Eating less meat, eating more greens, spending less money, cooking more dinners at home ... whatever your New Year's resolution is, chances are it can be helped along with a pot of beans. Soak, cook, and freeze a big batch of beans on the weekend and you'll be ready for simple, nourishing, and budget-friendly meals throughout the week. We love all types of beans, but these days we're especially partial to creamy white varieties, which star in these five delicious vegetarian suppers. More

Even chefs have to eat. And, boy, do they eat! Staff meals, served family-style in the dead zone between the lunch hour and arrival of the first dinner guests, are made of the odd bits and leftover scraps from the restaurant's regular menu dishes. But don't think this means that these dishe are boring, sloppy, or otherwise unexciting. The quirky and creative staff meals served at some of the world's best restaurants, gathered in this cookbook by Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy, show that sometimes the cooks eat best of all. More

I spent three days of my holiday break on a quest to make the perfect French onion soup, beginning from scratch with the beef stock. And while it was incredible, it is not very often that I have the time or energy to really put that much effort into dinner. I decided there must be an easier way, and as it turns out, there is! Basically, I seem to prefer my soup in sandwich-form.

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I am a born-and-bred Southerner who surely spent at least one past life in Italy. I am deeply devoted to both Southern and Italian cuisines and am convinced they have the same soul. More

It is easy to see why cooks love breakfast casseroles. They can be made ahead. They are hearty and satisfying. They handily serve a group. It's the name that trips us up. People are leery of casseroles, which is why I prefer to call this, my signature crowd-pleasing brunch bake, a savory bread pudding.

A casserole by any other name is swell to eat. More

The basic ingredients for this cheerful salad are easy to find, but lend themselves to an upgrade. Perfect citrus fruit is plentiful and affordable during winter, so mix in some of the more exotic specimens you've been tempted to try. More

Ah, the respite between Christmas and New Year's — offering up at least one day free to lollygag and lounge about. Sipping a warm beverage that's not in a to-go cup. Perusing the paper beyond the headlines. Savoring a leisurely breakfast whenever you get around to it. More

Warning: There are zero salads in this bunch of recipes. If salads are your comfort food of choice, then my apologies. These recipes provide the kind of comfort that comes with plenty of cheese, an extra splash of cream, and some crispy edges. Not that they are all overly-indulgent...just most of them. Ahem. Enjoy! More

What qualifies as a quick weeknight meal? For me, it has to be ready in roughly thirty minutes, use ingredients that I'm likely to have or can easily pick up, and satisfy my deep 6:00pm hunger. None of that "one cup pre-cooked chicken" — if it can't be made start to finish in the time between just got home and starving, then it's not for me. Gathered here are all my favorite super-quick dinners from the past year. Some are base recipes that use what you have in the fridge, others are easy to make if you shop ahead, all are completely, tried-and-true, 100% guaranteed to hit the spot. More

Q: My husband and I are planning a New Year's Eve party, and we want to serve an entree that will please both vegetarians and meat-eaters. Could you recommend a make-ahead (or low-attention) party entree that might keep for an hour on the buffet table?

Sent by Liz More