2,155 main dish recipes

Vegan Cuban-style black beans with two stages of green pepper, classic sofrito, and a finish of apple cider vinegar. Slow-simmered until the beans crack open. Plant-based comfort that holds its own.

Black bean chili with oranges, an unexpected Yucatan-style pairing. Whole spices, cardamom, allspice, and coriander simmer with dried beans. Topped with fresh orange slices, zest, and sour cream.

Penette in padella toasts dry pasta in olive oil, flambes with brandy, then cooks risotto-style in vegetable stock with dried mushroom cream. A one-pan Italian technique that builds deep, nutty pasta flavor.

Fruit Cornish hens: classic Chicken Marbella scaled up for small birds. Cornish hens marinated with garlic, oregano, prunes, apricots, green olives, and capers, then roasted until golden with brown sugar glaze.

Fiesta turkey with cream sauce: leftover cooked turkey simmered with mixed vegetables in a cumin-scented sour cream sauce. Weeknight dinner from Thanksgiving leftovers.

Savory corn and ham pancakes fold leftover leg ham, corn kernels, red bell pepper, and green onions into a whole-wheat batter, then pan-fry to golden alongside blistered cherry tomatoes.

Broccoli linguine tosses pasta and steamed broccoli florets with a creamy sour cream and egg yolk sauce, plus romano cheese and herbs. A 20-minute Italian-American weeknight pasta.

Pot roast of your choice is a flexible Dutch oven method for fork-tender chuck roast. Browned hard, braised low with aromatics, and finished with a skimmed pan sauce you can thicken to gravy. Classic Sunday supper.

Lamb rib chops broiled under a rosemary-garlic quince jelly glaze. A 15-minute dinner-party main with a sweet-savory lacquer that caramelizes under the broiler.

Cajun chicken sandwiches with smoky chipotle pepper purée: pan-seared seasoned chicken breast piled into a soft bun with mustard or mayo. Easy weeknight heat in 30 minutes.

Shellfish crepes with shrimp in vermouth, filled and topped with creamy Swiss cheese sauce, baked until bubbling and golden. A classic French bistro appetizer or elegant dinner party main.

Grilled beef tenderloin topped with melted Asadero cheese and a butter-mounted chipotle sauce, finished with crumbled Cotija and fresh cilantro. A Mexican-style steakhouse treatment for special-occasion grilling.

Lemon chicken in puff pastry shells with chicken gravy, thyme, and mixed vegetables. A retro comfort-food main course that turns pantry staples into a dressed-up chicken pot pie in under 40 minutes.

Stewart's Salad is a layered retro Jell-O salad with sugar-free lemon jello and pineapple, a fluffy cream cheese middle, and a golden pineapple-juice custard topping. A diabetic-friendly potluck classic.

Grilled tuna steaks with citrus shallot vinaigrette featuring blanched lemon and lime peel, rice vinegar, shallots, and a touch of red pepper flakes. A quick 30-minute summer seafood dinner with a bright, restaurant-style finish.

Basic Cincinnati chili simmered, not browned, so the beef stays fine and silky, spiced with cinnamon, allspice, and cumin. Ladle it over spaghetti for a 3-way or onto a hot dog for a classic cheese coney.