Canned Goods

Although I get pretty weary of the pumpkin madness that hits the universe come October — I’m looking at you, Starbucks — there are two things I’ll make an exception for: bread pudding and pancakes. And since this post is clearly not about bread pudding, let’s talk about what we like to call “Pum’Cakes” around our house. They’re so good!

Lean ground beef or turkey can stand in for the beans in these burritos — season it with salt and pepper and brown it in a skillet, and drain and cool slightly on a plate lined with paper towel before combining it with the chipotle sour cream. Also, pump up the nutrient power by adding sautéed chopped bell peppers, zucchini, or leftover cooked vegetables such as cauliflower. Make your own salsa in just minutes, if you prefer.

Burrito bowls filled with tender spiced rice, beans, corn, and tangy barbecue chicken.

Wholesome indulgence at its finest.

Take breakfast burritos from weekend treat to everyday staple with help from the slow cooker.

Set-and-forget your way to a delicious dinner.

If you’ve ever had a Lofthouse cookie, you surely wouldn’t forget it. They’re the thick, puffed-up sugar cookies with a soft texture, a generous blanket of frosting, and a shower of sprinkles over top, sold in plastic clamshells at the grocery store. They’re also our inspiration for these easy-as-can-be pumpkin cookies. They start with a smart buy from the baking aisle, and finish with a sweet, spiced flavor, crackly top, super-soft center, and, of course, frosting.

Around the World in 30 Soups: This month we’re collaborating with chefs, cookbook authors, and our own Kitchn crew to share a globetrotting adventure in soups from countries and cuisines around the world. Today’s stop: Malaysia. We asked Ping Coombes, author of an essential Malaysian cookbook, for her best introduction to Malaysian soups. This was the answer — the rich, spicy laksa with coconut milk, shrimp, and deeply fragrant spice paste.

I’m going to present a polarizing thesis here and do my best to defend it: No-bake cheesecake is actually better than traditional cheesecake. Besides being easier to perfect, no-bake cheesecake is more flavorful without the long bake and more easily adapted to upgrades like fruit or chocolate flavorings.

A slice of classic cheesecake is one of those desserts that takes nicely to added flavors and tinkering. If you love both pumpkin pie and cheesecake, these creamy bars are the perfect hybrid. There’s a sturdy graham cracker crust on the bottom, then a layer of classic white cheesecake, and finally a delicate pumpkin cheesecake layer fragrant with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices.

It’s no secret that pumpkin cheesecake is the ultimate crowd-pleasing fall dessert. But making a full-sized cheesecake from scratch is no small feat. So I took all the best parts of the creamy, tangy dessert — the light-as-air spiced pumpkin filling, the crumbly graham cracker crust, the swoosh of whipped cream — and packed them into miniature single-serve treats. They’re just as tasty as the real deal, and they’re ready to serve to guests in just 10 minutes.

Yep, you read that right, Tomato Soup Cupcakes. I’m going retro today with these old-school cupcakes. But the tomato soup isn’t a gimmick; it’s the secret ingredient for tender spiced cupcakes with a little air of mystery. I have to admit I had never even heard of these — that is until The Kitchn asked if I’d be up for the challenge of developing a recipe for this throwback treat. Of course I’m always up for a challenge.

See how darling these key lime cupcakes are? A cheesecake-meets-key-lime-pie filling makes these no-bake cuties the perfect light and refreshing dessert for a beautiful spring brunch or porch party. The gingerbread cookie crust brings the zing to these tangy, tart, and creamy key lime pie minis. Topped with a lightly sweetened sour cream mixture and an optional candy lime wedge, these single-serve desserts are as delicious as they are Instagram-worthy.

Plant-powered, pantry-friendly, and kid-approved.

I'll never make quesadillas the same way again!

The cheesiest taco casserole ever — and you can make it two days ahead. Touchdown!

Your basic bean salsa is getting a serious upgrade.

This is the type of salad you'll actually want to eat all week.

No Southern holiday table is complete without it.

