Main Course

8665 recipes found

Seafood Boil
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Feb 29, 2024

Seafood Boil

You don’t need to be at the beach to make this classic seaside dinner — an assortment of fresh seafood and a really big stock pot will get you there in an hour. Feel free to make this seafood boil your own by swapping in mussels for the clams, or lobster in place of the crab legs. With sausage, corn on the cob and steamed potatoes, this is a true one-pot meal. The flavorful cooking liquid turns into a buttery, lemony sauce that coats the seafood and vegetables. Cover your table with kraft paper and dump the seafood boil out, letting everyone dig in, or, for easier cleanup, serve the boil in a large shallow bowl, with small bowls of garlic butter on the side for dipping.

1h6 servings
Tonkatsu
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Feb 29, 2024

Tonkatsu

For crackly crisp yet juicy tonkatsu, or Japanese pork cutlets, pound boneless pork loins until impossibly thin, dredge in flour, egg and panko, then deep-fry, not once, but twice. (After the first fry, the pork rests for a bit, allowing it to finish cooking from the residual heat without drying out. It’s quickly fried a second time until golden brown.) Drizzle the finished pork cutlets with tonkatsu sauce, a spiced, sweet and tangy sauce. Here, ketchup and Worcestershire make for a quick rendition, but you can also purchase premade sauce at Japanese markets and online. Serve piping hot tonkatsu and rice alongside a heap of cold shredded cabbage drizzled with a creamy dressing, if you like.

50m4 servings 
Breaded Halloumi With Cabbage Slaw
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Feb 29, 2024

Breaded Halloumi With Cabbage Slaw

Watch out, chicken and pork; there is a new cutlet in town. Halloumi is more than a meat-free cutlet alternative; its signature salty, tangy chew is enhanced when encased in a layer of extracrispy bread crumbs. This recipe follows standard breading procedure (dredging the halloumi first in a flour mixture, then beaten eggs, then bread crumbs), with some tweaks: Adding a touch of cornstarch to the flour ensures maximum crunch. Whisking a dash of oil into the egg thins the liquid coating, encouraging the flour and bread crumbs to adhere to the halloumi while also promoting even browning. The quick cabbage slaw is purposefully tart to cut through the richness of the fried halloumi. This cutlet could also be served on a burger bun or with tonkatsu sauce.

35m4 servings
Sukiyaki
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Feb 28, 2024

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is a fun and festive Japanese hotpot of sliced beef, cabbage, mushrooms, hearty greens, tofu and noodles that are served nabemono style, meaning everything is served together in a pot at the table. Kansai-style sukiyaki calls for searing the thin slices of beef over high heat in a traditional Japanese cast-iron pot beforehand, whereas this Kanto-style version calls for cooking the beef over low heat, which slowly releases the fat, helping create a rich and flavorful broth. (This means you can cook Kanto-style sukiyaki in a clay donabe without risk of damaging the pot.) Once the beef is cooked, the rest of the ingredients are added to the pot and brought to the table so diners can serve themselves. Each person gets their own small bowl of warishita sauce, a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and sake, plus a runny egg for dipping. It’s a perfect meal for a chilly day.

1h4 to 6 servings
Chashu
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Feb 28, 2024

Chashu

Chashu is a Japanese adaptation of char siu, or Chinese barbecued pork, that’s typically served atop a bowl of steaming ramen, or on its own over steamed rice. Whereas char siu is roasted in an oven at high heat and typically includes Chinese five spice, hoisin and red yeast rice or red food coloring for its distinct color, chashu is usually rolled to maintain its moisture, seared, then braised in a flavorful liquid of sake, soy sauce, sugar, scallions, ginger and sometimes mirin. Save the rich, leftover broth for braising vegetables, or marinate peeled, hard boiled eggs in it, then use the eggs to top ramen. Uncut pork belly can sometimes be tricky to find, so call the butcher ahead of your visit to order a whole piece before they slice it for bacon.

11h4 to 6 servings
Bacon, Egg and Brussels Sprouts Salad
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Feb 28, 2024

Bacon, Egg and Brussels Sprouts Salad

Brussels sprouts star in this hearty riff on a wilted salad, giving it more structure and crunch than one with the usual floppy lettuce or spinach, and an egg on top adds heft, turning a side dish into a light main course. There’s tangy whole-grain mustard in the vinaigrette, too, which contrasts with the richness of the bacon. Serve this with crusty bread for scooping up the savory bacon fat and egg yolk inevitably left on the bottom of the plate.

