Italian-American recipes, & more.
Welcome to A Simple Palate!
Here, you’ll find a variety of my favorite Italian and Italian-American recipes, with a little bit of everything else in between.
Every recipe on A Simple Palate is seasonal, flavorful, and best shared with the most important people in your life. We keep things simple around here. That means accessible ingredients, easy-to-follow instructions, and recipes tested to perfection.
I firmly believe that you can succeed in the kitchen no matter your cooking experience, and I’m here to help you do just that.
About Bethany
Nice to meet you. I’m Bethany Kramer, the recipe creator, food stylist, and photographer behind A Simple Palate. I started this blog in 2014 with a vision to share my love of good food with others. Fast-forward 10 years, 200+ recipes, and a cooking show on YouTube that my husband Drew and I created together— I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had on this journey.
How it started
My love for food and cooking stems from my family roots in North Jersey and Long Island, NY. Good food was a pivotal part of my life growing up, as my mom and many of my aunts were incredible cooks and big foodies! Rather than tuning into cartoons, I would watch cooking shows with the women in my family instead. I vividly remember starting to cook alongside my mom when I was eight, reading her handwritten recipes on envelopes and playing Frank Sinatra in the background. Italian cuisine was the first I learned to cook, and you’ll see that reflected here on my blog, with plenty of Italian recipes and then some. As I began to cook more and more, I realized at a young age that food was the central piece in bringing the people I loved most together in one room. Some of my most cherished memories with my family have been around a table with heartwarming recipes at the center. My hope is for these recipes to inspire similar moments for you and your family and friends!
My recipes have been featured in Buzzfeed, Shape, Country Living, Oprah Magazine, CNBC, Reader’s Digest, MSN, and other sites and publications.
Fun Facts
I run A Simple Palate with my husband Drew. When he's not working as a full time Web Designer, he is A Simple Palate's official taste tester, web developer/designer, film crew for our youtube channel, and tech support. He wears many hats and I couldn't do any of this without him!
Drew and I have an English Springer Spaniel, Hudson (also known as "Huddy") whom we completely adore. If he’s not chasing birds outside, you can find his little snoot sniffing behind each recipe or YouTube video hoping a delicious ingredient falls to the floor (preferably cheese).
I've been cooking for as long as I can remember. From being my mom's helper in the kitchen, to cooking full meals for my family by the time I was 12.
I am a former competitive figure skater so cold ice rinks were where I spent most of my childhood. My dad played ice hockey when he was younger, so he was the one who first taught me how to skate. I skated competitively for most of my childhood then continued skating lessons in my 20's. You can still find me lacing up my skates and hitting the ice a few times a week to skate for fun or coach at my local ice rink. :)
My Most Popular Italian Recipes
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are you Italian?
No 🙂 A lot of people may assume I am, but I’m not. My mom was taught by Italian relatives how to cook, and she taught me those recipes while I was growing up. We also love Italian-American food because it’s a common cuisine in the NY/NJ area, where we are initially from. I never knew any different. Italian-American dishes were what I grew up knowing and loving.
Where can I find you on social media?
Do you take your own photos? What camera do you use?
Yes, that’s me behind the camera. I love photography and food styling, and I have learned so much over the years. You can find all of the info about my current camera setup on our Resources for Food Bloggers and Shop page.
Can I share your recipes on my own website or social media?
All of A Simple Palate content is exclusively mine – all pictures, recipes, texts, unless stated otherwise. You are welcome to share my photography with a link credited to the original post. Kindly, please do not copy or paste my recipes to your blog/site or any other platform. I reserve the right to ask you to remove anything of mine from your site/platform. If you have any questions on sharing my recipes, please ask. Thanks for spreading the word!
Who designed your website?
My husband, Drew – web developer/designer, and official taste tester for A Simple Palate! To find more details, head to our Resources for Food Bloggers page.
Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken with potatoes — can I make this in the crockpot ??
Hi Brenda! I personally have never tried this. It’s meant to be an oven recipe. But, if you double the sauce, it should work!
