Dinner
8856 recipes found
Souvlaki
Souvlaki is a popular Greek dish of marinated meat grilled on skewers, often served with tzatziki, pita and grilled vegetables or a crisp green salad. It’s made with a variety of meats, including beef, lamb, pork and chicken, used here. This yogurt-based marinade makes for incredibly tender grilled chicken, whether it sits for 2 hours or overnight. Pork tenderloin is a great swap for the chicken because it’s flavorful, lean and cooks quickly. Use two (1-pound) tenderloins and grill until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
Crispy Rice With Salmon And Avocado
This recipe for golden-crisp blocks of sushi rice topped with cool and creamy salmon and avocado is a riff on a spicy tuna and crispy rice dish created by Katsuya Uechi, a Los Angeles chef who was inspired by yaki onigiri. While the dish does require a number of steps and is best eaten right when it’s made, you can break up the work by cooking the rice and seasoning the salmon with lemon zest and jalapeño up to 24 hours ahead. (In fact, the results will be better if you do.) Right before serving, slice and fry the blocks and top with the salmon and avocado. These gorgeous two-bite treats make an excellent party hors d'oeuvres or full dinner with a cucumber salad.
Air-Fryer Chicken Tenders
There are many different ways to cook chicken tenders, but for feeding a smaller group, the air fryer is a convenient method for super-crispy and juicy results. A simple combination of panko bread crumbs, paprika, salt and pepper make up the coating, but that can just be the beginning: Try adding nutritional yeast for a boost of umami, shichimi togarashi or crushed red pepper for heat, or a sprinkle of oregano for a more classic flavor profile. Turn this recipe into a full meal by adding half of the recipe for air-fryer broccoli or air-fryer green beans to the basket when flipping the chicken tenders.
Braised Green Beans and Potatoes
In this simple but powerful recipe, fresh green beans are the alpha and the omega, the bean and the broth. You know a recipe is going to be good when it calls for both onion powder and garlic powder in addition to fresh onion and fresh garlic. The muskier dried versions of these alliums aren’t redundant; they lend fortification to the savory structure that only onion and garlic can build. The potatoes, simmered until soft and fuzzy at the edges, make this holiday side dish — served, please, with a slotted spoon, as part of a buffet plate — feel more like a complete meal when enjoyed later, as leftovers. The ham hock (or smoked turkey leg) isn’t just an afterthought, said Scotty Scott, this recipe’s author and the author of “Fix Me a Plate.” Picked off the bone and chunked into a bowl with the green beans and their rich broth, the meat is a reminder of the soft but important boundary between special and ordinary.
Ricotta Pasta Bake
Thanks to a whole lot of ricotta, this baked pasta is so creamy and milky that it’s nearly as fluffy as pudding. The dish has a sweet tang from roasted lemon and tomatoes, plus a crisp bread crumb topping to contrast all that plushness. Because the sauce is mostly cheese, it’s worth seeking out ricotta that doesn’t have gum or stabilizers; you’ll get the best results from ricotta that is made of just milk, salt and perhaps a vinegar or natural culture.
Djon-Djon Rice (Black Mushroom Rice)
Throughout Haiti, djon-djon mushrooms grow in rotting wood during the island’s rainy seasons. They’re picked and dried to make this intensely flavorful black mushroom rice — called diri djon-djon by some — that is typically served on holidays and for special occasions. (In a pinch, some people also use mushroom-flavored bouillon cubes by Maggi to season their rice.) This recipe, from Natacha Gomez-Dupuy, the author of “Bak Fritay: Haitian Street Foods,” starts with soaking the mushrooms to create a broth, blending together a verdant, clove-scented epis seasoning, then cooking parboiled rice in both to make this dish, which is meaty and full of umami. Add seafood like blue crab, lobster or shrimp, or serve the rice with something saucy, like a Haitian chicken stew or these epis-braised short ribs.
Mortadella Sandwich With Ricotta and Pistachio Pesto
Mortadella may just be the best sandwich meat there is. Run through with translucent spots of pork fat and sometimes slivers of pistachio, it’s tender yet springy when sliced deli-thin. Here, it’s layered with milky sweet ricotta to balance its savoriness, while pistachios add crunch and basil freshness. Homemade focaccia turns this simple sandwich into a life-affirming meal, but reheated bakery-bought squares have a similar effect. If your deli counter sells mortadella, ask for it very thinly sliced.
Crab Cakes
Flavored with Old Bay seasoning, mustard and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, these classic Maryland-style crab cakes are heavy on the crab, with just enough bread crumbs and mayonnaise to hold everything together. Serve with homemade tartar sauce, lemon wedges and a green salad for a special lunch, dinner or appetizer any time of the year. For an hors d’oeuvre-sized portion, form smaller cakes (about 3 tablespoons of batter each) and pan-fry as directed. The batter can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
Vegetable Soup
This simple, one-pot soup is chock full of vegetables and can be customized as you wish. Think of this recipe as a template and feel free to swap in whatever happens to be in your fridge or freezer, adding vegetables according to their cooking times. Diced fennel, zucchini or even broccoli would be particularly nice additions. Try fresh rosemary or your favorite Italian seasoning mix in place of the oregano and thyme, or a pinch of cumin for a subtle, smoky flavor. Hearty greens, such as kale and Swiss chard, can be substituted for the spinach. Add a 15-ounce can of drained, rinsed white beans for a more filling soup. Serve as-is, or finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan, thinly sliced scallions and torn fresh basil to take things up a notch.
