
-
Giadzy by Giada De Laurentiis Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Image Credit: Giadzy. Olive oil is a staple of Italian cooking, and De Laurentiis is so particular about using high-quality EVOO that she now sells it under her Giadzy brand, which you can get on Amazon.
-
Tutto Calabrian chili paste
Image Credit: Tutto Calabria. De Laurentiis told Bon Appetit that she uses this chili paste in everything from pasta to stews. “One jar will last a long time,” she said.
-
Giadzy by Giada De Laurentiis 3 Pack Gluten Free Variety Pasta
Image Credit: Giadzy. High-quality gluten-free pasta can be hard to come by, but leave it to pasta-loving Giada De Laurentiis to take matters into her own hands. Her Giadzy brand offers up this three-pack of authentic gluten-free pastas, including caserecce, taccole and mezzi rigatoni.
-
Amore anchovy paste
Image Credit: Amore. “Anchovy paste adds a certain salty, depth of flavor that is hard to replicate with any other ingredient. Bonus: It easily dissolves right into oil so people don’t even have to know it’s there,” De Laurentiis told Bon Appetit in April 2018.
-
Giadzy by Giada De Laurentiis 2 Pack Whole Red Datterino Tomatoes
Image Credit: Giadzy. Datterino tomatoes can be difficult to find in the U.S., but De Laurentiis’ recipe often calls for them. Now, it’s easier to get your hands on these small, sweet canned tomatoes, because Giadzy sells them on Amazon.
-
Hazelnut Oil
Image Credit: La Tourangelle. The secret to De Laurentiis’ nutty Italian chocolate cake is hazelnut oil. She uses Guido Gobino Hazelnut Oil, made from Piedmontese hazelnuts, but La Tourangelle’s Hazelnut Oil is an affordable alternative on Amazon.
-
Giadzy by Giada De Laurentiis 3 Pack Italian Spice Set
Image Credit: Giadzy. If you’re looking for an easy way to add excitement to your usual recipes, try incorporating some spice blends and flavored salts into your repertoire. You know this spicy seasoned salt, lemon oregano salt, and Tuscan grill spice rub set is De Laurentiis-approved, because it’s from Giada’s own brand, Giadzy.
-
Mezzetta Pitted Italian Castelvetrano Olives
Image Credit: Mezzetta. Mezzetta olives are a De Laurentiis cheeseboard favorite.
-
Pomi chopped tomatoes
Image Credit: Pomi. Made from 100 percent fresh Italian tomatoes, Pomi chopped tomatoes are available pretty much everywhere, from Target to Walmart; and you can use the product in recipes such as cioppino and pasta with amatriciana sauce.
-
King Arthur Flour
Image Credit: King Arthur Flour. To make De Laurentiis’ Italian Easter bread, use her go-to flour, King Arthur 100 percent organic, unbleached all-purpose flour.
-
Mutti tomato paste
Image Credit: Mutti. Mutti is Italy’s No. 1 tomato brand, so of course, this brand’s products would make their way to De Laurentiis’ pantry.
-
Datterini Tomatoes
Image Credit: Colavita. De Laurentiis uses datterini, a type of small Italian cherry tomato, in recipes like her springtime sheet pan pasta. She recommends the Masseria Dauna brand, but if you can’t find those, try Colavita’s canned datterini on Amazon instead.
-
Pacific Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Low Sodium Broth
Image Credit: Pacific Foods. On De Laurentiis’ list of cleanest, best-quality essentials for Thanksgiving is Pacific Foods’ chicken broth.
-
Tate’s Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies
Image Credit: Tate's Bake Shop. These cookies may not be an ingredient De Laurentiis uses in her recipes, but it is one of her recommended back-to-school snacks. They’re one of Ina Garten’s recommended products, too!
-
GimMe seaweed
Image Credit: GimMe. These seaweed snacks are also one of De Laurentiis’ preferred after-school snacks.
-
Wyler’s chicken bouillon cubes
Image Credit: Wyler's. Don’t have chicken stock on hand? Don’t fret; De Laurentiis recommends substituting it with Wyler’s chicken bullion cubes instead.
-
Red Boat fish sauce
Image Credit: Red Boat. Another great De Laurentiis-approved substitution is replacing anchovies with Red Boat fish sauce.
-
14-Ingredients-Giada-De-Laurentiis-Uses-That-Are-Available-on-Amazon-copy
More Stories from Food & Recipes
Leave a Comment