Main Course
8665 recipes found
Lemon Spaghetti With Roasted Artichokes
Lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan and basil come together for a silky and vibrant sauce that makes this weeknight-friendly pasta sing. The addition of roasted artichoke hearts adds texture and complements the zestiness of the dish. There’s no better time than a weeknight to embrace canned or frozen artichoke hearts, as they are immensely less work than whole fresh ones, and they roast beautifully — and effortlessly — in a hot oven. Holding onto that salty, starchy pasta water is key to ensuring that each spaghetti noodle is enveloped in the lemony sauce; use it judiciously to emulsify the sauce as you quickly toss it.
Dirty Rice With Mushrooms
This vegetarian version of Southern dirty rice replaces the traditional ground beef and chicken livers with hearty mushrooms, creamy black-eyed peas and flavorful spices for a satisfying one-pot meal. The recipe starts with the classic Cajun holy trinity — onion, green bell pepper and celery in equal parts — to create a flavorful foundation. Mushroom broth adds even more depth and reinforces the earthy cremini mushrooms, while a drizzle of hot sauce adds tang and kick. Serve with simple leafy greens or chopped salad.
Yellow Rice
Yellow rice is a beloved dish among many cultural traditions. A staple side in Latin American kitchens, arroz amarillo appears in various iterations across the region. The appeal of yellow rice extends to Central and South Asia, and South Africa, and its brilliant hue achieved with saffron, turmeric or achiote. This version uses widely available and economical ground turmeric, and is a canvas upon which you can incorporate other ingredients and spices. Consider adding a bell pepper to the onion and garlic, or stir in a cup of frozen peas at the very end. The amount of cooking liquid you use depends on the type and quality of your rice, and be mindful to cut down on salt if you use a salted broth. Typically served as a side dish, the dish can also be served on its own.
Longevity Noodles With Chicken, Ginger and Mushrooms
During Chinese New Year, long noodles are eaten in all corners of China. “Longevity noodles,” also presented at birthday celebrations, are never cut or broken by the cook, and if they can be eaten without biting through the strands, it’s considered even more auspicious. Longevity noodles are usually stir fried, presenting challenges to the home cook. Noodles should be stir-fried alone and lightly oiled so that they don’t clump together in the wok, and all ingredients must be completely dry so they sear properly.
One-Pot Vegetable Biryani
Vegetable biryani may be the underdog of biryanis since it's often overshadowed by meatier varieties. But like other formidable yet unsung dishes, this one’s adaptability helps it hold its own. Recipes vary across South Asia: Hyderabadi versions are known for their fieriness, while milder, nuttier variations dominate northern regions. This one falls somewhere in the middle. Use any vegetables you have, such as nutty cauliflower, sweet peas and crunchy carrots. Nuts and fresh or dried fruits add a confetti of flavors and textures. This recipe skips the layering typically called for in favor of conveniently stirring everything together. Luckily, using fewer dishes doesn’t compromise flavor.
Chile-Oil Noodles With Cilantro
In this 20-minute recipe, a mixture of savory condiments coats bowlfuls of wide noodles chilled slightly by a quick rinse in cool water. While you cook the udon, take the time to prepare the sauce, abundant with contrasting flavors, and the fresh herbs. The sauce can be made in advance, but make sure it’s at room temperature before tossing it with the noodles and the cilantro at the last minute. Substitutions are welcome: Swap in chile crisp in place of the chile oil with crunchy garlic, or scallions in place of garlic chives. Sichuan chile oil brings a citrusy flavor that is hard to replicate, so don’t skip it. It can vary in spice level: For a milder sauce, use only the liquid oil, or add Sichuan peppercorns from the bottom of the oil for extra tingle. Fried shallots are here for texture, but omit them if you use chile crisp.
Mara’s Tofu With Mixed Grains
With only a few steps and five main ingredients, this simple dish barely requires a recipe, but the results are simultaneously nourishing and deeply satisfying. Steeped in aminos (soy sauce's unfermented cousin), the semisoft tofu melts away with each bite, leaving behind a steamy, satisfying contrail of salt and umami. The coconut oil lends a trace of its sweet, tropical aroma as it yields a crisp, lacy crust. Mixed with quinoa, the rice becomes nutty and complex, a chewy counterpoint to the tender tofu. Plus, it's healthful enough to justify a little self-righteousness.
