Main Dishes

A piece of pita bread is a little world unto itself — so round, so hollow, so open to whatever you desire for lunch. And so portable and convenient, too! But after a few too many of my old standby, kale salad-stuffed pockets, I decided I needed a little fresh inspiration for the daily marvel of the pita sandwich.

Q: I’m going to make fresh tortellini for a dinner party. Can I prepare it in the morning and cook later that evening? If so, what is the best way to do it? I’ve had a trial run and it came out very chewy — what did I do wrong? And finally, what would you serve on the side of spinach-and-ricotta tortellini Alfredo with prosciutto and peas? Many thanks and kind regards.

A great pizza has the right balance of sauce, cheese, and crust — but don’t forget about the toppings! While most toppings can just be chopped up and tossed onto the pizza before baking, there are a few that should be precooked first for better texture and flavor. Pizzas usually don’t take very long to bake, and the bake time is really to crisp the dough and melt the cheese.

Q: Not having grown up in the States, I didn’t know about mac and cheese until they started stocking it in the shelves here a few years ago. I always keep a box around in case of a hurried meal, but I’ve noticed that it just doesn’t taste as good when I reheat the leftovers. I’ve tried using the microwave and oven, but the leftovers were still not as good as when fresh. Is there a way to reheat it without ruining the texture or flavor?

Q: For several years I have not been able to eat cow’s milk cheese due to the way my skin reacts. However, other cheeses and dairy are OK (i.e., goat cheese, sheep’s milk cheese, etc.). This dietary restriction really isn’t so bad, the only thing I miss dearly is pizza! I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions for types of non-cow’s milk cheese to use that could offer a similar satisfaction as mozzarella might on pizza?

I don’t know how things go down in your house, but on nights I don’t really feel like cooking, the solution is usually pasta. It’s quick, simple, and comforting — all the right qualities for a midweek meal. I also like to keep dinner from getting boring, so I skip the jarred sauce and top my pasta du jour with something from the pantry.

The grilled cheese sandwich is a classic. Perfectly melted and oozy cheese, sandwiched between two golden, crisp, buttery slices of bread — it’s simple, comforting, and utterly timeless. It’s one of the first things we learn to cook, and one we carry with us through the years. But as basic as this sandwich is, there are a few hang-ups that could stand between you and the grilled cheese of your dreams. Don’t let it happen to you.

Tender, juicy meatballs are a supper to celebrate. Pick your favorite blend of meat and a sauce to match, and everyone is happy. But achieving meatball perfection has its tricks and potential pitfalls. Here are five common mistakes to avoid so you can make the meatballs of your dreams. If you forget to season the meat when you’re blending the mixture together, expect them to fall flat on flavor.

There are quite a few handy rice upgrades to lean on when you want to up the flavor of rice, like toasting the grains or cooking with stock — all of which are effective and useful. But what you do when you want to change the texture of your rice? Perhaps so it shares the characteristics of ramen? Yep — you can do that too. The secret to cooking rice like ramen is alkaline water, which can be achieved by creating a solution of water and baking soda.

No matter the entrée, an Indian dinner just isn’t complete without a side of naan. In fact, I’ll happily skip the rice and double down with an extra piece of naan every time. But this puffed flatbread has the power to move beyond dinner accoutrement. It’s worthy of a role far better — like actually being the main course.

Tuna salad is a tried-and-true lunchtime classic. Whether you pile it into a sandwich, eat it with crackers, or mix it into your salad greens, it makes for a fast and satisfying meal. But as good as it is, I think we can agree that it’s high time things got a little more interesting. Meet five new versions of tuna salad that give the classic a major overhaul.

I have this funny little habit that just might just inch my Type A tendencies over the line into ridiculously over-the-top. You see, I weigh my dry pasta. Since I live in a household of two, I always find myself making half a pasta recipe, which means I need a half-pound of dry pasta. Because I can never seem to pour out exactly half the box, I’ve come to rely on measuring out eight ounces every single time. But you know what? Don’t be like me. Be better.