25m4 servings
Shrimp Tempura
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Feb 28, 2024

Shrimp Tempura

Crisp, light and airy, the coating for battered and fried shrimp tempura is achieved with a few simple, though crucial, steps: Using seltzer in the batter adds airiness, and chilling the ingredients, including the flour, prevents gluten formation, making it more delicate and light. It’s important not to overmix the batter, and using chopsticks as the stirring tool helps. Finally, don’t overcrowd the pot when frying, and make sure to maintain the oil’s temperature so the shrimp don’t absorb it and become greasy. For a classic shrimp tempura, follow the prep steps here as best as you can to keep the shrimp from curling. Serve the dish hot with tentsuyu, a savory dashi and soy dipping sauce.

55m4 to 6 servings 
Spiced Roasted Lamb and Vegetables
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Feb 28, 2024

Spiced Roasted Lamb and Vegetables

This fragrant stew, redolent of cumin, coriander, ginger, allspice, fennel and cinnamon, is slowly simmered to tenderness. A lamb shoulder roast makes the most succulent stew, but thick bone-in shoulder chops are sometimes easier to find and work just as well. Let the meat rest a day or two in its own broth in the refrigerator. Reheating revs up the complex spice mixture. Then, grab a warm flatbread and get to dunking.

2h6 servings
Bibimbap
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Feb 27, 2024

Bibimbap

A Korean dish of marinated meat, colorful vegetables and runny eggs arranged over a bed of fluffy rice, bibimbap is an edible work of art. The banchan, or side dishes, that are piled on top can vary, but this version includes tender beef bulgogi, meaty shiitake mushrooms, crisp bean sprouts, tender spinach, crunchy carrots and cool cucumbers. A spicy-sweet gochujang sauce is drizzled over the top, then everything is mixed together (bibim means “to mix” and bap means “rice” in Korean), breaking open the egg yolk to lend a rich creaminess to the dish. Be sure to scrape up the crunchy grains from the bottom of the pan, and serve with a side of kimchi, if you’d like, for even more texture.

2h 45m4 to 6 servings
Red Lentil Barley Stew
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Feb 23, 2024

Red Lentil Barley Stew

Warm spices, fennel and leeks give this rib-sticking stew a deep, complex character. Feel free to adjust the liquid to taste. Adding a little more makes it brothier and more souplike, suitable for eating with a spoon. Or let it rest a bit. As it sits, the barley will absorb all of the liquid, making it easily forkable. Be sure to serve this with lemon wedges on the side, since the lentils and barley benefit greatly from a bright jolt right at the end.

2h8 servings
Spicy Tomato White Bean Stew
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Feb 23, 2024

Spicy Tomato White Bean Stew

Made in about half an hour from pantry ingredients, this simple, flexible stew has a velvety texture from canned white beans rounded out by plenty of garlic, olive oil and canned plum tomatoes. The optional bacon adds a brawny heft here, but the stew will be just as hardy without it. Or lighten things up by stirring a few handfuls of quick-cooking greens directly into the pot, which also eliminates any need for a salad on the side.

30m3 to 4 servings
Sweet Potato-Tofu Stew
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Feb 23, 2024

Sweet Potato-Tofu Stew

In this dish, based on the flavors of Japanese nimono, umami from soy sauce and shiitake mushrooms rounds out the gentle sweet potatoes, which fall apart and thicken the stew as they simmer. The tofu is added in two ways here. Some of it is marinated in the soy sauce and then stirred into the stew for a soft, pillowy texture. Then, the rest is fried until golden and spooned on top as a crisp garnish. You can also leave the tofu out altogether for a speedier but just as satisfying meal.

1h4 to 6 servings
Monte Cristo
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Feb 22, 2024

Monte Cristo

This American diner classic — a battered and grilled ham, turkey and cheese sandwich dusted with confectioners’ sugar — may, in fact, be a descendant of the French croque-monsieur. The two are quite similar, the main difference being that the croque-monsieur has a layer of béchamel on top, while the Monte Cristo is dipped in beaten egg before it’s griddled. The Monte Cristo became popular when a restaurant at Disneyland began serving it in the 1960s, and now, it lives on as a fixture on menus around the country. It's a delicious way to use leftover baked ham, but regular deli meat works well, too. (Feel free to omit the turkey and use twice as much ham, if you prefer.) As with most grilled sandwiches, thinner slices of cheese will melt more easily.

