10 Recipes in Honor of St. Alphonsus Liguori
“The past is no longer yours; the future is not yet in your power. You have only the present wherein to do good.” – St. Alphonsus Liguori
A Personal Note from My Kitchen
I grew up in a traditional Neapolitan family on my dad’s side, and if there’s one thing I can tell you—it’s that Neapolitan culture is its own vibrant, deeply rooted world. It’s loud in the best way, emotional, spiritual, and fiercely loyal. It’s also often misunderstood. What many think of as “Italian” doesn’t fully capture the grit, heart, and layered beauty of Naples. St. Alphonsus Liguori knew that, too. He didn’t just live in Naples—he lived with Naples. He walked its streets, served its people, and spoke to the soul of the city. He didn’t observe from a distance—he belonged to it, just like I do in my own way.
So when I cook on his feast day, it’s more than just a nod to a saint—it’s a memory, a cultural homecoming, and a spiritual anchor. These recipes aren’t about impressing anyone; they’re about embodying that same care St. Alphonsus gave to the people around him. Whether it’s a humble pasta dish or a centuries-old timbale, the food on my table is my way of honoring a saint who understood that holiness isn’t far from the kitchen—it’s right there in the pot, in the quiet offering of a meal made with love.
A Saint Who Nourished Souls
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787) was a brilliant theologian, prolific writer, and the founder of the Redemptorists. But before all that, he was a Neapolitan lawyer who gave up worldly ambition to serve Christ more fully. He understood the hunger of the soul as well as the simple joys of ordinary life.
As we celebrate his feast on August 1, let’s honor this saint of the people with food that feels both grounded, elevated, deeply Catholic and deeply human.
What Would St. Alphonsus Have Eaten?
Alphonsus grew up in 18th-century Campania, a region rich with olive oil, tomatoes, bitter greens, and coastal ingredients. While his noble roots might have seen him enjoy elegant dishes of Naples’s royal kitchens, his chosen life of simplicity and devotion likely brought him closer to the table of the common people.
He gave up his legal career and wealth to serve those on the margins. He cared for the sick, peaeched in the streets, and founded the Redemptorists to minister to the most forgotten communities. Alphonsus didn’t just care about the poor…he lived with them, ate with them, and knew their hunger for both food and dignity. His spirituality was grounded in real suffering and real hope, much like the humble meals he likely shared.
Sartù di Riso – 18th‑Century Neapolitan Rice Timbale
This layered rice timbale from 18th Century Naples originated in the royal court of Maria Carolina of Austria and King Ferdinand IV. Its name sartù, meaning “cover everything,” is self-explanatory. The layers of sauce and rice are topped with breadcrumbs to ensure every ounce of flavor is well-contained.
Though I have not been able to locate an original recipe from the time period, Anna Pioli from La Cucina Italiana has done a detailed job of outlining a possible recreation.
Recipe Adaptation from La Cucina Italiana
Ingredients to serve 10 – 12
For the Neapolitan ragù
3½ cups tomato purée
7 oz. beef muscle
4 oz. sausage
2 pork ribs
1 onion
dry white wine
salt
extra-virgin olive oil
For the meatballs
14 oz. minced pork pulp and beef
Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
1 large egg
½ garlic clove
breadcrumbs
‘00’ flour
parsley
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
For the rice
1 lb. carnaroli rice
7 oz. fresh provolone, diced
4 oz. shelled peas
4 large hard-boiled eggs
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
breadcrumbs
butter
extra-virgin olive oil
1. To make the Neapolitan ragù: Chop the onion and brown it in 3-4 Tbsp. oil. Add the meat in large pieces, blend with ½ glass of wine, add the purée and 1 glass of water, season with salt, and cook in a covered pot for 1 hour and 30 minutes over low heat. Remove the meat from the sauce — you’ll eat it separately.
