Simply the Best Italian: More Than 250 Classic Recipes from the Kitchens of Italy

I am currently living in Italy and got this book so I could learn some Italian dishes. I made a traditional Italian dinner (appetizer, first & second courses, salad, fruit and dessert) using only recipes from this cookbook for me and my husband. We could not believe how delicious these dishes were. I did not tell my husband until AFTER he had eaten all the dishes that they were from a Weight Watchers cookbook. He had no idea!! I cannot wait to try even more recipes from this cookbook and have my Italian neighbors taste them!!

First of all, I am not a WW member. I am not on a "diet." The newer WW cookbooks have impressed me so much that I keep buying them, though. This book has so many wonderful recipes. I have already made a three course meal for some (vegetarian) friends; they were wow'ed and didn't have a clue that I had used WW recipes. Furthermore, for those three courses, the only ingredients I had to run out and buy were a can of evaporated milk, a bulb of garlic, and and a bag of fresh spinach. These recipes rarely call for exotic or "specialty" items, which I think is the downfall of WW's Great Cooking Every Day, which I have but do not particularly enjoy. I made the Polenta with Mushroom Ragu last night, and it was a hit as well. Although I am not a vegetarian, I enjoy dishes that are heavy on the vegetables and have been getting tired of boring and bland vegetarian dishes. The ragu was thick, hearty, and flavorful--and a wonderful change from old standby's. The preparation was a snap. I will be using this cookbook on a regular basis. Simple preparation, simple ingredients, and exceptional taste and presentation. It doesn't get better than this.

I was browsing through this book and was intrigued by the recipes...they seemed simple and I love Italian food. I found several that I wanted to try and then started to notice the nutritional info...they were all so healthy!! Then I noticed the Weight Watchers line in the title!!! No wonder!!I have tried ten recipes so far in this book and have loved every one! Most can be made with things I already have on hand...no strange ingredients. The chicken marsala was great as was the roasted pepper pesto over penne pasta. We loved the peas with prosciutto. My husband and two teens have loved it all and never knew it was "health' food.I highly recomend this book for busy cooks who love Italian food. It's so nice to get away from 'diet' food!

The bad reviewers of this book are crazy. I own tons of cookbooks and this is one of the best I've seen. It offers wonderful rich tasting authentic food for litttle calories and fat. Entries such as the three-cheese pizza made me feel like I was eating from a restaurant when I was eating the foods I cooked from this book. The recipes are amazing and until you buy this book you won't know what good food is. I also found I had many of the ingredients for the recipes in my kitchen!

I don't understand the other reviews that have criticized the dishes in this cook book. My husband and I have made a number of the recipes and have found each to be tasty, with readily available ingredients and clear concise directions. The meatballs are particularly good.We have at times changed ingredients if there was something listed that we did not have on hand, and occasionally we have changed things to suit our tastes, but we do this with all recipes. We find this to be one of our favorite books!We really loved this cook book and have given it as a gift to several people. Highly recommend it!