Although the first day of summer is not until June 20, I always feel like Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the new season. And that kind of transition deserves a fun, celebratory treat — like these colorful ice cream sandwiches, for instance. Did I mention the ice cream has cake batter in it? Oh yes, we’re going all out here. The most ingenious part of this whole recipe is the method the author uses to portion out the ice cream.

Cooking up a bit pot of pasta is already a weeknight savior — it’s generally pretty fast and it’s always a crowd-pleaser — but what if you could make the whole process even faster? The truth is, you can. By forgoing some of the most basic of pasta-cooking rules and looking for cooking tricks along the way, you can get your pasta dinner to the table in even less time than you ever thought possible. Here’s how.

When a backyard barbecue ensues and traditional burgers and hot dogs are the stars of the show, vegetarians are often subjected to veggie burgers. It’s not that there is anything particularly wrong with this modern creation — veggie burgers just need some dressing up. Here’s how we do it with considerable success. Regardless of the veggie burgers you choose, what they tend to lack most is flavor and texture.

Come summer, it’s just way too hot to crank the oven up to 500°F, but don’t worry — you can still make pizza! Grilled pizza is arguably the best use of your grill this summer. Not only will you achieve a crisp, charred crust, but it also happens to be a whole lot of fun to make. It helps to know a few tips and tricks to ensure that your end result is a success.

Anyone can make a sandwich — after all, for many of us, a PB&J was our first experience in the kitchen — but it’s those extra little tips and tricks, like these five here, that make all the difference in building a really great sandwich. Bread is the backbone of your sandwich, so this isn’t the place to skimp on quality. Go for a loaf that you’d be just as thrilled to eat solo as you would stacked with other ingredients.

Casseroles are truly comforting, but don’t be fooled — this warm and hearty baked dish is not just reserved for warming up on cold winter nights. Here are five easy ways to make any casserole taste like summer. Go beyond the seasonal ingredients that are around for the whole summer and hone in on the ones that are here and gone almost in the blink of an eye. Fill your casserole with hyper-seasonal ingredients, like hatch green chiles or heirloom tomatoes.

I would be highly surprised to find someone who doesn’t like a breakfast sandwich of some kind. They are typically very easy to make and they don’t take a lot of time to put together. They keep you full until lunch and they’re a good choice for a breakfast on the go. But that’s also why it’s very easy to get stuck in a breakfast sandwich rut.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Even when I’m crunched for time in the morning, I always make breakfast. Since sandwiches are so easy to put together, they’ve become my go-to for both lazy weekends and quick meals to eat on the way to work. I do love eggs, but sometimes there’s just no need for them; breakfast sandwiches can be just as delicious and satisfying without them. Here are seven eggless ideas to add to your weekly routine.

When you think of a breakfast sandwich, I’m guessing the classic bacon, egg, and cheese (or something very similar) comes to mind. Yes, that’s a delicious option, but it’s not the only one. Breakfast sandwiches are also a smart place to pack with vegetables, so start your day off right with these ideas to squeeze more wholesome veggies into your morning meal. An easy, low-carb breakfast is in reach.

Take a moment and think of your favorite breakfast sandwich. If it’s made with bread, what kind? What are the fillings? Does it have meat, eggs, or cheese in it? Some of you might be thinking of the classic egg and cheese, while some might picture a vegan medley of vegetables without any egg and cheese at all. No matter what you dream of eating in the morning, here are three tips to make any breakfast sandwich better.

There is no better way to start the day than with a breakfast sandwich. Seriously, no one at the office is going to be jealous of your cereal bars and yogurt. However, everyone will be looking at you like a lottery winner if you walk in with that magical combo of egg, cheese, sausage or bacon, and a bun, bagel, or English muffin. Extra credit if your sandwich is homemade. But even if you’ve assembled the elements just so, you still need to get your creation from here to there.

