Main Course
8665 recipes found
Tomato and Farro Salad With Arugula
This fresh, summery salad comes together quickly and holds well, making it perfect for a picnic at the beach or a backyard barbecue. Sun-dried tomatoes add a punch of concentrated, tangy tomato flavor alongside bright and sweet cherry tomatoes. Peppery arugula serves as the base here, but you could certainly substitute any other soft green or lettuce. The grain is just as adaptable: Try quinoa, pearled barley or smoky freekeh if farro isn’t available.
Slow-Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken
This hands-off path to pulled chicken results in a juicy, saucy tangle of meat for a crowd. The combination of boneless chicken thighs and breasts creates a mix of feathery and hearty shreds, while cooking the meat slowly in barbecue sauce ensures it won’t dry out. To emulate some of the smoke and savoriness created by cooking meat over smoldering coals, chipotle chiles in adobo, Worcestershire sauce and onion powder are also added. Serve the pulled chicken between buns with pickles and slaw, or make a barbecue chicken pizza; leftovers keep well for a few days in the fridge.
Caesar’s Caesar Salad
The Caesar salad on the menu today at Caesar’s in Tijuana, Mexico, is but a distant cousin of the original version first served there 100 years ago. It is believed to have included a whole coddled egg, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, and did not include anchovies. But Javier Plascencia and his family, who have been running Caesar’s for more than a decade, consider this iteration the best one yet. Romaine lettuce is coated in a creamy, intensely pungent dressing seasoned with anchovies, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and freshly squeezed lime juice. Garlicky, baked baguette croutons provide serious crunch. A few rules elevate a good Caesar salad to a great one: The leaves must be whole, crisp and cold; croutons must be sliced, not diced; and Parmesan must be applied generously.
Easy Chicken Salad
This simple chicken salad makes great use of leftover chicken, though you can certainly use a rotisserie chicken or roast or boil chicken breasts for this recipe. The recipe calls for classic crunchy mix-ins such as grapes, celery and pecans, but feel free to make it your own: Use a diced tart apple in place of the grapes, or toss in a handful of dried cranberries. Chicken salad gets better as it sits, so make this at least a few hours in advance if you can, or make it on Monday to have on hand for lunches all week long.
Grilled Hot Dogs
A crisp, snappy, juicy hot dog isn’t necessarily difficult to achieve, but two key steps ensure that yours won’t end up wrinkly, burnt or dry. First, let the flame mellow to a moderate heat, which will prevent bursting and provide ample time to pick up smoke from the grill. Second, arrange the hot dogs parallel to the grates. That way, the rods act like a sling, exposing more of the hot dogs for more browning and keeping them from rolling around. With a well-cooked hot dog, toppings can be as minimal or imaginative as you’d like. (For natural-casing hot dogs, see Tip.)
Pasta Primavera
This vegetarian pasta is a great way to use all of your fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market (or even the ones still hanging on in your fridge). The vegetables are cooked until they are just tender and still crisp, then coated in a delicate, lemony cream sauce and sprinkled with fresh Parmesan and herbs. Originally, this recipe was made with spaghetti, but a shorter pasta shape that’s the same size as the vegetable pieces provides a more enjoyable bite. “Primavera” means spring, but any vegetable from the spring and summer season is welcome in this dish. Feel free to add asparagus, cherry tomatoes, carrots and more — just note which vegetables cook faster than others and adjust as needed.
Grilled Chicken Salad
Next time you fire up the grill, throw on a few extra chicken breasts to use in this make-ahead salad, which is perfect for lunches all week. The yogurt dressing is light and tangy, spiced with turmeric, coriander and everything bagel seasoning, and packed with lots of crunchy celery and fresh cilantro. (If your everything bagel seasoning includes salt, add less salt to begin with and season to taste.) Top a pile of greens with a scoop of the grilled chicken salad, serve it in lettuce cups or on top of crackers.
Summer Chowder With Cod and Clams
Based on East Coast white chowder, made with milk and potatoes, but more of a dinner stew than a soup. Lemon zest and slivers of serrano chile add spark to the mild creamy base. Prepare the chowder up to two hours in advance and reheat it gently just before serving, to avoid any last-minute rushing.
Angel Hair Pasta Salad
Light, bouncy angel hair makes for a surprisingly stellar pasta salad. Dressed in a simple mayonnaise and vinegar dressing, a rainbow confetti of raw vegetables shines in this chill, endlessly adaptable recipe. Salting the vegetables in advance, allowing them to sweat their excess moisture and then patting them dry, leads to crunchier, longer-lasting results. This salad keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, covered; as it sits, the vegetables give off their flavor and fragrance to the blank-canvas pasta. Simply stir before serving to redistribute any dressing that has collected on the bottom of the bowl.
