To us, there are few things as comforting as a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, a perfectly cooked veal Milanese, or a cheesy chicken parmigiana. You can keep your chicken noodle soup because these are the dishes that serve as a cozy blanket for the soul.

Americans have made Italian food all our own, and it remains one of those cuisines we simply can not get enough of — even in its often-criticized, inauthentic, Olive Garden form.