The slow cooker egg casserole might just be the very best breakfast to ever make its way into your kitchen. Whether you cut it up and turn it into a breakfast sandwich or spoon it onto a plate, there’s a lot to love about a hot and satisfying meal that cooks while you sleep. Ready to master the slow cooker egg casserole? These are the five tips that will get you there. Before adding any ingredients to the bowl of the slow cooker, remember to coat it with non-stick cooking spray first.

I am constantly looking for ways to use up the extra-large batches of hummus I make or the tubs I buy on sale at the grocery store. Sure, I can confidently polish off a fair share with pita chips or crackers as a mid-afternoon snack, but there’s always some left over that needs using. When our Associate Food Editor, Meghan, clued me into her favorite (but most surprising!) way to use hummus, I didn’t believe her until I tried it. Now I am a convert.

We have some very specific thoughts on the best way to cook pasta, and we’ve even recommended cooking grains like pasta Salted water is a must for cooking any type of pasta, since it infuses the pasta with flavor as it cooks. The same cooking technique does not apply to ramen. For the very best results, always cook ramen noodles — fresh or dried — in unsalted boiling water.

To me, soup is just a vehicle to get more pasta in my life. And shapes like elbows and orzo are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the best choice for your pot of soup. Here are five new boxes to seek out the next time you’re at the store. Resembling wagon wheels, you may remember this pasta from the good ol’ days of making dry pasta necklaces. It’s on the larger size for a soup pasta, but it’s a nice replacement for your usual choice in chicken noodle.

If Hamilton taught us anything about flipping the script on American stories, it’s that you have to play to your strengths to be successful and you shouldn’t hesitate to remix the familiar. So if Thanksgiving is a performance of America’s most-hallowed dinner, make this year the remix. Ditch the turkey (or keep it — that’s cool too), have a meal of only sides, break out that Tofurky, and most definitely serve lasagna. Yep, lasagna.

In my house, every season is mac and cheese season. Stovetop mac and cheese feeds our craving in the spring and summer, tossed with fresh peas or ripe tomatoes. Come fall and winter, baked mac and cheese reigns supreme. Mac and cheese can be a quick weeknight dinner or a hearty side dish for holidays and get-togethers. So whether you need a single serving or you are baking a big ol’ casserole, here are five things everyone needs to know about mac and cheese.

If your Thanksgiving is a small-scale celebration, cooking a whole turkey for just a few people feels like overkill. No need to skip the turkey — just rethink your cooking strategy. Here are three ways to serve turkey this Thanksgiving without cooking the whole bird. If the highlight of Thanksgiving dinner for you is thin slices of turkey topped with gravy, look no further than a traditional roast turkey breast.

The vegetarian nut loaf gets dressed up for Thanksgiving.

With pasta in our weeknight rotation, we’ve come to learn quite a few things in order to achieve dinner perfection. So in order to make the comforting bowl as delicious as possible, there are a few smart rules to follow and savvy tips to employ. But more than anything, it’s what you don’t do that makes a huge difference. Here’s our list of no-nos. Pasta needs room to breathe.

A box of instant macaroni and cheese carries a reputation of ease and comfort. While fancy isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind, it can be if you know how to dress it up. The fastest, fanciest upgrade is something you may already have in your pantry at this very moment. I am talking about good ol’ garlicky, herby pesto.

The addition of bacon in macaroni and cheese is one loved by many. Here’s a way to take that idea to the next level. Cubes of cooked pancetta give off a similarly meaty, salty flavor, but have a fast-and-fancy flair to them that make the whole thing feel upgraded. Pancetta is Italian unsmoked bacon. It has ample fatty richness to send your mac and cheese over the edge — and that’s a great thing.

