1,250 black pasta recipes

A no-bean Texas-style chili with 4 pounds of beef chuck, cactus (nopalitos), serrano chiles, and green tomatoes. Slow-simmered for hours until thick and fiery.

Italian-American lasagne with layers of seasoned ground beef, ricotta-egg filling, mozzarella, and sliced hard-boiled eggs. A family recipe with a from-scratch tomato-basil meat sauce.

Impossible lasagna pie made with Bisquick that forms its own crust as it bakes. Layers of cottage cheese, seasoned ground beef, mozzarella, and tomato paste in a self-crusting pie.

Crayfish etouffee built on a deep buttery base of onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, simmered with tomato paste, white wine, and tender crayfish tails. The Cajun classic, served over rice. Best made a day ahead.

Vegetarian tofu chili: a hearty meatless chili with browned tofu chunks, kidney beans, and a from-scratch spice blend of pure ground chiles, cumin, and oregano.

Moroccan lamb stew with chickpeas, sweet raisins, slivered almonds, and warm spices (cinnamon, allspice, cayenne). Tender lamb simmered to spoon-soft over fluffy couscous.

Summer vegetable spaghetti tossed with zucchini, yellow squash and green beans in a light tomato sauce with a pinch of chili powder. Low in fat, no oil needed, and just as good served cold as a pasta salad.

Roasted red pepper subs layer marinated peppers, homemade olive paste, creamy feta and peppery arugula on a toasted baguette. A meatless Mediterranean sandwich that eats like a real meal.

Spaghetti with shrimp and mushrooms tossed in a creamy Parmesan egg sauce with anchovy paste and dry mustard. A carbonara-style pasta dinner with stir-fried seafood and scallions.

Easy Mexican chili made in a slow cooker with ground beef, kidney beans, green chiles, and tomatoes. A dump-and-go crockpot chili that simmers 8-10 hours on low heat.

Italian meat sauce mix is a bulk-batch freezer sauce: hot Italian sausage and ground beef slow-simmered for 8 hours with tomato puree, basil, and hidden broccoli and cauliflower florets. Makes 8 pints to stash.

Baked falafel made with chickpeas, garlic, tahini, cumin, turmeric, and fresh parsley. A low-calorie vegetarian falafel recipe coated in flour and oven-baked instead of deep-fried.

Classic moussaka casserole with layers of fried eggplant, spiced ground beef and lamb in red wine tomato sauce, and a rich bechamel with egg yolks and lemon juice. Topped with a golden Parmesan crust.

Vegetarian black bean chili simmered in stout beer with three chiles, peanut butter, and steamed broccoli florets. Deep, malty, and surprisingly bold.

If you want the juiciest and tastiest pot roast, endeavor to find one with the shoulder bone still attached. And the more of the bone present, the better.

Hearty beef chuck ragout braised in red wine and balsamic vinegar with sun-dried tomatoes, butternut squash, and fresh herbs. A warming fall and winter stew that freezes beautifully.