Microwave Italian tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic, basil, and oregano, ready in under 10 minutes. No stirring, no stovetop. A quick base sauce for pasta, pizza, or chicken Parmesan.
A light vegetable soup simmered with potatoes, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, and dill weed in vegetable stock. Vegan, low-calorie, and on the table in under an hour.
Ship Wreck is an old-fashioned layered casserole with sliced potatoes, onions, ground beef, rice, and tomatoes baked covered for 90 minutes. Just layer, season, and let the oven do the work.
Vegetarian potato corn chowder with carrots, celery, tomatoes, and herbs, thickened by mashing some of the potatoes back into the broth. Hearty, creamy, and dairy-free.
Baked hot beef dip with dried beef, cream cheese, sour cream, and white wine, topped with toasted pecans. A warm, savory party appetizer ready in 40 minutes.
Meatball stroganoff with browned beef meatballs simmered in cream of mushroom soup and sour cream, served over egg noodles. A quick, comforting one-skillet dinner ready in an hour.
Mushroom pate with a pound of sauteed mushrooms, dry vermouth, Parmesan, sour cream, and toasted pecans. A rich, earthy spread for crackers and crostini.
Baked mushroom pate with cream cheese, Italian herbs, and a full pound of fresh mushrooms. A rich, savory vegetarian appetizer served at room temperature with crackers.
Sneaky vegetable lasagna: shredded zucchini, eggplant, and spinach simmered into the sauce until they vanish, then layered with ricotta and gobs of cheese. A veggie-packed, kid-approved lasagna.
Flemish carbonades is a Belgian beef stew braised in beer with onions and garlic in the slow cooker. Fork-tender beef chuck in a thick, malty gravy.
Green noodles with a creamy mushroom and bacon sauce finished with fresh basil and Parmesan. Nearly two pounds of mushrooms make this a rich, earthy weeknight pasta.
Mushroom pate: a vegetarian appetizer of buttery sauteed mushrooms and onions deglazed with sherry, then blended with cream cheese and fresh parsley. Spread on crackers or crusty bread for the perfect cocktail snack.
Quick vegetarian pinto beans in tomato sauce served over brown rice with onions, celery, and a kick of hot sauce. A low-fat, budget-friendly weeknight dinner ready in 25 minutes.
Monaco-style sweet-sour braised pearl onions with tomato, vinegar, sugar and herbs. Classic French Riviera vegetable side dish and cold antipasto topping.
Creamy homemade spinach soup thickened with a silky roux and brightened with a whisper of nutmeg. Ready in 30 minutes with simple pantry staples, this comforting bowl feeds six hungry people on a cold night.
When you don't have 4 hours or more to make chicken broth use inexpensive chicken legs to make this rich broth along with cooked chicken for use in other recipes.