The powdered cheese that comes in your box of instant mac and cheese does a very good job of coating the noodles in salty and savory flavor. You could leave well enough alone, but a bit of over-indulgence never hurt anyone. So adding more cheese — be it cheddar, soft goat, or even blue — to the pot is more than OK. It’s one of the easiest ways to build in an extra layer of flavor to your standard box of instant mac and cheese.

For those nights when you find yourself torn between a bowl of macaroni and cheese and a bowl of spaghetti, know that you can have both. Go right ahead and swirl some of your favorite marinara sauce into your mac and cheese for your sauciest bowl yet! Marinara sauce, with its garlic- and tomato-forward flavor, can completely transform your macaroni and cheese. It’s a simple addition that takes no effort — especially if you reach for the half-full jar stashed in the fridge.

Some nights or, let’s be honest, most weeknights, a complicated dinner isn’t an option. But that doesn’t mean you have to order takeout. The beauty of a jar of pasta sauce is that it really is an instant meal (so long as you have a box of pasta handy, of course). A simple dinner of spaghetti tossed in jarred marinara is something I grew up on when nights were busy and from-scratch sauce wasn’t an option.

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning!

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning! Put down the knife and fork — here’s your excuse to have a little fun and eat with your hands.

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning! You already know that frozen tortellini makes for a hassle-free dinner, but what if you could make it even simpler?

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning! Family get-together coming up this weekend and you need to bring something everyone will eat? Pasta salad. Need a fast, but fresh dinner between work and soccer practice?

There are hundreds of tips and tricks to conquering the 30-minute meal, but you really just need to remember one: Lean on eggs. Keep your fridge stocked with a carton at all times and you can rest easy knowing that a quick and easy dinner is always at your fingertips. Here’s why. Eggs are so incredibly versatile that they most definitely deserve to be enjoyed beyond the breakfast table.

Let’s face it — a simple salad just isn’t enough for dinner. (People tend to complain.) So when you’re looking to turn those last bits of spinach, half a cucumber, and a few chopped radishes into a dinner-ready meal, here’s a trick: Reach for that bag of frozen tortellini. This brilliant shortcut transforms the last bits of the crisper drawer into a dinner you can make for one or scale up to feed four or more. Here’s how!

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning! Frozen tortellini deserves to be dressed up and made to feel a bit fancy sometimes.

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning! Dinner tonight should most definitely be this almost-instant pasta soup.

Pork tenderloin is already a weeknight dinner hero due to its ease of preparation and wallet-friendly status. You just need a few good sides to fill the plate to make it a meal. Luckily, if you’re already following the quick, two-step process of searing and then roasting to cook pork, you can simply toss something else into the skillet to round out the dish and make it a one-pan dinner. We’re making it easy on you with these five delicious additions.

My husband and I enjoy pizza night at home almost every Friday night, and it’s a tradition we don’t plan on shaking anytime soon. It usually starts with sipping Americanos and munching on marinated olives on the couch while the pizza stone preheats in the oven. Then, as we assemble our pies, we pop open a bottle of wine. It’s the same kind of wine each and every time because, in my opinion, it’s the best bottle you can drink with just about any kind of pizza.

It’s hard to beat the level of comfort provided by a pasta dish that’s coated in a heavy cream sauce, like fettuccine Alfredo or penne alla vodka. That kind of dish is really more of a once-in-a-while meal for some, or not an option for others depending on their dietary choices, but that doesn’t mean creamy pasta dishes can’t be on the weekly roster.

When I was in high school, my father discovered whole-wheat pasta and jumped on the bandwagon with full force, like so many other health-conscious people at the time. Our pantry was stripped of all traditional pasta, and boxes of brown stuff took its place. It clearly wasn’t the high point of my pasta-eating days. I ate the stuff hesitantly; it tasted dense and sad to me more often than not.