Of all the many frozen meals at Trader Joe’s, their Chicken Tikka Masala is definitely a fan favorite. Devotees feel pretty strongly that it’s the next best thing to the version served at their local Indian restaurant. This slow cooker version is equally as lazy, and we’d argue it’s even more tasty. If chicken tikka masala is your go-to Indian restaurant order but you’ve never tried making it at home, here’s your invitation.

Flank steak is my absolute favorite cut of steak for weeknights. It’s quick-cooking, and the most budget-friendly steak I know. Plus, you can cook it a number of different ways, and make a ton of different dinner options out of this one single cut. While this particular marinade is inspired by Korean bulgogi, it acts as a basic framework that can be adapted to a variety of flavor profiles.

Takeout curry is one of my favorite mid-week pleasures. Warmly spiced vegetables over a bed of rice, in all its creamy glory, is nothing short of soul-soothing. However, this year my family has been laser-focused on reigning in our food budget, leaving little room for impulse takeout purchases.

Once you nail the classic recipe for sloppy joes, you can continue to customize it by adding flavor and swapping ingredients to make this weeknight staple just what your family wants. In this rendition of the sloppy joe, we used light and lean ground turkey in place of ground beef, and made a few ingredient swaps to ensure the filling was Paleo-friendly and gluten-free. Sloppy joes are a blank canvas.

This slow-simmered sauce makes ground turkey shine in ways you never thought it was capable of.

You're going to love the spiced tomato sauce.

It's packed with bold, spicy flavor and topped with cheese.

Make your minestrone in the slow cooker with this classic chop-and-drop recipe (complete with homemade croutons).

A hearty vegan Caesar salad for veggie lovers.

Elote-lovers, this one's for you.

Slow-braised barbacoa flavor in just an hour.

This recipe is foolproof.

A unique pumpkin dessert for pumpkin pie-lovers, pumpkin custard-lovers, and pumpkin cake-lovers alike.

We guarantee everyone will love it.

The weeknight classic, slow cooker-style.

This foolproof version is one to know.

Yes, you can (and should!) make lamb shanks at home.

After trying a pot of super creamy, slightly tangy coconut yogurt from the supermarket, I started to wonder how it was made — and if I could make it myself. A bit of research and experimentation later, I discovered it’s not hard at all! As soon as you’ve gathered a few supplies, you’ll be well on your way to making (and falling in love with) this delicious dairy-free yogurt.

I love a little crunch in my tuna salad. I also am not the biggest fan of mayonnaise; I like a dab, but no more. Here’s a tuna salad in that spirit — fresh, crisp, and light, with more vegetables than tuna in the mix. I used Wild Planet light skipjack tuna for this salad. We’re big fans of Wild Planet’s responsibly sourced canned tuna around here. (Sara Kate mentioned them in her roundup of a past Fancy Food Show.

In our house, eggs save dinner at least once a week. And in case you haven’t tried it, serving breakfast for dinner is an almost guaranteed way to delight the kids at the end of the day. These huevos rancheros tacos, filled with black beans, scrambled eggs, and quickly roasted red peppers, are a delicious vegetarian way to change up taco night for the whole family.

“Nachos!” That’s pretty much the best answer you can give to your kids’ favorite question about what’s for dinner. And when you make them on potatoes and top them with a mix of flavorful toppings like beans, greens, and cheese, parents will be happy too. The beauty of these potato nachos is that you can add as many or as few toppings as you (or, let’s be honest, the kids) like.

This red, white, and blue gelatin mold is full of real fruit juice and fresh fruit, and there's not a single box of flavored gelatin in sight.

Skip the frying, lose the fuss, and you've got a winning weeknight meal.

The recipe that I am about to describe might not sound (or look) very delicious, but if Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman (aka general business genius) says that it is, who are we to question it? It is called 7-can soup and, other than seven cans of literally anything you want — plus a hunk of Velveeta — there’s not much more to it. CAN we cook it? Yes we CAN.

