Main Course
8665 recipes found
Blue-Cheese Steak and Endive Salad for Two
Why fuss with reservations when you can have your own bistro night at home? Hanger steaks are readily available, quick cooking and full of flavor. In this recipe, the steaks are seared, then slathered in blue cheese butter and served alongside an endive and radish salad dressed in a citrus vinaigrette, a perfect complement to the rich steak. This very special dinner comes together in about 30 minutes. If you'd like, toss baby potatoes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and pop them into the oven to roast while you prepare the steak and salad.
Creamy Pan-Roasted Scallops With Fresh Tomatoes
In this homage to a classic dish at Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York, scallops are quickly poached in a creamy, piquant tomato sauce that’s spiked with Worcestershire and celery seed. If you want to work a little ahead, you can make the sauce through Step 2, and leave it in the pan, covered for an hour or two. Reheat it before adding the scallops in Step 3. Then serve the scallops right away, with some bread or rice to soak up every last drop of the herby, savory sauce.
Biscuits and Gravy
This is not the traditional way to make biscuits, but it may become your new technique. Instead of preparing individual drop biscuits, a sturdy dough is spread out into a baking dish over a bed of melted butter. Scoring the biscuit dough allows the butter to seep into the sides as the biscuits bake, creating tall biscuits with crisp edges and flaky insides. They’re perfect to soak up a classic Southern gravy, warmly seasoned with sage and nutmeg. This dish tastes like the holidays in the best way possible, while still being light enough for brunch. But if you made it for dinner, we wouldn’t blame you.
Torta Rustica With Ricotta and Spinach
Torta rustica (also called pizza rustica) is a rich, ricotta-stuffed pie that’s traditionally baked for Easter in Southern Italy. This version includes greens (either spinach or chard) for color and freshness. The ham is optional; feel free to leave it out, or substitute chopped olives or sundried tomatoes if you’re looking for a similar savory bite. The crust, adapted from Nancy Harmon Jenkins’s 2007 cookbook, “Cucina del Sole,” is sturdy and slightly sweet, which makes a nice contrast to the salty filling. (For more on producing a lattice-style crust, see our How to Make Pie Crust guide.)
Butternut Squash Pasta With Brown-Butter Bread Crumbs
A fun tip for easy squash pasta: Boil cubed squash with your pasta. Not only does it save time and effort, but also the salted pasta water helps thoroughly season the squash. The pasta and squash are then drained together and returned to the pot, where some of the tender squash breaks down and helps create a rich, creamy sauce without the addition of heavy cream. A fragrant brown butter that’s been infused with garlic and sage is used two ways in this meal: It serves as the base for the sauce, and it flavors the crispy bread crumb topping.
Vegetarian Bolognese
Unlike a traditional Bolognese sauce, this riff on the classic has no meat and isn’t simmered for hours, but the results are still rich, buttery and sweet. Mild cauliflower and soffrito — the carrot, celery and onion mix that is the traditional base of the the sauce — become the bulk. Tomato paste and soy sauce are toasted to build umami. Then, everything is braised with whole milk, which softens the vegetables and adds silkiness. Swap the cauliflower for broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, eggplant, or even green lentils, chickpeas or crumbled tempeh. To make it vegan, swap 2 tablespoons oil for butter in Step 1, use nondairy milk, and swap 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast for Parmesan.
Lazy Lobster
A lobster for those who prefer eating lobster without the work and without a bib, this recipe is meant for an intimate supper à deux, whether for Valentine’s Day or not. Freshly cooked lobster is preferred, but some may splurge and buy a pound of preshucked lobster meat. Serve with crusty French bread or toasted thick slices of baguette cut on a long diagonal.
Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples and Greens
In this hearty one-pot dinner, chicken thighs are browned, then braised in chicken broth flavored with mustard, sage, garlic and a triple dose of apple: apple cider, cider vinegar and apple slices. The addition of a few handfuls of greens makes this a complete meal, in need of nothing else but a nice of hunk of bread to soak up the broth and perhaps a glass of dry white wine.
Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder With Green Beans
There are many ways to achieve a succulent braised lamb shoulder. In a covered grill over indirect heat or in a low oven, it will take about 3 hours, but you could also use a countertop slow cooker. It’ll take longer but you’ll know the meat is ready when it’s well seasoned and nearly falling apart. For convenience, you may prepare the braise a day or two in advance. Then finish it, cooking it with green beans (or a mixture of various summer beans) and hot pepper, then showering it with chopped parsley, dill and mint.
Polenta Lasagna With Spinach and Herby Ricotta
With a dense, creamy texture and sweet corn flavor, this hearty and unexpected variation on the usual lasagna uses layers of Parmesan-topped baked polenta in place of pasta. This meatless recipe is speckled green with baby spinach and lots of parsley and basil. Be sure to get a good brand of marinara sauce, preferably a chunky one with bits of tomato, for the richest flavor and texture. Or even better, if you have homemade marinara sauce tucked away in the freezer, use it here instead.
Spanakopita
Spanakopita, the classic Greek savory pie, is elegant and impressive, yet easy to make. The star ingredient is spinach, and lots of it (two pounds to be exact). This pie tastes best when made with fresh spinach, though you could also use the same amount of frozen spinach — just be sure to thaw completely and squeeze out all the excess water before using. This recipe can be baked a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight, then rewarmed at 400 degrees until heated through, about 15 minutes. Cut into small squares or triangles to serve as an appetizer, or for a more complete meal, serve larger squares of the pie alongside soup or salad.
Mussels With White Beans, Garlic and Rosemary
The best part of a pot of steamed mussels is arguably the broth — rich with garlic, wine and the heady saline juices from the bivalves. Here, the mussels are cooked in a pot of garlic and chile-braised white beans, which absorb all of their flavor, and turn them into a velvety stew. Don’t stint on the lemon zest or herbs at the end; they add just the right amount of freshness and verve.
One-Pan Fish With Bacon and Sweet Corn
The delightful textures of this dish’s three main components — crisp bacon, tender fish and plump corn kernels — make for a lovely summer dinner. Tilapia, trout, bass or any other flaky yet firm white fish will work well. Naturally smoked bacon imparts a flavor reminiscent of campfire cooking or outdoor grilling over hot coals. When fresh corn isn’t in season, frozen corn can be used, but will require a minute or two more in the skillet. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice rounds out the dish with its acidity.
Spicy Big Tray Chicken
At Spicy Village in in Manhattan’s Chinatown, the Spicy Big Tray Chicken arrives on an aluminum tray. You eat it on a foam plate with a plastic fork or chopsticks. It’s a mound of chicken nearly afloat in a bath of dark, spicy sauce that contains star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, chile, garlic, cilantro, a few mystery ingredients and potatoes. Those of you who live in or visit New York should eat this dish whenever you can, but it can absolutely be prepared at home. It’s not precisely a simple recipe. But it’s an excellent project one. And you can improve on the ingredients. The restaurant uses both MSG and Budweiser in the recipe. We subbed in Modelo Negra and omitted the MSG, but you certainly don't need to.
Linguine and Clams With Fresh Red Sauce
This weeknight clam pasta comes together easily under 30 minutes without compromising flavor. Canned whole clams, packed in valuable clam juices, are the pantry hero. Opt for whole canned clams, since they’re more tender and delicate than the chopped or minced varieties. The key to achieving the most seafood flavor is finishing the pasta right in the clam sauce, so that the pasta absorbs all of the briny flavors as it cooks. The sauce gets a nice fresh boost from the addition of sweet cherry tomatoes, while Parmesan and butter stirred in at the end create a rich, silky sauce.
Pork Tocino
In the Philippines, tocino is a sweet, cured pork dish that is served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Though the term “tocino” comes from the Spanish word for bacon, in the Philippines, the dish can be made from chicken or beef as well. Its vibrant red hue often comes from annatto seed, an orange-red food coloring from the achiote tree. In this recipe, the annatto seed is swapped out for beet juice, which adds both color and sweet earthiness to the dish. When cooking the meat, you don’t want to sear it in superhot oil; the key is to let the sugars caramelize slowly with the pork to achieve a beautiful, dark, sticky glaze. Garlic fried rice and fresh slices of tomato make excellent side dishes.