Lightning-fast mac and cheese already exists: It’s the stuff you’d microwave in your college dorm and quickly inhale in between classes. But if you want real-deal mac and cheese, with a healthier slant than that scary bright-orange stuff, you have to take the time to make it on the stovetop. That is, unless, you have an Instant Pot. Honestly, I think this recipe completely justifies the purchase of an Instant Pot. Mac and cheese in four minutes? With only five ingredients?

Of all the comfort foods that exist in this world, it’s hard to beat macaroni and cheese. What’s not to love about noodles bathed in a rich, creamy, cheese sauce? And yet gummy versions or dry, chalky versions are out there, and I firmly believe life is too short to endure them. There are a handful of secrets to avoid these travesties, leaving you to enjoy all the decadent goodness you so desire. Here are five things to always remember when you make mac and cheese.

Making Martha Stewart’s mac and cheese instead of the mac and cheese I grew up eating at Thanksgiving isn’t something I’d do if I was home for the holidays. My brothers would sulk, my mom would be forlorn about it, and I’m not quite sure my dad would notice. But for my first Friendsgiving, there was only one recipe that would do if I wanted to make a mark. I had to bring Martha Stewart’s mac and cheese.

Toss a pound of pizza dough into your grocery basket and a world of delicious possibilities are at your fingertips — with many going way beyond your usual Friday night pizza. This versatile dough can be used for both sweet and savory dishes, some of which just might surprise you! I’m going out on a limb and calling this the greatest Christmas appetizer of all time. Just look at how impressive it is! And as a bonus, it’s actually easier to pull off than it looks.

The first time I discovered eggs on pizza was years ago at this hip pizza spot in New York City, within the first few months of moving to the city. My friend and I scratched our heads about it the first time we saw it on the menu, considered it the second time we went, and then finally gave it a shot on our third visit. Now it’s one of my favorite things to order when I am there.

I probably sound like everyone else when I say pizza is one of my favorite foods. Really, though, I can’t get enough of it — my husband and I make it at home every single week, get in serious debates over styles and toppings, and even centered our welcome dinner at our wedding around a truck slinging out fresh pies.

Pasta seems like an easy thing to cook — boil, drain, sauce, done — but like any other simple food, making boxed pasta can be complex. We hear the same pasta strictures on repeat: Salt the water (it should taste like the sea), don’t break the spaghetti, don’t simply ladle on the sauce. You get the idea. Here’s a roadmap for navigating the pitfalls of pasta. In the end, great pasta is both simple and complex — and getting there is pretty easy.

Pasta is the fall-back dinner I keep in my meal plan. Beyond the obvious selling points of being quick, simple, and inexpensive, it’s one more way to get more veggies on the table and clean out the fridge. But I don’t just open a jar of sauce and call it a night. With a few basic guiding steps and smart tips, I know I can transform an assortment of bits and bobs into a simple and delicious restaurant-style weeknight pasta — no jar of pasta sauce in sight.

Pasta is often thought of as an easy dinner for four or more people. But it’s a little annoying for just one or two, since most recipes make a large amount and it’s a bit of pain to pull out just enough spaghetti for one person from the box. “Make the whole recipe and have leftovers!” the crowd says. Well as much as my husband and I love pasta, we don’t actually want to eat what’s left of it for the whole rest of the week.

When you cook up perfectly tender, creamy macaroni and cheese in the slow cooker, it can feel you’ve won the dinner Olympics. You’ve got a dinner everyone will love while the slow cooker did all the work. Pasta in the slow cooker has a few pitfalls, though — it can either be undercooked or overcooked, depending on just a few subtle changes. These three tips will protect you from sad slow cooker pasta and make you a champion of dinner once again.

For as long as I’ve cooked pasta, I’ve cooked it just like everyone else — bring a pot of water to a boil, dump in noodles, cook until al dente, drain, and toss in the sauce of choosing. Things were going along swimmingly (I was eating great pasta at home) until I learned I could be eating even better pasta.