20m4 servings
Lemony Pearl Barley Soup
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Feb 22, 2024

Lemony Pearl Barley Soup

High in comfort, low in fuss, this pearl barley soup answers the question of what to cook when one doesn’t feel like cooking. Made with pantry staples, this simple soup beams with vibrancy. Lemon transforms this hearty soup into a dish that also feels light and restorative, while dill, used generously, reinforces the citrus flavor while bringing an assertive herbaceous edge. Other herbs could step in for dill; consider parsley, cilantro or chives. Spinach is added right at the end, after the heat is turned off, which ensures that the greens maintain a little bite and stay bright. The soup will thicken over time, so if you are making it ahead or have leftovers, simply loosen it up with more stock or water when reheating.

45m4 servings
Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup
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Feb 21, 2024

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

This three-ingredient vegan soup isn’t a trick: It’s as velvety and rich as its creamy, dairy-full counterparts, with a sweetness that lingers and warms. Coax deep, nutty flavors from cauliflower and a whole head of garlic by roasting them until caramelized; next you’ll simmer them until nearly falling apart, then blend the mixture until silky-smooth. Gentle and comforting on its own, the soup can also serve as the start to your own creation: You could roast sliced onions or leeks instead of the garlic; stir in Cheddar, Gruyère or Parmesan; or top with fried sage or capers. Accompany with grilled cheese or pumpernickel bread, or a hearty salad with grains or lentils.

1h 10m4 to 6 servings
Carne Asada Torta
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Feb 21, 2024

Carne Asada Torta

Tender white rolls stuffed with smoky grilled meat, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, pickled jalapeños and red onion, the Mexican torta is a much-loved sandwich that likely originated in Puebla during the French occupation in the 1860s. Mexican bakers were inspired by baguettes, and created telera, a smaller, softer loaf with signature hash marks across the top. While the exact history is blurry, one thing remains true: like any good sandwich, good bread is key. Telera or bolillo rolls are traditional here, although according to Claudette Zepeda, a San Diego chef who specializes in regional Mexican cooking, ciabatta is an acceptable substitute. She also said that while pickled onions and chiles are a must, cheese is usually only found on a cold torta. All that to say, while it’s not strictly authentic, feel free to add refried beans or crumble on a little cotija cheese. For extra flavor, place the cut sides of the toasted bread over the carne asada while it’s resting to soak up some of the flavorful juices. This version of the popular sandwich calls for carne asada, but you could also use shredded pollo asado.

35m4 servings
Macaroni and Peas
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Feb 21, 2024

Macaroni and Peas

This recipe starts with a love of store-bought mac and cheese, amplified with frozen peas and diced ham. But then, it adds a few layers of flavor, increasing the peas, sautéing the cured pork and using a from-scratch garlicky Parmesan sauce inspired by classic pasta paglia e fieno (“straw and hay pasta,” so named because it’s typically made with a combination of plain and green fettuccine pastas that resembles fresh and dried grass). While pasta paglia e fieno typically uses reduced heavy cream as its sauce, this recipe keeps it a little lighter by decreasing the amount of cream and instead relying on eggs to give the sauce its clingy, glossy texture, like in a good carbonara. A finish of parsley and mint further lightens it.

35m4 servings
Peanut Butter Noodles
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Feb 20, 2024

Peanut Butter Noodles

This nutty midnight pasta is a dream to cook, as it requires just a handful of pantry staples and one pot. Peanut butter (the less fancy, the better) anchors a creamy sauce swathed in umami. Accentuated by a good, salty Parmesan, these noodles recall those cheesy peanut butter sandwich crackers. They make an ideal dinner for one, but the amounts can easily be doubled or quadrupled as needed. For an equally gripping vegan alternative, try swapping out the butter for olive oil and the cheese for nutritional yeast.

