Free Shipping
Always included on this basket

Gift Ready
Beautifully packaged to give as received

Small-Batch
Crafted in Wilmington, NC

4–6 Dinners
For two, across multiple evenings

🍅 Marry Me Marinara

The original. San Marzano-style tomatoes, cold-pressed EVOO, fresh garlic and basil. No sugar. No preservatives. Clean, balanced, the foundation of authentic Italian cooking. Learn more →

🫒 Marry Me Puttanesca

Authentic Neapolitan puttanesca. Kalamata black olives and capers layered into the San Marzano base. Savory, briny, deeply complex. The original has no anchovies — and neither does ours. Learn more →

🍝 Bronze Die Cast Penne & Spaghetti

Marry Me gourmet pasta — 100% durum wheat semolina, bronze die cast for a rough surface texture that grips sauce properly. Not the smooth mass-produced kind. The kind that makes the difference between sauce on pasta and sauce in pasta.

Both shapes included — spaghetti for the Marinara, penne for the Puttanesca. The traditional Italian pairings.

🧀 Marry Me Parmigiano — 2oz

Aged Parmigiano Reggiano — the Italian finishing cheese that elevates every pasta dish. Not powdered. Not pre-grated. Real Parmigiano, properly aged, for grating directly over the finished dish at the table. The detail that separates a good Italian dinner from an exceptional one.

🍶 Marry Me Balsamic Vinegar — 1oz

Aged balsamic from Modena — for finishing bruschetta, drizzling over fresh burrata, or adding depth to a pan sauce. The balsamic that Italian cooks use as a finishing touch, not a salad dressing. A small bottle with an outsized impact on everything it touches.

🫒 Marry Me Olive Oil — 4oz

Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil — for finishing pasta dishes, toasting bread, or drizzling over a completed plate. The same quality as the EVOO in every Marry Me sauce, now as a standalone finishing oil. Italian cooking without good olive oil is like Italian cooking without tomatoes.

🍝

Italian Food Lovers

The person who always orders pasta and wants to recreate it properly at home. This gives them the ingredients to actually do it.

👩‍🍳

Serious Home Cooks

People who already cook well and will immediately recognise the quality difference of bronze die cast pasta and small-batch gourmet sauce.

💑

Couples Who Cook Together

Two sauces means two cooking experiments — one tonight, one next week. The best date nights involve building something in the kitchen together. More on cooking together →

🎁

The Hard-to-Buy-For Person

When someone already has everything they need but would genuinely appreciate something exceptional to cook with. This is that gift.

🏠

Housewarming Gifts

Stock someone’s new kitchen with the Italian pantry essentials they’ll actually use. Practical, beautiful, and something they won’t already have.

💝

Anniversary & Special Occasions

An Italian cooking experience as a gift — something to use together, not just look at. For the couple who’d rather cook than be cooked for. Anniversary gift ideas →

Spaghetti Marinara

Spaghetti + Marinara + good Parmigiano. The Italian benchmark dish. Simple ingredients, technique is everything. The balsamic makes a beautiful bruschetta starter.

Penne Puttanesca

Penne + Puttanesca + a grating of Parmigiano. The briny, savory Neapolitan classic. Twenty minutes. Finish with a drizzle of the olive oil before serving.

Baked Pasta al Forno

Penne + Marinara + Parmigiano, baked until bubbling. A comforting Italian classic that uses the clean Marinara base as its heart.

Bruschetta Starter

Toast sourdough, rub with garlic, spoon over warmed Marinara, drizzle with olive oil, finish with a few drops of balsamic. Ten minutes. The whole basket working together.

Italian restaurant for two: $80–120+
One evening. Limited choices. Someone else’s kitchen and pacing.

vs.

This Classic Italian Cooking Gift Basket: $69.95
Two sauces to explore. Multiple evenings. Your kitchen, your pace, your conversation.

“My Italian grandmother approved. That’s not something I say lightly. The pasta texture is exactly what you get from a proper Italian kitchen — the bronze die cast makes every sauce cling.”

— Sofia B. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Bought this for my dad who loves Italian cooking. He called to say he’d been using it every week and had already ordered more sauce. Best gift I’ve given in years.”

— Marco D. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Finally a gourmet Italian gift basket that doesn’t feel like a corporate hamper. The Marinara and Puttanesca combination was outstanding — two completely different evenings.”

— Gianna M. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Which two sauces are in the Classic basket?

The Classic Italian Cooking Gift Basket includes two full-size 24oz jars: Marry Me Marinara (the clean, balanced San Marzano-style classic) and Marry Me Puttanesca (savory and briny, with Kalamata olives and capers, no anchovies). Together they cover the full range of Italian pasta nights — everyday and special.

What makes bronze die cast pasta different from regular pasta?

Most commercial pasta is extruded through Teflon dies, which produces a smooth surface that sauce slides off. Bronze die cast pasta — the traditional Italian method — produces a slightly rough, porous surface that grips sauce properly. The difference is immediately visible in the finished dish: sauce clings to every strand or tube rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl. See our full guide to best pasta shapes for gourmet sauce for more.

Are the sauces vegan and gluten-free?

Yes — both Marry Me sauces in this basket are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and contain no added sugar or preservatives. The Puttanesca follows the authentic Neapolitan tradition with no anchovies. The pasta contains gluten — it’s 100% durum wheat semolina — so for gluten-free pasta options please contact us separately.

How long do the items last?

Unopened sauces last 18+ months in a cool dry place. The pasta, balsamic, and olive oil are all long shelf-stable. This makes the Classic Italian cooking gift basket an excellent advance gift — or something to keep in the pantry for multiple evenings of use rather than consuming all at once.

Is this basket enough for two people?

Yes — and then some. Each 24oz sauce jar serves 2–3 pasta meals. With two jars included, you have 4–6 complete dinners for two. Both pasta shapes are included. The Parmigiano, balsamic, and olive oil are finishing ingredients that stretch across multiple occasions.

Is this good as a gift for someone who isn’t a confident cook?

Absolutely. The sauces are already perfected — what usually requires hours of building flavour is done. Even a beginner cook can produce a restaurant-quality Italian dinner by boiling pasta properly and warming the sauce. For a step-by-step guide to the full experience, see our date night success guide.

Does the Classic basket include free shipping?

Yes — free shipping is always included on this basket. Orders ship within 1–2 business days from Wilmington, NC and typically arrive in 3–7 days depending on location.