Yummy tuna mounds with curry mushroom sauce shapes tuna into breadcrumb-bound baked patties surrounded by a curried cream-of-mushroom gravy. Mid-century pantry comfort with a warm spice lift.
Middle Eastern lentil stew with potatoes, zucchini, and cumin - 189 calories per serving, 14 grams of fiber, less than 1 gram of fat. Hearty, filling, and budget-friendly.
Rich Creole-style mock turtle soup with beef, tasso, and a dark roux, simmered until the meat melts into a spicy, tangy broth. Finish with hard-boiled eggs and a splash of sherry.
Loaded chicken soup with two whole chickens simmered for rich stock, then bulked out with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, and broken spaghetti. A nearly stew-thick bowl that freezes well.
A succulent pork dish that is simmered to perfection in apple juice and a variety of spices.
Louisiana seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab, and okra in a deep brown roux, simmered with the Cajun holy trinity, tomato, and a hit of Tabasco. Served over rice for a true Gulf Coast supper.
Chinese-style pork ribs marinated in five-spice, soy, and sesame, then deep-fried until crispy and glazed with a sweet-savory tomato-laced sauce. A takeout classic worth making at home.
Homemade calzones packed with ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto, and stretchy mozzarella. The tomato oil sautéed onions add a savory depth that takes these over the top.
Chinese-style lamb hot pot with paper-thin slices cooked tableside in boiling chicken broth, dipped in a soy, sesame, peanut butter, and bean curd sauce. Served with spinach, cabbage, and cellophane noodles.
Uma Salada Portuguesa, a classic Portuguese mixed green salad with lettuce, watercress, tomatoes, purple onion rings, stuffed olives, and a simple lemon vinaigrette. Fresh, bright, and ready in 20 minutes.
Chiles en Nogada, Mexico's patriotic dish: roasted poblanos stuffed with a sweet-savory pork picadillo, draped in a cool, creamy walnut sauce and scattered with ruby pomegranate seeds. The green, white, and red of the flag on one plate.
Pureed pinto bean soup with New Mexican red chile, cream, fresh herbs, and toasted pine nuts. Velvety, rustic Southwestern soup with deep slow-cooked bean flavor.
Lentils and eggplant with brown rice is a one-pot rice cooker dinner with tender lentils, meaty mushrooms, carrots, and eggplant simmered in tomato sauce with basil and oregano. Hearty vegetarian comfort with zero fuss.
Microwave-poached sole fillets bathed in a creamy white-wine shrimp sauce. An elegant fish dinner from the 1980s microwave-cooking era, ready in 40 minutes without dirtying a stovetop pan.
Smoky vegetable chili with zucchini, bell peppers, and jalapeño simmered in tomato sauce, crowned with tender cilantro-cheese cornmeal dumplings. A meatless main that satisfies.
Grilled herbed mushrooms marinated in garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes, served with a cold tomato dressing of shallots, sherry vinegar, and fresh herbs.