Roasted Broccoli
While many vegetables benefit from roasting, broccoli is an ideal candidate. After just 15 minutes in the oven, the florets come out crisp and browned at the edges with tender stems. Roasted broccoli makes a great weeknight side served on its own, but this cooking method also works well if you’re adding it to a grain bowl or simple pasta dish. Make as written with minced garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice, or add a pinch of crushed red pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan before serving for a crave-worthy vegetable dish.
Cuban Sandwich
There are many types of Cuban sandwiches, but the star of this one, also known as a Cubano, is tender, fall-apart roast pork. The pork’s marinade, called mojo, is citrusy and garlicky and spiked with earthy cumin and oregano. Sour oranges are traditionally used (see Tip), but a mix of regular oranges and lime juices can be swapped in if the former is difficult to source. A loaf of Cuban bread is ideal for its fluffy interior, but a soft French bread, bolillo bread or hero rolls can stand in its place. Besides the pork, the sandwiches are stacked high with deli ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard (add salami to make it Tampa-style). They’re pressed until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden. Any leftover pork can be served alongside Cuban beans, maduros and rice.
Arroz con Maiz y Crema (Cheesy Rice Casserole With Corn)
Sandra A. Gutierrez, the author of “Latinísimo: Home Recipes from the 21 Countries of Latin America” (Knopf, 2023), was born in Philadelphia and raised by her Guatemalan parents in their home country. This recipe, a classic from Guatemala City where she lived, has been made since the 1950s, when mayonnaise started gaining popularity in Latin America as it became available in grocery stores. Ms. Gutierrez says the dish is typically enjoyed alongside buffet dinners with roast chicken or beef tenderloin. A satisfyingly easy side dish that is rich, cheesy and tangy, this casserole can be prepared and assembled in advance, or easily halved for a smaller crowd.
Pasta con Palta (Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta)
In 2016, Sandra A. Gutierrez began to narrow down a list of 9,000 recipes to about 500 for her encyclopedic Latin American cookbook called “Latinísimo: Home Recipes from the 21 Countries of Latin America” (Knopf, 2023). She wanted to focus on the dishes people made at home for a readership of novice cooks. This easy, weeknight recipe from Chile emulates that spirit with the use of Hass avocados –– the main variety produced in the country –– to make a rich and silky sauce that comes together in a blender as the pasta cooks. For best results, sauce and eat the dish immediately to enjoy its velvety texture.
Herby Sweet Potato Soup With Peanuts
This sweet potato soup is both fresh and hearty, with layers of flavors and textures throughout. The sweet potato brings an autumnal warmth, brightened by handfuls of fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice added just before serving. Feel free to swap the sweet potato for pumpkin or any winter squash — this soup is versatile — and use small pasta shapes like orzo if you don’t have bulgur on hand. The topping and soup can be cooked a day in advance, but you’ll want to add the herbs and lemon juice when ready to serve in order to optimize their bright notes.
Roasted Vegetables With Creamy Coconut Dressing
A creamy, tangy dressing enlivens a warm vegetable salad of roast carrots, beets and fennel. Coconut cream adds a lovely richness to the vinaigrette while ginger brings a bite and the acidity of rice vinegar and limes deliver a slight pucker. To achieve a nice golden brown caramelization while roasting your vegetables, make sure the cut pieces are dry and spread evenly on the sheet pan. And those fennel fronds — save them! They add a nice licorice flavor to tingle your palate ever so slightly once chopped and tossed over the finished dish.
Buss Up Shut (Paratha-Style Roti)
In Trinidad and Tobago, this roti is called buss up shut because it resembles a torn — busted up — shirt after the flaky layers of paratha roti are shredded during the cooking process. This version comes from Peter Prime, the executive chef of the Caribbean restaurant Bammy’s in Washington, D.C. Across the world, from the Indian subcontinent to the Caribbean Islands and East Africa, roti is used to describe several versions of flat, unleavened bread cooked on the stovetop. Here, the soft dough is brushed with a combination of butter or ghee and coconut oil for a toasted nuttiness that lingers faintly within the finished tender and chewy layers. The roti should be served while it’s still hot, but can also be cooled completely, wrapped in a sealed bag and frozen. Defrost and warm up by steaming gently for a few minutes.