2. To make the meatballs: Mix the ground pulp with 3 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano, the egg, 1 Tbsp. breadcrumbs, 1-2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
Shape into balls about the size of a hazelnut. Flour them and brown them in a pan with 3-4 Tbsp. oil.
3. To make the rice: Toast the rice in a saucepan with 2 Tbsp. oil for a couple of minutes, then add the meat sauce, and 1 glass of water, and cook for around 17 minutes, gradually adding more water. Stir in the grated Parmigiano, add half of the peas, and let the rice cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Grease a 9″ round ring mold, coat with breadcrumbs, and fill it with all the rice. Create a deep recess, leaving a layer of rice adhering to the walls.
6. Distribute the shelled hard-boiled eggs and peas in the hollow along with ⅓ of the meatballs and the diced provolone. Cover everything with the remaining rice and bake for 40-45 minutes.
7. Remove the sartù from the oven. Let cool for 10 minutes then turn it out of the mold.
8. Place on a serving plate, and set the remaining meatballs in the central hole.
6 More Recipes for the Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori
The recipes below hail from the humble kitchens of Neapolitan mothers. These are dishes that sustained families and nourished the soul. Many an evening I’ve savored these meals myself, and I can tell you….there’s nothing better.
1. Pizza Bianca
The original pizza, which serves more like a flatbread. Humble in its creation and loaded with olive oil, it is a vehicle for other tasty bites such as olives, prosciutto, arugula, parmeggiano…..the list goes on! Jenny from So Much Food has provided an easy-to-make Pizza Bianca recipe using pre-made dough balls, the very ones you can grab at your local market.
2. Pasta alla Puttanesca
A pantry dish beloved in Naples, it contains olives, capers, tomatoes, and basil for a bold, simple flavor. Adding anchovies would make the recipe more authentic to the time of St. Alphonsus, but many of our palates may have changed since then. Valentina from Cooking Italians provides this super simple Spaghetti alla Puttanesca recipe that you can take directly from your pantry.
3. Sautéed Bitter Greens with Garlic
Broccoli Rabe, or Rapini, is the traditional sautéed greens that you will find on any Neapolitan table. It is served with roasted meat, as a side to a pasta dish (or in the pasta dish itself), and – my favorite – in between two pieces of toasted bread. The dish is not so much about the greens, as you can use Escarole or Chicory or any other greens in place of the broccoli rabe. Rather, the flavor comes from the method itself. I recommend this simple Sauteed Broccoli Rabe preparation of olive oil, lots of garlic, and red pepper flakes by James Delange from Sip and Feast.
4. Chickpea and Farro Soup
This Chickpea and Farro Soup from Christina Cooks is earthy, nourishing, and simple. These ancient grains and legumes sustained the poor in Alphonsus’s time, and will no doubt be a delicious addition to your table. Ceci (chickpeas) are one of those ingredients that provide you with lots of nutrition without the bulk or expense of meat. Farro is a less than popular ingredient, though you can find it in most supermarkets. If you’d like, you can substitute farro with barley, and still enjoy this dish.
5. Summer Fruit with Ricotta and Honey
This is a light and refreshing dessert made with seasonal fruit under a swath of creamy ricotta and honey. You can enjoy this combination without the toasted bread, or serve it with your favorite cake. Light or decadent, the beauty is in the ingredients themselves. Marlynn’s simple Ricotta Crostini with Summer Fruit from her blog Urban Bliss Life provides a basic preparation that you can use for any fruit in season (think peaches, nectarines, grapes, figs…).
Prayer to St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. Alphonsus, guide of souls and lover of simplicity,
pray for us as we gather around this table.
May the food before us nourish our bodies,
as your wisdom nourishes our hearts.
Teach us to hunger for righteousness,
and to find joy in the ordinary graces of life.
Amen.
What Will You Be Making?
Tell me! Do you plan to honor the Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori with a special dish or prayerful moment?
Drop it in the comments or tag me on Instagram @eapiliving. I’d love to know what you are cooking up!
