Melissa Jo in her kitchen

Come hungry.

Soup season is HERE! Creamy soups, cozy crockpot dinners, and pumpkin-and-apple desserts from my kitchen to yours. Let’s make it!

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Soup Season

  • A ladle lifting tortellini and spinach in a creamy tomato sauce from a pot.

    Easy Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
  • A hand dips bread into a bowl of creamy chicken and vegetable soup with spinach and carrots, set on a checkered wooden surface near a white pot.

    Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
  • A ladle lifts creamy tomato-based pasta with meatballs, spinach, and elbow macaroni from a pot. The sauce is orange and cheesy, coating the pasta and ingredients.

    Creamy Macaroni & Mini Meatball Soup
  • A hand holding a spoonful of creamy soup with potatoes, vegetables, and herbs over a bowl, all set on a checkered placemat.

    Easy Creamy Italian Sausage & Potato Soup

Fan Favorites

  • Creamy Bolognese 🍝
  • A close-up of a ladle lifting a serving of creamy lasagna soup with lasagna noodles, cheese, and herbs from a pot filled with rich, tomato-based broth. Kitchen counters and cabinets appear in the blurred background.

    Sicilian Lasagna Soup
  • A hand lifts a serving of Cheez-It Chicken casserole, topped with a crunchy orange layer, from a rectangular baking dish in the kitchen.

    Cheez-It Chicken 🧀
  • A close-up of a pulled pork sandwich with barbecue sauce, sliced pickles, and shredded lettuce on a shiny, golden bun, served on a metal tray.

    Crockpot Hot Honey Sandwiches
Melissa Jo in her kitchen

Meet Melissa Jo

I’m Melissa Jo — the recipe creator behind the viral casseroles and cozy comfort food. It all started in my family kitchen, learning the timeless techniques my Italian grandmother and my mama passed down.

In 2020 a friend asked me to share a recipe on TikTok — I didn’t even know how to work the app, so I called in my son to point the camera. Five videos in, I posted my Stick of Butter Rice… and it’s been viral casseroles and Italian comfort food ever since.

Read My Story

The Cookbooks

Make It! cookbook

Make It!

$27.99

Get the Book
Make It Festive All Year Round cookbook

Make It Festive All Year Round

$29.99

Get the Book
Italian Recipes Family Style cookbook

Italian Recipes Family Style

$9.99

Get the Book

Over on Instagram

Cozy Fall Dinners

  • A spatula lifts a cheesy, golden-brown casserole topped with crispy fried onions from a baking dish in a bright kitchen.

    Easy French Onion Chicken and Rice Casserole

  • Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Noodles

  • French Onion Crockpot Roast
  • A serving spoon lifts a portion of creamy green bean casserole topped with stuffing and gravy from a baking dish.

    Thanksgiving Chicken & Stuffing Supreme (Easy One-Pan Thanksgiving Dinner)

Viral & TikTok Famous

  • A close-up of cooked spaghetti mixed with ground beef, diced vegetables, and sauce being poured into a bowl from a pot. The background features a checkered vase and kitchen surfaces.

    TikTok Viral Dirty Spaghetti
  • A close-up of creamy marry me baked spaghetti topped with herbs, served on a white plate with a red background. The pasta appears rich in sauce, with green garnish sprinkled on top.

    Marry Me Baked Spaghetti
  • A close-up of a cheesy, saucy casserole with a spoon lifting a gooey serving, showing melted cheese and shredded meat inside a white dish.

    TikTok Viral Queso Swim Chicken and Rice

  • Knorr Broccoli Rice & Chicken Bake 🥦
A smiling woman in a red top holds a fork with a meatball in a bright kitchen. On the counter are bowls of pasta, meatballs, fresh herbs, and jars of olive oil and tomatoes.

From My Italian Kitchen

New York Italian roots, real family recipes, and a whole lot of garlic. Buon appetito!

Browse Italian Recipes

Italian Recipes

  • A bowl of vibrant potato salad with sliced red onions, tomatoes, olives, chopped herbs, and red peppers, mixed with a fork and spoon, set on a kitchen counter.

    Sicilian Potato Salad
  • A close-up of a large bowl filled with orzo pasta salad mixed with cherry tomatoes, black olives, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and a wooden spoon for stirring.

