Trending Italian Sauces to Elevate Your Restaurant Menu

By Amelia Levin, Food Fanatics® editor

 

Trending Italian Sauces Every Chef Should Know

Use these sauces to flavor wings and pasta, drizzled over pizza or as dipping sauces for arancini, calamari, mozzarella sticks, chicken or cauliflower nuggets. 

Calabrian Chile

This popular condiment blends southern Italian Calabrian chiles with olive oil, garlic and sometimes vinegar. And its popularity continues to grow—Datassential predicted Calabrian chile paste and flavors to grow 155% on menus nationwide over the next four years.

 

Italian Salsa Verde

This rustic, chunky sauce traditionally combines parsley, olive oil, capers, anchovies and garlic. At Toscano's Italian Grill, Puyallup, Washington, Chef Adam Pflueger serves his housebaked focaccia with this sauce, and chilled peperonata (see below), for dipping.

 

Peperonata

Sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes and garlic are stewed in olive oil and blended to make this versatile sauce.

 

Vodka Sauce

This vodka-infused tomato sauce has grown +105% on non-Italian menus nationwide, according to Datassential.

 

Agrodolce

This red wine vinegar is typically reduced with sugar or honey and studded with dried fruit. At De La Nonna in Los Angeles, charred eggplant gets topped with agrodolce for a savory-sweet application.

 

Visit MOXē® to order your ingredients for making these hot sauces

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