Vegetable Yakisoba
Yakisoba is a Japanese stir-fried noodle dish with a rich Worcestershire-flavored sauce. This veggie-packed version combines carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms and kale for a fun mix of textures and flavors. The key in this dish is to sauté the yakisoba noodles first, creating a dryer, firmer noodle that won’t fall apart in the sauce. (Fresh ramen noodles would also work well here.) The tangy-sweet sauce consists mainly of pantry condiments and can be made the day before. Leftovers can be enjoyed the traditional street food way: reheated and served in buttered hot dog buns topped with Japanese mayo and pickled ginger.
Marcus Samuelsson’s Quinoa with Broccoli, Cauliflower and Toasted Coconut
Quinoa “might be the new kale,” said Marcus Samuelsson, the chef and owner of Red Rooster in Harlem. The ancient grain is the star of this quick one-bowl dish, which Mr. Samuelsson created to be an easy weeknight meal. Quinoa, steeped in coconut milk, becomes a rich canvas for vegetables and bold flavors like ginger and Aleppo pepper.
One-Pan Coconut Curry Rice With Chicken and Vegetables
Baking rice is a fail-safe way to a fluffy bowl of grains — and a quick route to a fragrant, hearty dinner. Red curry paste, coconut milk and peanut butter spice the chicken, rice and vegetables in this hands-off, one-pot recipe. Chunky peanut butter adds nuttiness, crunch and creaminess all at once. Feel free to swap out the carrots and broccoli for vegetables with similar cooking times, like sweet potato or snap peas. Drizzle your red curry rice with lime-spiked coconut milk for brightness just before digging in.
Cold Noodles With Sesame Sauce, Chicken And Cucumbers
It doesn't surprise me how often people order cold noodles with sesame sauce at Chinese restaurants. What is surprising, though, is how few people make the dish at home. It is incredibly easy to prepare, with common ingredients, and you can serve it as a main course or appetizer. You don't even need sesame sauce. Peanut butter is an acceptable substitute, as long as you use good peanut butter, simply defined as that made with peanuts and salt. (The name brands contain about 10 percent added hydrogenated fat, plus a couple of other typical additives.) Creamy is more common, but chunky is also good. It's easy enough to buy sesame paste (tahini) at health-food stores specializing in Middle Eastern ingredients and even at supermarkets. Sesame oil, which contributes mightily to the flavor of the finished dish, is a staple sold in Asian food stores (and, increasingly, in supermarkets).
Sesame-Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup
This noodle soup is a grown-up riff on an old college favorite: Taiwanese instant ramen. The scent of the simmering, chicken-and-ginger broth conjures vivid memories of late-night instant-noodle snacks. This version has all of the good qualities of the store-bought kind, but it’s richer in flavor thanks to the bone-in chicken breast (bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs would work too). It hits all the comforting notes of a typical chicken noodle soup, brightened by a hint of sesame oil, fresh scallions and a heavy dose of ginger used in the broth and as a garnish.
Kimchi Rice Porridge
A combination of pungent chopped kimchi, toasted scallions and ginger, and rice that's been bolstered with a hit of kimchi brine, this porridge is fiery and sinus-clearing. The rice isn’t perfectly fluffy; instead, leftover rice simmers until it breaks down from kernel to stew. (You can, of course, use raw rice, too: Cook it in Step 2 for about an hour, partly covered and stirring occasionally.) You'll want to cook the scallions and ginger until nearly burned, and top the whole thing with a fried egg (or make it soft-boiled). Take note that most kimchi gets its funk from shrimp, anchovies and-or fish sauce, so if you’d like to make this dish vegetarian, make sure to use a vegetarian kimchi.
Rice Noodles With Seared Pork, Carrots and Herbs
Vietnamese-style marinated pork chops are often served whole with rice noodles, herbs and a dipping sauce. This version mixes all the components, infusing the noodles, sliced meat and vegetables with the sauce and keeping the noodles tender even after a day in the fridge. Dark, robust maple syrup takes the place of the traditional dark caramel in a nod to autumn (and as a weeknight shortcut to save you the hassle of browning sugar). The pork takes only a few minutes to cook, the noodles about 3, so this whole dish comes together really fast.
