Dad’s thanks for Italian food (5)
I believe the answer is:
pasta
'italian food' is the definition.
(type of Italian food)
'dad's thanks' is the wordplay.
'dad's' becomes 'pa's' (pa can mean someone's father).
'thanks' becomes 'ta' (UK informal version of 'thank you').
'pas'+'ta'='PASTA'
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for pasta that I've seen before include "Fusilli, conchiglie and penne" , "E.g. fusilli" , "Tapas (anag)" , "Fusilli, penne etc" , "Dried flour paste used in cooking Italian dishes" .)