Welcome, I’m Katia!

I’m the founder, recipe developer, and photographer behind The Clever Meal. My goal is to create and share easy and inexpensive recipes with people all over the world.

The Clever Meal stemmed from my love for simple meatless meals made with everyday ingredients. Not only are beans, pasta, and veggies delicious, but cutting out meat is also great for your health, wallet, and the planet.

I truly believe that delicious family meals are possible even if you’re short on time and have a tight budget.

I make everything from bean soup to spinach pasta to yogurt cake. My recipes are easy to follow and full of bold Mediterranean flavors. They are tested several times before being shared on this website and must be approved unanimously by the whole family. Yes, we take the tasting seriously!

And behind every recipe, photo, and blog post is just me—an everyday home cook, pizza, and pasta lover!

Myself smiling and wearing a stripe top and blue jeans in front of my laptop, my white kitchen in the background.

More about me

I was born in Italy, lived in wonderful San Francisco, and am currently based in London with my husband and my adventurous 10-year-old eater.

As a kid, I was raised by the most typical Italian mum you could imagine. As far as I can remember, she was always busy in her kitchen, and her food was epic. That passion and love for home cooking have never left me. Today, although I’m a former lawyer and not a classically trained chef, I’m fortunate enough to make a living by doing what I LOVE: cooking.

This is The Clever Meal, the blog where I share my family recipes, quick meals, and budget recipes with millions of readers each year. But it’s always me, dreaming and cooking in my kitchen, with one camera and one laptop. There’s no artificial intelligence behind this blog. I go grocery shopping, cook, fail, and try again. And I’m not a writer, so I guarantee you will find plenty of English grammar mistakes. 😂

Since you are here, you must try my lemon ricotta pasta, one-pot lentil pasta (I’m not a pasta lover for nothing!), and my fabulous garlic chickpea soup (the vegan soup that went viral). Once you’ve made these dishes, you are ready for more!

Yep, if you love easy, inexpensive, meatless meals that taste delicious, you’re in the right place!

Katia x

Want to get in touch?

I would love to hear from you, your messages, emails and comments make me happy. Want to know more about The Clever Meal? Here is FAQ page! 😉 If you have any questions, email me at [email protected]. 

I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I can!