I first started haunting HomeGoods for the cookware. After nabbing a Staub cast iron grill pan for half price, I was hooked. I’d start planning my routes around town to pass by the store so that I had an excuse to run in and check the current selection. Eventually, I also discovered the other departments, particularly the food section, and now the discount housewares store is actually one of my favorite grocery shops.

I’m about to have a whole mess of fragmented spaghetti noodles for lunch, and the reason why is super dorky. No, not dorky — educational. When the Kitchn staff got wind that researchers at MIT were testing the long-held scientific theory that it is impossible to break a spaghetti noodle neatly into two halves, our hubris got the best of us. Of course it’s possible to break spaghetti into two pieces — just watch us! And we did.

We know: You already make pretty good lasagna. But what if you could make it wildly better? We’re talking the difference here between lasagna and ah-mazing lasagna. Now you’re listening? We’ve come up with a list of five things you need in order to make this happen. Some items on the list are little gadgets that’ll make a big difference, while others are straight-up tips. Try some of these out and let us know how it goes.

When you order pasta at a fancy restaurant, chances are it’ll come to you plated perfectly — swirled in a little mountain of noodles, basically tailor-made for Instagram. But how do restaurants do this? Long pasta can be tricky to work with without sauce splashing all over the rim or errant noodles escaping. Turns out there’s an easy way to avoid all of that if you follow a simple (and smart!) method.

I first saw the viral “microwaving a turkey” meme on Instagram, where my friend had posted a screenshot of her hilarious conversation with her mom. (If you aren’t aware of the trend, people are texting their moms asking how long it would take to cook a 25-pound turkey in the microwave in hopes of getting a funny response, then posting a photo of the conversation on social media.

Frittatas are meant to be scrappy — filled with odds and ends from your produce and cheese drawers. They’re a great way to practice cooking with your gut and all five senses, using your eyes and ears and nose and touch and taste to determine when the veggies are cooked, the eggs are set, and so forth. So the next time you make one, I encourage you to ditch the recipe (or, use it solely as a point of inspiration), and just remember this one simple rule instead.

With the growing popularity of grain-free diets like the keto diet, the Paleo diet and the Bulletproof diet, bread is becoming more and more of an enemy to people’s everyday menus. I can’t exactly relate (I bought three loaves of bread at Trader Joe’s last week), but sometimes I understand the impetus to reduce the amount of sugar or carbohydrates in your diet which some breads contain a lot of.

We think sandwiches are easily one of the best foods out there. We love how creative you can get with ingredients that go between two pieces of bread. The same goes for open-faced sandwiches, of course, which are what you’ll find on our smorgasbord. It’s funny how a sandwich just tastes better when you pile toppings as high as they’ll go and throw out that top slice. (Though you are free to use a top slice too — we won’t tell.

We all know the best place for macaroni and cheese is in one’s mouth, but how we get it there is a matter of some debate. Do you use a fork or a spoon? The nation appears to be divided. There are YouTube videos and Reddit threads devoted to the “right” way to eat macaroni and cheese, and now cult-favorite brand Annie’s has conducted a nationwide survey to figure out what utensil people prefer to use when eating one of the most delicious dishes on the planet.

These are the game-changers that will give pasta night the boost you didn't know it needed.

Remember the last time you had a really good grilled cheese? I do! It was still warm from the heat of the skillet, with golden-brown, butter-kissed toast that left my fingertips just a little greasy, and a pool of gooey melted cheese that seeped through the slices with each bite. True to its name, the cheese is what truly makes this iconic sandwich. Take a look in any cheese case and there are no shortage of choices when it comes to choosing this sandwich’s namesake ingredient.

I’m not sure when I turned into such a pizza fanatic, but when you’re willing to drive six hours roundtrip to eat at a pizza place you read about online and put down several hundred dollars for an outdoor pizza oven, you’ve got to admit to yourself that pizza isn’t just something you enjoy eating on Friday night — it’s your passion. For years, making great pizza at home always eluded me.