Food and Beverage
No Plane Ticket Required: Italian-Inspired Beef Recipes for Watch Parties and Weeknights
The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand teams with chef Marcia Smart to share Italian-inspired beef recipes like Beef Tagliata and a quick 30-minute Beef Ragù.
When Italy is on the world stage, the cravings tend to follow. And if you’re planning a watch party (or just trying to make a weeknight dinner feel like a small event), the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand is leaning into the moment with a simple message: you can bring those Italian flavors home—no airfare required.
In a new recipe push, the brand (funded by beef farmers and ranchers) partnered with chef and influencer Marcia Smart to spotlight Italian-inspired beef dishes that are designed to be big on flavor, easy to share, and quick enough for real-life schedules.
Why Italian flavors work so well for gatherings
Smart says cooking trends and pop culture are part of what keeps home cooking fun—especially when people are gathered around the TV.
“When people gather around the TV, food becomes part of the experience and leaning into trends and pop culture keeps cooking fun,” Smart said. She also notes that beef and Italian flavors are consistently two of the most popular topics in her cooking classes, in part because they deliver crowd-pleasing dishes that also bring high-quality protein and nutrients to the table.
Recipe spotlight: Beef Tagliata (restaurant vibes, minimal effort)
If you want something that feels like it came from an Italian restaurant but doesn’t require a long prep list, Beef Tagliata is the move.
The dish centers on a seared steak—either Strip Steak or Boneless Rib-Eye Steak—that’s sliced and served over fresh arugula, then finished with balsamic vinegar and shaved parmesan.
It’s quick, it plates beautifully, and it works family-style—which makes it a strong option for:
- Watch parties
- Date-night-at-home dinners
- Busy weeknights when you still want something “nice”
Recipe spotlight: Quick Beef Ragù (comfort food in 30 minutes)
For the comfort-food crowd, the brand also highlights a Quick Beef Ragù that aims to deliver classic Italian red-sauce flavor without the all-day simmer.
In this version, Ground Beef cooks with ingredients you’d expect in a traditional Italian red sauce, but the whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes.
The best part: it’s easy to customize and flexible on how you serve it. The release suggests pairing it with:
- Pasta
- Polenta
- Spaghetti squash (if you want a lighter base)
Where to find the recipes
These dishes—plus more Italian-inspired ideas—are available at BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.
If you’re building out a game-day spread or just want to keep weeknight cooking interesting, this is one of those recipe collections that hits the sweet spot: familiar flavors, approachable steps, and enough flexibility to make it your own.
Source: PRNewswire
Food & Drink on STM Daily News serves up quick, local-to-national bites on what to eat, what to try, and what’s trending—new restaurant openings, limited-time menus, product drops, and easy recipes you can actually make on a weeknight. If it’s worth a taste (or a watch-party spread), you’ll find it here. https://stmdailynews.com/food-and-drink/
