748 filling recipes

Empanadas are Brazil's national appetizer, tiny pies filled with chicken olives, and peas.

Hand-rolled Greek stuffed grape leaves filled with seasoned beef or lamb, rice, currants, pine nuts, and mint. Simmered until tender and served with a classic avgolemono egg-lemon sauce. Makes 60.

Along the coast of the Southern US eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a year filled with luck and prosperity. The beans symbolize coins or pennies. Sometimes a penny is added to the pot or can be left under the bowls of Hoppin' John. Greens such as Collards, chard or kale can be added and symbolize the color of money and are said to add to ones wealth in the new year. The day after New Year's Day the leftovers are called "Skippin' Jenny," and further demonstrates one's frugality. A common tradition in the south US is each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to ensure the New Year will be filled with Luck, Fortune and Romance. Another tradition holds that counting the number of peas in a serving predicts the amount of luck (or wealth) that will be collected over the next year.

Thai-style stuffed green peppers filled with chopped fresh mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger bound with a cornstarch slurry. Baked or steamed and finished with slivered dried chilies. A light vegetable side or vegan main.

Crispy deep-fried samosas with spiced curried meat filling wrapped in homemade pastry. Seasoned with garam masala, fresh ginger, and mint, these golden triangles shatter at first bite.

Vegetarian Chinese boiled dumplings (shwei jow) with handmade wrappers and a tofu, mushroom, and lily bud filling. Served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce. Makes 24.

A vegetable curry pot pie filled with sweet potato, eggplant, mushrooms, and peas in a fragrant sauce, topped with a sticky brown rice crust instead of pastry. Plant-based comfort food with Indian flair.

The quintessential Indian-Singaporean meal accompaniment. Unfortunately, all too often it is made using highly processed white flour and margarine. Here, the parathas are made with whole-wheat flour (you could also try using spelt flour) and stuffed with peas and potatoes, for a lighter but more wholesome take on the original. Serve hot with yoghurt and herbs.

Chocolate pudding studded with chopped Almond Joy candy pieces fills a graham cracker-candy crust for a no-bake pie that tastes like your favorite candy bar in dessert form.

Scotch mock apple pie: a Depression-era trick that uses soda crackers, lemon juice, and warm spices to taste exactly like apple pie. No apples required.

Turkey loaf with spinach is a lean food-processor meatloaf: pureed turkey breast with carrot and onion wrapped around a spinach-Parmesan filling, baked into a pinwheel-sliced main. Low-fat, high-protein, and elegant enough for company.

Fruit pudding: apples and prunes simmered into a sweet, juicy base, topped with light dumplings steamed right on the fruit. A cozy, low-fat stovetop pudding that comes together in one pan.

Maki sushi with soy-simmered kampyo, shiitake, carrot, watercress, and eel, rolled in seasoned sushi rice and nori. Traditional hand-rolled Japanese sushi.

My version of easy cinnamon rolls that used a box of cake mix.

Pinto bean casserole topped with a cayenne-spiked cornmeal pone crust made with yogurt instead of butter. Southern comfort that's hearty, budget-friendly, and nearly vegan.

A marbled cinnamon sugar loaf made without eggs or butter. Layers of soft batter swirled with warm cinnamon create a fragrant, tender quick bread that's surprisingly easy to pull off.