Buttermilk Ranch Fried Chicken
Great fried chicken at home is much easier than you might think. This version celebrates the tangy, herbaceous complexity of ranch seasoning, which is whisked into buttermilk to create an easy brine that ensures a flavorful, juicy end result. A whole chicken works best: Cutting it into parts takes a bit of practice but saves money and yields a good variety of pieces. (If looking for a shortcut, a mixture of thighs and drumsticks works well too.) After the chicken is brined, it’s dredged in flour seasoned with onion powder and garlic powder, echoing ranch seasoning, and supplemented with cornstarch, which yields a delightfully crispy exterior that holds up very well to chilling, for those among us who love cold fried chicken. Don’t be afraid to fry at home! This chicken fries in a large, deep Dutch oven — and it fries mostly covered, which helps reduce any mess. Maintain the right oil temperature and follow the visual cues to determine doneness, and you’ll be fine.
Skillet Chicken Thighs With Schmaltzy Tomatoes
Golden pan drippings star in this simple dish of roasted chicken thighs, seasoning a juicy tomato and red onion salad with their caramelized, salty flavors. There’s minimal prep involved, just the slicing of an onion and halving of some cherry tomatoes, which can be done as the chicken roasts. Red-pepper flakes and lemon zest add bright, fiery notes, and fresh basil or mint sprinkled on at the end give this verdant freshness. Be sure to serve the chicken with crusty bread to catch all the sweet, earthy juices.
Sticky Miso Salmon Bowl
Miso salmon is an easy meal for any night of the week but it gets taken to a whole other level here with the additions of grapefruit and honey. Combining the zest and juice from the grapefruit with honey, miso and a bit of ginger gives the fish a sticky-tangy finish when broiled. The sushi rice is mixed with a humble pat of butter and some sliced scallions, making it a comforting counterpart to this simple fish for an elegant weeknight dinner.
Likama Roasted Salmon With Cabbage Salad
Traditionally used to season tagines, roasts or grilled meats, likama (meaning spices in Moroccan Arabic) combines common spices like cumin and coriander with the warmth of ginger and paprika for a touch of sweetness. In this recipe, likama is used as the main seasoning to coat a salmon fillet for a burst of Moroccan flavor that pairs beautifully with a fresh, quick and crunchy cabbage salad. This meal is ready in under 30 minutes, but the salmon can be marinated, if desired, for extra depth of flavor. The snappy salmon and salad can be enjoyed on their own; for a more filling option, feel free to add rice or quinoa.
Dijonnaise Grilled Chicken Breasts
The grilled chicken we dream of — juicy meat, bronzed crust, a hint of smoke — can be a reality when slathered with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard before cooking. While you won’t necessarily taste the condiments, they work in tandem to ensure that the boneless chicken has an easier time on the grill: The mayonnaise insulates and prevents sticking, and the mustard tenderizes and caramelizes. Serve with a spoonful of the Dijonnaise any way you like simply grilled chicken: atop a Caesar salad, alongside grilled corn or tucked into a sandwich with pickles, shredded lettuce and the Dijonnaise.
Farinata (Herbed Chickpea Flour and Onion Pancake)
Farinata is a popular street food from the Ligurian coast surrounding Genoa, Italy, to the French Côte d’Azur, where it’s called socca. Typically a humble pancake built on only chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt, it’s inexpensive, gluten-free and suitable for vegans. It can be very thin, highlighting its crispy, golden exterior, and is usually eaten plain or with a simple side of cured meats. This version is thicker, showcasing its creamy herbed interior, and topped with an array of garnishes for a more substantial dish and a plant-based alternative to a frittata. (For an even heartier meal, top with roasted vegetables, such as broccolini.) Thyme, sumac and sesame oil are not traditional seasonings — unlike rosemary, fennel seed or sage — but they recall za’atar and meld with the chickpea flour and olive oil.
Panko-Crusted Pork Tenderloin With Tahini Slaw
Flavorful and quick-cooking pork tenderloin is a great choice for a weekday dinner. Here it’s paired with a nutty tahini and citrus slaw to cut through some of the breaded pork’s richness. In this recipe, the finely chopped parsley stems, which can take a bit more heat than the leaves, are added to the breading for color and freshness. Use pre-sliced red cabbage to cut down on the prep work, if you like. And, you can swap the pork out for chicken breast tenderloin or even your favorite white fish fillet.
