Although many Americans equate pizza and spaghetti and meatballs with Italian cuisine, each of Italy's 20 regions have their own menus and cooking techniques based on locally available ingredients. The northern region is known for its use or rice and polenta; pasta and tomato sauces are prevalent in the south; and the coastal areas are known for the use of fresh seafood. Despite their differences, each region offers a variety of light and healthy dishes that you can add into your everyday menu.
Soups
Italian cuisine is well known for its flavorful soups, often served with a hunk of crusty bread and some Parmesan curls. Many of the soups, such as minestrone and pasta e faglioli, are broth-based and filled with nutritious beans and small, tubular pasta. Soups are also a part of many Italian traditions, such as the customary lentil soup served on New Year's Eve to bring good luck in the upcoming year and wedding soup filled with curly endive and small meatballs commonly served at Italian weddings in the United States.
Seafood
With over 4,700 miles of coastline, including the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, it is no surprise that lighter dishes where seafood is the star play a large role in Italy's cuisine. Seafood has such a stronghold in Italy that it is the basis for some of the country's holiday traditions. Italians celebrate Christmas Eve with the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a celebration that includes a minimum of seven and sometimes more than 20 seafood dishes. Lighter seafood fare includes scungilli salad, a cold dish made with marine snails; zuppa di pesce, a broth-based soup filled with a variety of seafood; and shrimp scampi in a butter, garlic and white wine sauce.
Pasta
Although Italy is well known for its hearty pasta dishes with rich sauces, not all of them are diet busters. Pasta aglio e olio, for example, is a simple dish of pasta tossed in olive oil infused with garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Linguine con le vongole consists of steamed clams atop a bed of linguine with garlic, lemon and fresh herbs, and seafood fra diavola is a variety of shellfish and mollusks served on spaghetti with a spicy, but light, red sauce. To keep the dishes as healthy as possible, use whole-wheat or protein-enriched pasta.
Rice
The cooks of the northern region of Lombardy are famous for their rice dishes. They cook short-grained rice, usually arborio, in broth or stock for a long time over low heat, resulting in a dish that is extremely creamy. Italians often season the risotto with fresh herbs, mushrooms or Parmesan cheese, or they add in some protein, such as shrimp or chicken, to make it a full meal. Risotto alla Milanese uses saffron, cheese and meat stock for flavor, and risi e bisi uses young spring peas to flavor the dish.
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