Every Italian dish in the series, with what it costs a serving now and what it cost before. The traditional figure is the real dish costed from its own ingredient list, not a straw man, so the saving is a measurement rather than a claim.
The short answers
- Biggest saving: Baked Yoghurt Flan (which is not panna cotta), down 75% from 412 to 102 kcal a serving.
- Lightest dish: Granita al Caffe at 69 kcal.
- Most protein: Vitello Tonnato at 61g a serving.
- Could not be lightened: 6 dishes, named with the reason in Authentic-ish Italian.
Every Italian dish, heaviest saving first
| Dish | Traditional | This version | Saving | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baked Yoghurt Flan (which is not panna cotta) | 412 kcal | 102 kcal | 75% | 10g |
| Zucchine alla Scapece | 314 kcal | 82 kcal | 74% | 3g |
| Granita al Caffe | 268 kcal | 69 kcal | 74% | 5g |
| Caponata | 663 kcal | 182 kcal | 73% | 4g |
| Carciofi alla Romana | 545 kcal | 193 kcal | 65% | 9g |
| Verdure Grigliate | 285 kcal | 109 kcal | 62% | 3g |
| Semifreddo al Caffe | 268 kcal | 113 kcal | 58% | 6g |
| Melanzane alla Parmigiana | 635 kcal | 282 kcal | 56% | 16g |
| Peperonata | 347 kcal | 152 kcal | 56% | 4g |
| Pollo alla Milanese | 669 kcal | 335 kcal | 50% | 42g |
| Baccala Mantecato | 738 kcal | 383 kcal | 48% | 35g |
| Fagiolini al Pomodoro | 197 kcal | 105 kcal | 47% | 5g |
| Scaloppine al Limone | 501 kcal | 283 kcal | 44% | 36g |
| Saltimbocca alla Romana | 529 kcal | 302 kcal | 43% | 40g |
| Insalata Caprese | 382 kcal | 219 kcal | 43% | 17g |
| Frittata di Verdure | 349 kcal | 199 kcal | 43% | 18g |
| Carpaccio di Manzo | 381 kcal | 220 kcal | 42% | 25g |
| Polpettone | 546 kcal | 318 kcal | 42% | 35g |
| Cime di Rapa Saltate | 218 kcal | 126 kcal | 42% | 8g |
| Pasta alla Norma | 937 kcal | 550 kcal | 41% | 24g |
| Arancini | 546 kcal | 325 kcal | 40% | 20g |
| Pere al Vino Rosso | 268 kcal | 162 kcal | 40% | 5g |
| Tagliatelle ai Funghi | 689 kcal | 423 kcal | 39% | 24g |
| Torta Caprese | 483 kcal | 296 kcal | 39% | 7g |
| Spezzatino di Manzo | 648 kcal | 401 kcal | 38% | 43g |
| Vitello Tonnato | 987 kcal | 611 kcal | 38% | 61g |
| Polpette al Sugo | 479 kcal | 305 kcal | 36% | 28g |
| Crostata di Ricotta | 410 kcal | 263 kcal | 36% | 11g |
| Insalata di Farro | 504 kcal | 323 kcal | 36% | 20g |
| Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico | 592 kcal | 387 kcal | 35% | 13g |
| Tonno alla Siciliana | 422 kcal | 273 kcal | 35% | 40g |
| Orecchiette con Salsiccia e Broccoli | 822 kcal | 539 kcal | 34% | 31g |
| Zuppa di Ceci | 652 kcal | 431 kcal | 34% | 20g |
| Branzino al Forno | 532 kcal | 350 kcal | 34% | 44g |
| Pasta al Forno | 1072 kcal | 721 kcal | 33% | 48g |
| Risotto ai Funghi | 721 kcal | 480 kcal | 33% | 23g |
| Risi e Bisi | 754 kcal | 507 kcal | 33% | 23g |
| Patate al Forno | 377 kcal | 253 kcal | 33% | 7g |
| Pollo alla Cacciatora | 534 kcal | 363 kcal | 32% | 41g |
| Fritto Misto | 412 kcal | 282 kcal | 32% | 39g |
| Polenta col Ragu | 713 kcal | 492 kcal | 31% | 34g |
| Ragu alla Bolognese | 730 kcal | 509 kcal | 30% | 31g |
| Spaghetti alla Puttanesca | 576 kcal | 402 kcal | 30% | 14g |
| Lasagne alla Bolognese | 648 kcal | 469 kcal | 28% | 32g |
| Bruschetta al Pomodoro | 315 kcal | 227 kcal | 28% | 7g |
| Risotto alla Pescatora | 674 kcal | 502 kcal | 26% | 43g |
| Panzanella | 472 kcal | 360 kcal | 24% | 14g |
| Crostini di Fegatini | 438 kcal | 335 kcal | 24% | 20g |
| Stracciatella alla Romana | 288 kcal | 218 kcal | 24% | 20g |
| Ribollita | 512 kcal | 395 kcal | 23% | 24g |
| Spaghetti alle Vongole | 590 kcal | 460 kcal | 22% | 24g |
| Pasta e Fagioli | 572 kcal | 449 kcal | 22% | 29g |
| Finocchi Gratinati | 352 kcal | 279 kcal | 21% | 18g |
| Carbonara | 649 kcal | 516 kcal | 20% | 27g |
| Pasta al Tonno | 600 kcal | 481 kcal | 20% | 38g |
| Insalata di Mare | 359 kcal | 290 kcal | 19% | 41g |
| Ossobuco alla Milanese | 856 kcal | 706 kcal | 18% | 59g |
| Linguine ai Gamberi | 613 kcal | 509 kcal | 17% | 37g |
| Minestrone | 392 kcal | 345 kcal | 12% | 20g |
| Penne all'Arrabbiata | 585 kcal | 530 kcal | 9% | 41g |
Where the numbers come from
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases, and the appendix of Authentic-ish Italian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient. Nothing here is estimated. How every number is computed sets out the method.
The swap kit is free and covers the changes that work on food which is not in any of the books.