Broccoli Rabe Lasagna
Broccoli rabe (sometimes spelled raab, or known as rapini greens) is one of the most delicious members of the mustard green family. The leaves, tender stems and broccoli-like buds have a distinctive pleasant bitterness when cooked. For this vegetarian lasagna, some of the cooked greens are puréed to make a garlicky pesto and the rest is coarsely chopped and added to the layers. Find more lasagna recipes.
Pasta With Spicy Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas
In this hearty weeknight pasta recipe, chickpeas contribute an earthy, nutty flavor to the classic combination of sausage and broccoli rabe. The addition of Parmesan, butter, and lemon juice just before serving balances the heat from the sausage with a bit of richness, creating a bright and flavorful sauce in the process. This pasta is incredibly versatile: You can use any sturdy greens or even broccoli in place of the broccoli rabe, and feel free to swap in whatever pasta shape and canned beans you have on hand. You can even substitute sweet Italian sausage or ground pork or turkey for the sausage in a pinch; add about 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes to give this dish its spicy kick.
Cheese Grits
There’s very little simpler than cooking grits. A few ingredients come together into something comforting, good for a cold morning and just as good for Sunday dinner. Use the best ingredients, pull out that pepper mill and season well. Make sure you pay attention to the details. The trick to good grits is cooking out the grittiness. The extra cream and frequent stirring here give it a consistency that’s not too dense and not too liquidy. Don’t leave it alone too long: If you stir it frequently, giving it love, it will love you back.
Sweet and Spicy Pan-Seared Pork Chops
Simple pork chops taste luxurious when they’re draped in ginger butter and a sticky-sweet whiskey sauce. The ingredient list here is minimal thanks to unsulphured molasses, a natural byproduct of sugar processing. It delivers an intriguing sweetness that is smoky, bitter and savory — like honey, chicory, coffee and soy sauce in one ingredient. And, in this recipe, it melds with whiskey and ginger to add warmth and spice, as well as brown sugar and butter to soften the assertive edges. Serve these chops with roasted carrots, mashed sweet potatoes or grits.
Pasta Salad With Marinated Tomatoes and Tuna
Fresh, quick-marinated tomatoes make the best sauces for pasta salad because not much needs to be done beyond tossing the tomatoes with hot pasta, salt and olive oil. The juices from the tomatoes and the heat create a gloriously glossy combination. Feel free to make this pasta salad ahead of time, then toss in flaked tuna right before serving.
Pork and Ricotta Meatballs
Ricotta is the secret to tenderness in these all-purpose meatballs. Serve them plain, with a marinara sauce for dipping, or simmer the meatballs in tomato sauce for serving over spaghetti. Ground chicken is a great alternative and will yield cheesier tasting meatballs.
Buttery Pancakes With Lemon and Sugar
Historically, on the day preceding Lent, the shriving bell rang in towns throughout Ireland and Great Britain, calling parishioners to church to be absolved from their sins. The bell is less important in modern times on Shrove Tuesday, and what is eaten has taken center stage, which is why many now call the day Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday. The pancake accomplishes the annual Christian tradition of finishing animal products like butter and eggs just before they become forbidden during the long fast. This traditional Irish pancake recipe, shared by Claire Keeney and her team at Ahoy Cafe in Killybegs, Ireland, is simple and delicious. The thin, delicate pancakes are topped with butter, sugar and a bright burst of lemon.
Fried Chicken Biscuits With Hot Honey Butter
This recipe for chicken biscuits could be a weeknight dinner with a side of greens, but it's made to travel, and perfectly suited for a picnic. The biscuit dough, adapted from Sam Sifton's all-purpose biscuit recipe, is lightly kneaded here, so it's not too tender to work in a sandwich. The chicken tenders, inspired by Masaharu Morimoto's katsu in the cookbook "Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking," are pounded and coated in panko for plenty of crunch. Prepare both components the day you want to eat them, giving yourself at least one extra hour for everything to cool before you assemble, so the sandwich stays crisp. You can also cook well in advance, and assemble the sandwiches the next day. Either way, cooling the chicken completely, on a wire rack, is crucial. If you prefer breast meat over thigh, feel free to swap it in.