Quinoa Salad With Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese
This versatile salad, or pilaf, may be construed as a home cook’s answer to a fast-casual lunch bowl. But it does not need to be piled high with a freewheeling array of additional ingredients. As it is, this could be a stand-alone first course, a lunch dish or a side to serve alongside meat or seafood. Serve it hot, warm or at room temperature. The quinoa adapts well to advance preparation, and letting the salad sit before serving improves the texture. In summer, this dish is prime picnic material.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms With Gremolata and Quinoa
When I discovered how delicious Brussels sprouts are when the edges are lightly browned, whether by pan-roasting or oven-roasting, they became a top winter vegetable in my house. Both the Brussels sprouts and the mushrooms roast quickly in a hot oven. I roast them separately so that the juice from the mushrooms doesn’t prevent the Brussels sprouts from browning properly. You can serve the roasted vegetables with quinoa but I also love them with polenta, pasta and other grains.
Salmon Soba Noodles With Ponzu-Scallion Sauce
Quick-cooking, earthy soba noodles, made entirely from buckwheat or a combination of buckwheat and wheat flour, are perfect for easy weeknight dinners and can be enjoyed either chilled or in warm dishes. In this speedy noodle soup, dashi powder — an instant soup stock made from dried powdered bonito (skipjack tuna) that functions similarly to bouillon cubes — and subtly sweet cabbage help create a flavorful broth quickly. Salmon is thinly sliced and poached in the broth just before serving. A tangy and vibrant ponzu-scallion sauce balances the rich fatty fish, while grated daikon adds freshness, texture and a subtle bite.
Squash and Celeriac Quinoa Stuffing
Vegans and non-vegans will enjoy this twist on a traditional stuffing, where quinoa replaces the bread and butternut squash, celeriac and hazelnuts add the flavors of fall. Amber St. Peter of Long Beach, Calif., submitted this recipe of which she says, “It’s hearty without the bread or gluten, and flavorful without a bunch of processed ingredients. It was a crowd pleaser the first year, and will be a permanent fixture at our table for years to come.”
Crisp Quinoa Cakes With Pine Nuts and Raisins
Hearty Quinoa and White Bean Soup
Soup doesn't have to be loaded with meat to be deeply satisfying. This one from Mary McCartney, devoted vegetarian, cookbook author and a daughter of Paul, is proof of that fact. Quinoa adds a lovely bit of texture, and beans – practically any variety will do – add heft and a wonderful creaminess as they break down in the broth. This recipe begs to be tampered with, so feel free to add more beans, vegetables, quinoa or fresh herbs. One reader even added a few cups of cooked pasta. It's almost impossible to mess up, so don't hold back.
Norinj Pilau (Rice With Candied Orange Peel, Saffron and Lamb)
The sour orange, unlike the sweet orange, is too tart to eat straight. But the peels, when cooked, lend a bright tang and profound fragrance. To make norinj pilau, a celebratory Afghan dish of lamb and rice, Shazia Saif Naimi recruits her husband, Asadullah Naimi, to harvest sour oranges from their backyard. He cuts the peels into skinny strips using a razor blade and brings them to a boil three times, to make sure that most (but, crucially, not all) of the peels’ bitterness is leached out. Then he stirs in sugar, saffron and cardamom, and the scent of honey and white flowers expands through the house. Ms. Naimi braises the lamb and soaks the rice, massaging the grains to release the starch. At the end, lamb and rice are mounded together in a platter of abundance, with one cup of rice — simmered separately with the orange-peel syrup — spread over the top like spilled sun.
Sabzi Polo (Herbed Rice With Tahdig)
Cooked in two stages, this herbed rice, or sabzi polo, is a constant at the Persian New Year table, where everyone fights over the crust of crisp rice called tahdig. You can use a food processor to chop the herbs if you like. It's key to do the herbs in batches (don't overfill the bowl of the processor), to pulse rather than run and to stop and scrape a few times for even chopping. Work until the pieces are nice and small, about an eighth of an inch or the size of a small sunflower seed, but not so far that they begin to break down and form a paste.
Three-Cheese-and-Mushroom Quinoa Risotto
Quinoa With Roasted Winter Vegetables and Pesto
This combination of sweet vegetables with pungent pesto is great for a simple grain and vegetable bowl.