Cold Noodles With Zucchini
Zucchini loves the kiss of heat but can easily turn to mush. Briefly salting and drying half-moons of zucchini before quickly stir-frying them, mostly on one side, maintains their texture while lending so much flavor. An impactful dressing of maple syrup, soy sauce and fish sauce — plus a pinch of concentrated savoriness in the form of garlic powder — seasons both stir-fry and noodle. Ice is the secret ingredient that helps to cool down the noodles for quick eating, as well as to melt down and open up the flavors of the dressing (as water is wont to do) while you eat. The final spritz of citrus is not optional: It finishes the dressing and makes this chill meal taste multidimensional. A tableside sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, furikake or shichimi togarashi is welcome.
Creamy Coconut-Lime Rice With Peanuts
Coconut milk does double duty here in this light yet hearty rice dish that straddles the line between side salad and pilaf-like main. First the rice is simmered in creamy coconut milk, then the remaining milk is used to make a soothing dressing spiked with lime juice, peanut butter, toasted peanuts and garlic, with a little added heat from chile sauce. Fresh cherry tomatoes and chopped herbs turn it all into a rice salad that can be a flavorful side for grilled chicken or the base for fried eggs.
Stuffed Peppers With Chickpeas and Cheese
Cozy, cheesy stuffed peppers are made vegetarian by using chickpeas instead of the usual ground meat. The cumin, tomato paste and chili powder give the filling its depth and heat, and plenty of scallions and herbs keep it bright and fresh. If you’d like to assemble the peppers ahead, you can. They’ll keep in the fridge overnight. Just pop them in the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time. Or bake them ahead and savor them later; these peppers are equally good served hot, warm or at room temperature.
Extra-Green Pasta Salad
This vibrant green pasta salad gets its color from a combination of spinach and basil, but you can swap the spinach for arugula for a more peppery finish. (Some of us need a little bite in our lives!). The miso in the sauce does a lot of the heavy lifting, imparting a salty, almost Parmesan-like quality. You can eat the salad immediately or chilled for a summer picnic. If making it a day ahead, don’t add the basil garnish and cheese until you’re ready to serve.
Ground Turkey, Shiitake and Cashew Lettuce Cups
Salad and stir-fry in one, lettuce cups are a relaxed summer dinner that combine textures and temperatures to great effect. Cool, crunchy lettuce leaves smeared with hoisin sauce are all that are needed to contain this quick-cooking filling on a hot day, although steamed rice and a cold beer would make lovely accompaniments. The filling can be adapted easily by substituting ground pork for the turkey, firm tofu for the mushrooms, carrots or peas for the celery and peanuts or pine nuts for the cashews.
Radish, Cucumber and White Bean Farro Salad
This colorful grain salad gains punchy acidity from pepperoncini and lightly pickled vegetables. While the nutty farro is cooking, the soaking begins: Scallions, radishes, cucumber, parsley and white beans are tossed in a sherry-Dijon dressing spiked with a spoonful of pepperoncini pickling liquid. The beans add a creamy texture to the dish in lieu of cheese, though a crumbled feta or torn mozzarella would work nicely. Swap these ingredients as the season changes, adding corn kernels or snap peas, or play with the herbs, mixing in cilantro or mint, too.
Spicy Tuna and Avocado Tostadas
Topped with a cross between a chunky guacamole and a tuna salad, these tostadas are a super satisfying, no-cook lunch or dinner for a steamy summer night when turning on the stove is a no-go. Instead of fresh tuna, this recipe employs the tinned variety, making these tostadas accessible for any budget. The simple serrano and lime dressing is tart and spicy with a hint of creaminess that balances the lean nature of canned tuna. Eat the salad like a dip with a bag of totopos at your desk, or pack it up with a bottle of wine and assemble your tostadas outside for a picnic in the park or day at the beach.
Grilled Tahini-Honey Chicken Thighs
Simple and impactful, this pantry marinade made from lemon, honey, tahini and olive oil gives chicken a subtle nutty flavor and imparts a gorgeous color — and caramelization — thanks to the honey’s sugar content. You can cook this chicken one of three ways: on the grill, in the oven or a skillet; all options lead to sensational results. Flavorful but versatile, this chicken pairs with almost anything. You could serve a refreshing green salad or grilled vegetables on the side, or tuck the chicken into a toasted pita with avocado, cucumbers and crumbled feta. Sprinkling sumac on the cooked chicken or adding it to the sauce will add extra depth and citrusy notes.