It’s about this time of year that I start getting antsy, culinarily speaking. It’s getting colder and my body craves those hearty dishes of squash and legumes. But I’m also not ready to completely let go of the bright, fresh flavors of warmer days. This couscous salad with its roasted squash and citrusy vinaigrette bridges the gap. This is one of those recipes that I find myself making again and again.

Black beans and lots of cheese made these vegetarian enchiladas a serious crowd-pleaser.

Not only is this one of the easiest Thai-inspired curries you’ll ever make, but it also delivers that deep, spiced flavor you expect with this kind of meal. The slow cooker works its magic, infusing a hearty pork shoulder with the pungent aromas of green curry paste and rich, warm coconut milk. It does all the heavy lifting, leaving you with a fragrant sauce and meat so tender it falls apart with the touch of your fork. The secret ingredient to this pork curry is Thai green curry paste.

This recipe from my new cookbook, Not Your Mother’s Casseroles, is perhaps the perfect expression of what I love about casseroles. It’s quick and easy — a modern, lightened-up version of a “dump-and-mix” dish, where you open up a few cans and mix everything together. But it also has fresh flavors, lighter dairy, and — the best part — no pasta. Instead, protein-rich, toothsome chickpeas take center stage.

Skipping that one step makes this one-pot casserole that much faster.

Are you in the mood for some comfort food? Of course you are. But now that spring is here and summer is on the horizon, you might, however, be leaning towards something with vegetables — perhaps even a vegetarian dish? I have a proposal for you: fresh baby spinach and chickpeas, slow-cooked with ginger, garlic, and onion in a creamy coconut milk sauce, finished off with a healthy dash of lemon. But it doesn’t stop there.

Of my hundreds of cherished cookbooks, my old school community cookbooks rank at the top of the class. (Bonus points if written by a Southern Junior League!) I love reading these retro tomes for entertainment, but they are often the first place I turn for new recipe inspiration, as well. Last week I dusted off a particular favorite—Notably Nashville—for a little late night reading.

Coconut milk is one of my absolute favorite pantry staples. Not only does it add richness and luxury to everything it touches, from stews and curries to slow cooker meals and a nearly endless list of sweet treats, but it’s also wildly versatile. Whether you have just a meager half-cup or several cans stacked in the pantry, here are over 20 sweet and savory recipes to get you cooking with coconut milk.

If you love pumpkin pie and just can’t wait until Thanksgiving dinner to taste your first slice, then I have a dessert for you. This is a little cup of pumpkin pie, mug cake-style, with a gingersnap crust and snappy spices, and it feeds just one person: you. Make it in a mug, in the microwave, and you can be eating pumpkin pie 10 minutes from right now. Yes, this is a mug pie (not to be confused with a mudpie) but it falls somewhere between a pie and a cake in texture.

When I’m trying to figure out how to make dinner out of the ingredients in my fridge and pantry, one meal I always fall back on is that of carbs topped with whatever protein and vegetables we have. Following the holidays, I’ve been looking to kick my white flour habit by subbing in sweet potatoes as my carbohydrate of choice. This vegetarian version, with its sweetly-spiced tomato sauce made hearty with chickpeas, is my family’s favorite combo to date.

A fast and fancy meal that's fit for dinner tonight (or any weeknight).

When my children were younger, on nights we left them with a sitter to go out for a little adult time, I would leave simple meals — the kinds of dishes my husband and I were far too sophisticated to enjoy. Or so I thought. One night, the sitter canceled at the last minute — after I had already made a box of mac and cheese with frozen peas and a can of tuna. My husband took a bite. “What is this? Why have you never made this before? This is delicious!” Um, oops.

My first encounters with casseroles were from a box, where you added hamburger meat or canned tuna to a mix of dried noodles, cooking liquid, and some mysterious seasoning packet. To say I loved these things was a big understatement. As an adult, though, my tastes have changed, but my love of creamy, comforting casseroles hasn’t. This quick-cooking tuna-noodle version has joined my cold-weather dinner rotation!