20m1 serving
Miso-Mushroom Barley Soup
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Feb 16, 2024

Miso-Mushroom Barley Soup

This hearty vegan dish uses miso and soy to add a tremendous amount of depth and flavor to a relatively quick, one-pot mushroom barley soup. Quartering the mushrooms allows them to retain bite, but you can thinly slice them if you’d prefer everything to be soft and tender. Resist the urge to salt heavily during the bulk of the cooking, as the miso and soy — both sodium-heavy ingredients — will be added at the end to bring the soup together. This is a soup that will thicken, so add more water or broth when reheating. It’s as accommodating as it is comforting: You can empty your pantry or fridge by swapping the barley for farro and spinach for chopped bok choy or other greens.

1h4 servings
One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
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Feb 16, 2024

One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles

Think of this warming dish as a relay race, each ingredient handing its flavor to the next. During the (almost!) hands-off cooking, a head of garlic and a whole chicken stuffed with a Parmesan rind roast, then give themselves to salted water, which in turn flavors the egg noodles that soften around the bird. Salt and water are your best tools here: Season the chicken, season the water and season both again. Don’t hesitate to add more water as the noodles are cooking to make sure they’re submerged. Every brand will absorb a slightly different amount of liquid, and you want a result that’s splashy enough to take on all the Parmesan you will grate at the table. Use your largest pot so everything fits. A 7- to 9-quart Dutch oven has ideal proportions with its wide base and chicken-height sides. You can substitute any short, quick-cooking pasta for egg noodles, and introduce sautéed mushrooms, spinach or herbs at the end, if that’s your mood.

2h4 to 6 servings
Skillet Ginger Chicken With Apricots
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Feb 15, 2024

Skillet Ginger Chicken With Apricots

A simple yet surprising cast of ingredients creates a deeply flavorful one-pot meal made primarily from chicken thighs, white wine, ginger, apricot and spices. It’s reminiscent of long-simmered, well-spiced stewed dishes but comes together quickly. The earthy, warm spices contrast the sweetness of the silky red onions and apricots, which soften and plump in white wine, leaving a pool of flavorful liquid at the bottom of the skillet. Dried figs or prunes would be easy substitutes for the apricots. To take advantage of the fragrant pan sauce, serve with bread, lightly oiled orzo or rice.

35m4 servings
Spicy Caramelized Shrimp With Lemongrass
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Feb 15, 2024

Spicy Caramelized Shrimp With Lemongrass

For those who love all things salty and sweet, Vietnamese tôm rim is an ideal dish, wedding fish sauce with caramel. Variations abound, but traditionally, tôm rim is made by marinating whole, unpeeled shrimp in fish sauce, palm sugar, pepper, garlic and shallot, then sautéing until the shrimp cooks through and the sauce becomes glossy and caramelized. This version, which is adapted from “Vietnamese Home Cooking” (Ten Speed Press, 2012) by chef Charles Phan, calls for weeknight-friendly peeled shrimp, and builds upon the dish’s classic flavor profile by introducing chile, lemongrass and ginger. Mr. Phan uses a homemade roasted chile paste that is heady with Sichuan peppercorns, ground bean paste and soy sauce, but he suggests store-bought roasted chile paste or chile-bean sauce for ease. You could swap in Sriracha, increase the garlic, apply these flavors to different proteins or even vegetables. Once you’ve understood the foundation of a dish, its potential is infinite.

30m4 servings
Lasagna Soup
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Feb 15, 2024

Lasagna Soup

This simple, one-pot soup delivers all the comfort of a classic lasagna with very little of the work. A jar of marinara sauce is its secret to speedy flavor, along with a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage (though for ease, you can use one or the other), plus a pinch of ground nutmeg. Dried lasagna noodles are broken into small pieces and cooked directly in the soup, thickening the broth with their starches as they soften. Don’t skip the ricotta-Parmesan topping; it adds richness and the unmistakable essence of lasagna. This soup comes together quickly and is best served right away; the noodles will continue to absorb the broth as it sits.

45m6 servings
Crispy Chicken Thighs
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Feb 14, 2024

Crispy Chicken Thighs

For bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs with crackly skin and juicy meat, start them in a cold pan, skin-side down, then leave them mostly undisturbed. For more even browning, you could press them down and rotate the skillet, but either way, if you’re off doing something else, the gradual, moderate heat will slowly render the skin golden-crisp. Finish cooking the chicken on the second side, let the chicken rest, then consider how you’ll use all that flavorful fat that’s accumulated in the skillet: Sauté any vegetables, crisp beans, make toast or stir the liquid left in the skillet into a pan sauce.

40m4 servings