    One-Pan Sicilian Orzo
  • Tongs lifting One Pan Viral Spaghetti with meat sauce from a steaming pot. The sauce is thick and red with visible ground meat and tomatoes. White tiles, utensils, and orange pepper grinders are seen in the kitchen background.

    One Pan Screamin’ Spaghetti
  • A close-up of a skillet filled with rotini pasta, tomato sauce, eggplant, and fresh basil, with a wooden spoon lifting a serving.

    Sicilian Pasta alla Norma

Stick of Butter Series

  • Stick of Butter Rice (ORIGINAL VIRAL RECIPE)

  • Stick of Butter Beef & Rice

  • Stick of Butter Sauce 🧈
  • A hand with dark nail polish holds a serving spoon of Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice, featuring baked rice, mushrooms, and chicken from a casserole dish, with more of the savory dish visible underneath.

    Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice 🧈

Copycat Restaurant Faves

  • A bowl of creamy cheese soup topped with shredded cheddar, on a white saucer. A spoon lifts a thick, cheesy bite from the bowl, showing melted cheese and a rich, smooth texture. The background is a wooden surface.

    Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup 🧅
  • A close-up of cheesy baked chicken being lifted from a wire rack, showing melted cheddar cheese stretching, topped with chopped green onions. The background features a kitchen setting.

    Alice Springs Chicken Recipe

  • Longhorn Crusted Parmesan Chicken CopyCat
  • A close-up of Monterey Chicken Chili's Copycat, featuring barbecue chicken topped with melted cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions, and sauce in a skillet, with a spatula lifting one cheesy serving.

    Monterey Chicken Chili’s Copycat 💃🏼

Lunch

  • Italian Marinated Antipasto (Family Holiday Favorite)

  • Melissa Jo’s Chicken Salad 🍗🥗

  • Greek Tomato Table Salad 🥗
  • A person uses two utensils to serve a large portion of layered salad topped with shredded cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and creamy dressing from a glass dish. Fresh lettuce and other vegetables are visible underneath.

    Vintage 7 Layer Salad

Pumpkin, Apples & Something Sweet

  • A hand with red nail polish lifts a serving of cinnamon sugar baked rolls from a white dish. Three cans of sparkling lemonade and a box are visible in the background on a kitchen counter.

    Easy Apple Dumplings

  • Easy Apple Cake🍎
  • A person lifts a serving of Crockpot Pumpkin Crunch Cake from a black slow cooker with a spatula. The dessert looks moist and crumbly, topped with chopped pecans for added crunch.

    Crockpot Pumpkin Crunch Cake 🎃
  • A close-up of several thick, swirled brownies stacked on a plate. The brownies have a marbled appearance with dark chocolate and golden-brown layers, creating a rich, textured look.

    Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Newest Recipes

  • Hands holding a baked bread roll shaped like a human skull.

    Melissa Jo’s Halloween Buffalo Chicken Pizza Skulls
  • A serving spoon lifts a portion of creamy green bean casserole topped with stuffing and gravy from a baking dish.

    Thanksgiving Chicken & Stuffing Supreme (Easy One-Pan Thanksgiving Dinner)
  • A ladle lifting tortellini and spinach in a creamy tomato sauce from a pot.

    Easy Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
  • A serving spoon lifts a portion of cheesy, creamy casserole topped with crispy fried onions from a baking dish.

    10 Best Casserole Recipes for Easy Family Dinners
  • A hand holds a wooden spoon lifting a portion of baked rice with a caramelized top from a white casserole dish.

    No-Peek Smothered Chicken & Rice
  • A close-up of a soft, golden-brown bread roll topped with melted cheese, resting on a wooden checkered cutting board. Other rolls are visible in the background.

    Little Dip Bread Bowls
  • A fork lifts creamy fettuccine pasta above a skillet filled with seasoned, golden-brown chicken strips, colorful bell peppers, and sprinkled herbs, set on a wooden table in a kitchen.

    Olive Garden Chicken Scampi Copycat
  • A close-up of a pan filled with cooked rice mixed with ground beef and seasonings. A spoon is lifting a portion from the pan in a kitchen setting.

    One-Pot Dirty Rice Dinner
Melissa Jo

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