Taquitos
In Spanish, taquitos means “little tacos,” and depending on where you are in Mexico, they can refer to small tacos, breakfast tacos, or stuffed, rolled and fried tacos. If they’re the latter, as in this recipe, medium-size tortillas are typically used, whereas when larger tortillas are used, they are called flautas (or flutes). When choosing your tortillas, freshness is more important than size — they need to be soft and pliable so they won’t crack when rolled. Pick up the bag of tortillas at the store and gently bend the stack; if they are stuck together, stiff or you see any broken edges, they are probably old and will be difficult to roll. Conversely, if there is condensation inside the bag, that generally means the tortillas were packed warm, have a higher moisture content and are likely fresh.
Arepas
These chicken and avocado-stuffed arepas, which are known as reina pepiada (or curvy queen), were created in honor of Susana Dujim, a Venezuelan beauty queen who was crowned Miss World in 1955. The 1950s also marked the invention of precooked corn flour, now known as masarepa, by a Venezuelan engineer. But arepas were around for hundreds of years throughout Latin America before that, the corn patties sometimes served whole or split, then filled with countless combinations. Preparing them used to be labor-intensive, but masarepa gives arepas a light and creamy texture without a lot of effort. Unlike cornmeal used for cornbread or muffins, which is ground dried uncooked corn, masarepa is ground from cooked corn and conveniently sold as dried corn flour. Masa harina is ground uncooked corn treated with other ingredients and is used to make tortillas and other dishes. Neither cornmeal nor masa harina can be substituted for masarepa, which is available online and in many supermarkets.
Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of meat, vegetables and rice have been eaten in Europe for centuries. While variations abound, the version most popular in the United States bears some resemblance to Polish gołąbki, in which the leaves are filled with a mixture of cooked ground beef, pork and rice, then rolled and baked in tomato sauce. The rolls are incredibly tender, lightly spiced, and topped with fresh dill. Serve with classic mashed potatoes for a comforting cold weather meal.
Coconut Saag
Saag paneer is a classic North Indian dish — but it’s also endlessly riffable. Swap out the paneer for feta or halloumi, the mustard greens for kale or spinach, and so on. This is a particularly stellar riff, in which coconut milk enriches an already aromatic and verdant sauce that can be paired with either the traditional paneer, or extra-firm tofu. The final hit of coconut oil infused with smoky cumin seeds and red chile powder adds loads of depth, making this dish quite possibly the most luxurious way to eat a pound of greens.
Tomato Pie
The Italian American tomato pie is an elemental dish that lets its simple components — a flatbread covered in tomato sauce — really sing. It comes in different forms in different cities. In Philadelphia, tomato pie is an institution unto itself, typically sold from old-school Italian bakeries. Joe Beddia of Pizzeria Beddia is among a younger generation of chefs in the city who are making their own version of tomato pie. His 24-hour fermented dough produces a focaccialike flatbread with a springy interior and a crunchy, golden-brown crust. He covers it with a thin spread of rich tomato sauce, and finishes it with a generous drizzle of fruity olive oil and restrained sprinkle of Sicilian oregano. Eat it at room temperature as they do in Philadelphia — it makes for an ideal, make-ahead buffet addition, especially on Eagles game days.
Hunan Chicken
The cuisine of the Hunan province is one of the eight traditional Chinese cuisines, but what sets it apart from the others is its use of bold hot and sour flavors. Chiles, vinegar and fermented black beans are staples in Hunan cuisine, and this recipe uses all three. Hunan chicken originated in China and made its way to the United States in the 1970s, where the flavor profile was adapted to please the American palate. Here, bite-size pieces of chicken are marinated in soy sauce, making them tender and juicy, while vegetables are flash-cooked in a wok alongside other staples of Chinese cooking, such as garlic, ginger and scallions, for a flavor-packed dish that hits all the tastebuds. Serve it right away, accompanied by fluffy jasmine rice.
Chili Mac
“Nothing induces a feeling of security and comfort better than the come-hither aroma of an honest pot of chili mac keeping warm on the stove.” Many would agree with what Jane and Michael Stern wrote in “The Lexicon of Real American Food” (Lyons Press, 2011), whether they’ve had the thrifty, hearty combination of macaroni and chili at a family dinner table, around a campfire, bellied up to a bar somewhere near Lake Michigan or even in an M.R.E. in a military dining room. This supersavory version is a cinch, requiring just one pot and minimal chopping. (For another common chili pasta, see this Cincinnati chili con carne.)
Pork Tenderloin
A family dinner favorite for good reason, pork tenderloin is lean, inexpensive, and cooks quickly. In this simple preparation, the pork is marinated with garlic, mustard, thyme and honey, browned on the stove, then baked until tender and juicy. The honey helps the meat develop a beautiful crust and lends just a hint of sweetness to pan juices, which are delicious spooned over the cooked pork. Consider this marinade a starting point and feel free to use other fresh herbs, such as rosemary, sage or oregano, or add a pinch of your favorite seasoning blend. Pork tenderloins are often sold in packages of two, but you can easily cut this recipe in half; in that case, roast the single tenderloin in the same skillet used to brown it. If your tenderloins weigh less than 1 pound each, you may need to reduce roasting time slightly — begin checking for doneness after 15 minutes.