Cold penne pasta salad with fresh tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, basil, black olives, and balsamic vinegar. A no-cook summer side dish that comes together in 35 minutes.
Grilled shrimp skewers drizzled with homemade basil pesto and a creamy chickpea-mint aioli, served alongside pesto-dressed new potatoes. A showpiece Italian summer plate for the grill.
Vermicelli tossed in a chunky ground beef and plum tomato sauce with fresh basil, finished with crumbled feta cheese. A Greek-Italian mashup that's on the table in 40 minutes.
Set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker barbecue chicken simmered in a tangy tomato, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Just 10 minutes of prep and 6 to 8 hours on low for fork-tender, saucy chicken.
Patout's Cajun hot crab dip with sweated trinity vegetables, fresh crab meat, heavy cream, three peppers, and Tabasco. Bayou-style appetizer for parties and game day.
Grilled Hawaiian fish draped in a silky basil-coconut curry sauce with lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, and homemade red curry paste. Island-meets-Thai fusion, fresh and fragrant.
Curried cream of eggplant soup with potato, thyme, and basil, puréed velvety smooth and finished with cream. Salt-sweating removes bitterness for a mellow, earthy bowl.
Vegan stuffed manicotti with herbed tofu filling baked under marinara sauce. A dairy-free Italian comfort dinner with oregano, thyme, basil, and fresh parsley.
Loaded chicken soup with two whole chickens simmered for rich stock, then bulked out with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, and broken spaghetti. A nearly stew-thick bowl that freezes well.
Wild rice and lentil salad with brown rice, tri-color bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and fresh herbs in a fat-free tomato-herb vinaigrette. A colorful, high-fiber grain salad.
Hunter's minestrone with cubed beef, kidney beans, pasta shells, and red wine simmered for four hours in three stages. A hearty, meaty Italian soup built for cold weather.
Healthy pasta with spiced lentils, tomatoes, and yogurt in a warmly spiced sauce with cumin, coriander, and ginger for a low-fat vegetarian meal.
Lentils and eggplant with brown rice is a one-pot rice cooker dinner with tender lentils, meaty mushrooms, carrots, and eggplant simmered in tomato sauce with basil and oregano. Hearty vegetarian comfort with zero fuss.
Tender beef cubes braised in a from-scratch garlic tomato sauce with red wine, then spooned over spaghetti. Slow-cooked in a Dutch oven for 3 hours of deep, saucy flavor.
Roasted red pepper pasta tosses pasta wheels with charred bell peppers, chickpeas, scallions, fresh basil, tarragon, and capers. No-oil low-fat vegan main with bold Mediterranean flavor.
Italian zucchini quiche with mozzarella, basil, oregano, and parsley in a crescent roll crust. A vegetarian main dish that uses up summer zucchini beautifully.