Maggiano’s New Menu Items Are Loaded With Cozy Flavors and This Dish Was My Top Comfort Pasta Favorite

Spring has sprung at Maggiano’s Little Italy as the restaurant chain recently announced new menu items that elevate comfort classics. Pasta fans can savor premium ingredients, such as Pecorino Romano imported from Italy and Snake River Farms’ American Wagyu beef, in some of the restaurant’s signature dishes. These upgrades are available at locations nationwide, so I visited my nearest one to try the dishes and see which was my favorite. (Spoiler: It was hard to narrow down just one since they were all delicious!) Here’s more on what Maggiano’s is bringing to the table with their latest batch of Italian-American staples with a twist.

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The inspiration behind Maggiano’s new menu items

Chef Anthony Amoroso, award-winning chef and Vice President of Innovation and Growth at Maggiano’s, shares the motivation behind revamping a few of their best-selling dishes. “The vision was to refine every detail (ingredients, techniques and presentation) so when the dish hits the table, it feels both nostalgic and indulgent,” he says. “We wanted to bring the kind of quality and craftsmanship you’d find in a fine dining restaurant to the warm, welcoming experience that defines Maggiano’s.”

He adds that the goal in introducing certain premium ingredients is to enhance fan-favorites rather than overpower them. “Our Wagyu beef meatballs are crafted with a 50/50 blend of American Wagyu and high-quality ground beef to achieve that rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture while still honoring the classic flavor profile,” he explains. “With cheeses like aged Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano, we focused on depth—salty, earthy and umami-rich layers that elevate sauces like our Alfredo to a whole new level.”

Overall, Amoroso describes this as “a transformation” and hopes guests will be impressed by these elegant yet approachable menu additions.

A breakdown of each upgraded Maggiano’s dish

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Here’s a list of the restaurant chain’s new menu offerings that are available to try now.

• “The Grand” Chicken Parmesan: This succulent, hand-breaded chicken breast is topped with fresh mozzarella, fragrant basil and freshly grated parmesan served alongside rigatoni marinara.
• Wagyu Beef Meatballs: These rich meatballs are freshly prepared daily using a blend of 50 percent premium Wagyu beef and 50 percent high-quality ground beef, and are available as an appetizer or entrée served on top of spaghetti.
• Wagyu Beef Stuffed Shells: Tender pasta shells are generously filled with a blend of Wagyu beef and rich ricotta, then finished with a bold, spicy tomato cream sauce, freshly grated parmesan, fresh basil and whipped ricotta.
• Lasagna: A 30-layer dish featuring sheets of pasta layered with creamy ricotta and house-made Bolognese sauce.
• “The Finest” Fettuccine Alfredo: Fettuccine is tossed in an Alfredo sauce infused with roasted garlic, fresh rosemary and a blend of imported Italian cheeses, and topped with Parmesan-crusted chicken or jumbo shrimp.

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My taste test and favorite dish

As a pasta lover, I appreciated the range in the reimagined Maggiano’s menu items—and I could truly taste the difference. The meatballs had an extra beefy flavor; the chicken parm and rigatoni marinara was crunchy and saucy; the lasagna was perfectly tender; the fettuccine Alfredo boasted a rich yet pungent taste; and the beef-filled stuffed shells hearty yet velvety thanks to the tomato cream sauce.

Each dish having its own distinct flavor and texture made it hard to choose the best one. However, I found the fettuccine Alfredo to be a standout dish because of the roasted garlic, rosemary and cheese trio—which gave it an earthy taste. Rosemary isn’t your typical herb for an Alfredo sauce, but it balanced some of the sauce’s richness and provided it with a more complex flavor. I could also smell the herb’s aroma as the dish was being set on the table. This simple addition embodies Maggiano’s goal of tweaking classics without losing their familiarity and deliciousness. Try the dishes for yourself, especially with a few loved ones (and a big appetite) in tow!