Coco Morante

You may be used to cooking stuffing in the oven, but did you know it can be made on the stovetop too? Don’t bother with the prepackaged stuff (i.e. those iconic red boxes) if you can help it, though. Homemade stuffing made with crusty, artisan bread and fresh herbs and vegetables is so, so good. The best part about stovetop stuffing? You’ll save precious oven space, which you’ll need for that turkey, sweet potato casserole, and green beans casserole.

Braising sounds fancy, doesn’t it? This classic, refined cooking method promises a combination of caramelized flavor and long-cooked tenderness, nudged along by gentle heat and a solicitous chef. To braise vegetables gives them their proper due, and it’s the perfect treatment for all kinds of spring produce — especially wedges of sweet fennel. Fennel and shallots are perfect braising partners.

If you’re going to a Memorial Day gathering, chances are it’s a potluck. This year, bring a pasta salad that will please adults and kids alike. With silky roasted red peppers, oil-packed tuna, and an herbaceous vinaigrette, this one’s got lots of Mediterranean flavor, and it comes together quickly with just a few ingredients from your pantry. Of all the herbs I planted in my garden a couple months ago, the oregano has really taken off like gangbusters.

Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving! Or should I say, Leftovers-for-Breakfast Day? Some might go for a cold slice of pumpkin pie straight from the tin (you know who you are), but for me, it’s all about the savory sides. This post-Thanksgiving morning, give your stuffing a royal redux. Bake it into a breakfast strata, complete with crunchy toasted corners and sunny eggs cracked right on top. This is just about the easiest leftovers recipe you’re bound to come across.

Fall is tart time for me, and I brought a few of my favorite autumn flavors to this dessert offering. It’s made with a rich walnutty tart crust, filled with creamy golden frangipane and topped with tender slices of spiced poached pears. And it holds a little gift for those of us baking for a diverse group: it just happens to be gluten-free. Don’t you love desserts that do it all? This tart has an element that may be unfamiliar: frangipane. What is it?

Yes, it’s true. You can cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot. Just keep in mind a couple of things: The chicken must weigh four pounds or less (essentially a broiler-fryer), and it won’t come out with a crispy, crackling skin like it would from the oven. I find that the convenience and the speed of the Instant Pot make up for those two differences, as does the delicious mushroom sauce this chicken is served with.

Thanksgiving requires a lot of oven space, but these riffs on your favorite sides don't.

Mashed sweet potato recipes generally start with roasting your sweet potatoes, but this can be a tricky proposition when oven space is limited. For a stovetop adaptation, simmer those sweet potatoes in a rich cooking liquid that gets blended right in at the end. This keeps things more flavorful and less waterlogged than if you’d just boiled the sweet potatoes in water.

Save yourself the trouble of peeling potatoes and go the rustic route instead. Red potatoes have delicate, tender skins, so they’re perfect for mashing whole. Even better, you can mash the potatoes right in their cooking pot, where they’ll stay warm until you’re ready to serve them up. A handful of whole garlic cloves simmer right along with the potatoes, becoming soft and mash-able just as the potatoes cook through.

Sliced into thin ribbons and sautéed with butter, onions, and pancetta, these deluxe Brussels sprouts get dressed up even further with a topping of butter-browned walnuts and crispy fried sage. Yes, please! So much holiday flavor in one little vegetable dish. This recipe has changed the way I think about Brussels sprouts — I’ll never steam them again! You can slice the sprouts yourself, or buy them pre-shredded (I know Trader Joe’s carries them this way.

Green beans have earned their spot as the obligatory Thanksgiving vegetable for good reason — they are delicious, kid-friendly, and easy to prepare. Whether steamed, roasted, or folded into a creamy casserole, chances are they’re on your holiday menu. Try a new method this year and steam-fry your green beans with shallots and mushrooms. Simple but unexpected, it’s a vegetable dish that will please even the pickiest of eaters.

I dare you not to twirl your fork into this simple pasta dish! Once your pasta pot is at a rolling boil, you’re about 10 minutes away from noodly bliss. Succulent shrimp and linguini are tossed with a super-quick tomato cream sauce — one that’s fragrant with aromatic garlic, shallots, and white wine. Seriously, what’s not to like?

Leftovers can be a boon rather than a ball and chain. Here’s the thing — they just have to be basic enough so they can be repurposed and incorporated into completely different meals. Just think about those days after Thanksgiving, when you’ve got pounds of roasted turkey for turkey sandwiches, turkey noodle casserole, turkey enchiladas, turkey soup … you get the idea. As it turns out, that strategy works for plain-old chicken, too.

Salty, briny feta and olives, and crunchy, lemony croutons are delightful little flavor bombs, making every forkful of this Greek-style salad a pleasure to eat. It’s one of those salads that works well as a one-dish meal — a great lunch or dinner that comes together in just a few minutes. While you could make this recipe even faster by using store-bought croutons, they are so simple and inexpensive to make at home. Furthermore, you can flavor them any way you want.

When you’re looking to liven up leftover cooked chicken, a sweet and tangy honey-mustard sauce goes a long way! Add a freshly steamed pot of rice and some sautéed vegetables, and you’ve got a quick weeknight meal that’s full of bright flavors and textures. Grain bowls are one of my favorite meals. They’re easy to serve and enjoy at the dinner table, on the couch for a Netflix marathon night, or as a packed lunch to take to work.

With grains, protein, and vegetables all in one pot, this soup is a complete meal unto itself! Ladled into bowls for a quick weeknight dinner, or stored in a thermos for a comforting hot lunch, it’s the perfect antidote to your winter cooking needs. It’s great to have some go-to recipes up your sleeve for using leftover, cooked chicken, and this soup is one of my favorites.

Sheet-pan suppers are one of my favorite no-fuss ways to get dinner on the table. Most of the cooking time is unattended, so you’re free to leave your kitchen post while your dinner is doing its thing in the oven. Pour yourself a glass of wine, kick back, and relax as the oven does all the work — rendering your chicken skin crispy and turning your potatoes golden-brown. This meal is not only super simple to put together, but it’s also very easy to customize to your liking.

Even if you’re not the craftiest crafter in Craftland (I certainly am not), you can make a potato stamp. These sweet little napkins will add something special to your Valentine’s Day table without being too precious. I just love how they turned out! Inexpensive and easy to make, they’re more unique than any table linens you can buy in a store. Everyone I’ve talked to about this project has said something along the lines of, “Oh yeah, we did those in preschool!