Just made your cheesy rotini with roasted vegetables and it’s fantastic. I was browsing around for pasta recipes after my wife and I picked up some gluten-free pasta from Eataly, (Alce Nero, which btw was excellent), and luckily tried yours. Love the website and I’ll definitely be coming back for more ideas. (My one major change, though, was to substitute fontina for the cheddar. I really had to sit there for a few seconds making sure it actually said cheddar.). It’s immediately become one of our new favorites. Thanks for a great dinner!
Thank you so much, Rich! Love hearing that you enjoyed the pasta so much. And love the idea of using fontina cheese! I will have to try that myself. 🙂
Wow. I love this about page so much. Not only are you gorgeous–but your background and history are just as much beautiful. Folks, I knew Bethany growing up, and her family was one that welcomed you with open arms (Barb, I love you like a mother). I always knew Beth had a love for food when she’d whip up things like tomato soup using the most odd ingredients (to me)–but it would taste amazing. Her mom would wake us up with pumpkin pancakes, and I remember feeling bewildered at the combo. Those, of course, were delicious as well. All of the memories I have had growing up with Bethany were not only beautiful, but delectable. Gosh, she truly has a knack for good food. It was engrained in her. I always know I can come to her with any foodie advice. This woman is honest in her life, and in her cooking. She is a true beauty inside and out. Her recipes are straight forward, and mouthwatering.
Risa you are the sweetest! Love you “Bethany’s” Mom
The sweetest words. <3 Thank you so much friend! Love you and all of our memories together that usually revolved around food. 😉
WOOW its amazing to read this .
You made my day .
Thank you so much for it
I’ve been in the restaurant business for over 30 years, mostly as a chef. I’ve cooked my whole life growing up in the kitchen with my Sicilian mother. This is one of the simplest and best Marinara sauces I’ve ever cooked. The San Marzano tomatoes are a must as are the parm rind and carrots. I still use my mother’s recipe for Sunday sauce that includes spicy Italian sausage and all day on the stove, but this is my go to now for Marinara!! BTW…Frank and Dean are ALWAYS playing while I cook!
wow, thank you! That is such a compliment. I’m SO pleased you loved the sauce that much! Thanks so much for sharing, Bill. 🙂
Hi Bethany,
Thank you for the DELICIOUS eggplant rollatini recipe! I am so grateful for an eggplant main dish that doesn’t require frying the eggplant. I look forward to trying many more of your tempting recipes. Thank you for such a lovely blog with your beautiful story. Best wishes to you, Drew and Hudson!
That means so much to me! Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and I appreciate all your kind words. 🙂 Hope you find more delicious recipes on here to enjoy!
Your recipes look great especially the 10-Minute Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli one which I am looking for to trying to make. Also, we have almost the same name!
hahah too funny! I thought there was an error for a second. Thanks for reaching out. 🙂
Why don’t you let our cinnamon raisin bread go through a second rise before baking? Doesn’t that make for a denser, heavier crumb?
If the bread is handled gently enough, it shouldn’t need a second rise. 🙂
Hey Bethany,
Tried your cinnamon raisin no knead bread and it killed…I’m interested in doing a sage and sausage no knead loaf but don’t know what the introduction of meat into the dough would do to cook times…any insights, quantities, etc???
Thanks in advance and keep the good stuff coming!
John
Hi John, Thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed the bread. I’ve actually not baked no knead breads with meat/sausage. You could certainly give it a try! I would brown the sausage, dry the oils and excess moisture on a paper towel, then gently fold it in to the risen dough. Let me know if you try it out!
Bethany, your recipes are fantastic! Plant-based whole food is the way to eat. Thank you for all you do to help us nourish our families!
Thanks so much Tina <3
Hi Bethany! I would love to try your receipy of lasagna with italian sausages but what is a link of sausages in grams THANK YOU!
Hi ginette! It should be about 4 oz per link, which is a little over 100 grams. Hope this helps!
Bethany, As you’re from an Italian family (I am not), what type of pasta is chicken parm usually served with? From a traditional Italian point of view. I only ask because I ordered it out and it came to the table with penne? I always thought it was served with spaghetti.
Usually I’ve had chicken parmesan served with spaghetti but have also had it served with penne too! 🙂