Main Dish recipe collection

A thin-crust homemade pizza baked on hot tiles for a crisp base, with garlic oil, tomato sauce, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cottage cheese in place of mozzarella. A lighter, vegetable-loaded family-night pie.

Mom's German meatballs: hearty egg-sized meatballs seasoned with celery seed, mustard seed, and garlic water, rolled in flour and pan-browned. Old-world German-American home cooking.

My family's go to pasta sauce. It is great on spaghetti or folded into mostaccoli.

Low-fat turkey stroganoff with ground turkey breast, mushrooms, paprika, and dill in a skim milk sauce. The classic Russian-style comfort dish, lightened up.

Mom's baked macaroni and cheese with cheddar, eggs, milk, butter, and bread crumb topping. A custard-style mac and cheese that bakes up creamy with a golden crust.

Mom's meat loaf made with ground beef and pork, seasoned with oregano, basil, Worcestershire, and ketchup. A classic homestyle loaf that's juicy and full of flavor.

Mom's slow cook chili made with ground beef chuck, tomato sauce, chili beans, and paprika. Works in a crockpot for 8 hours or a pressure cooker in under 30 minutes.

Or How to feed boys with hollow legs in 15 minutes, even if you forgot to thaw out the ground beef.

Variation: Peas, hard-cooked eggs, artichoke hearts, olives, pimientos or many other foods may be used in place of the mushrooms. Swiss, Muenster, Monterey Jack, Tilsit. Mozzarella or any other cheese may be substituted for the Cheddar cheese.

Momma's sloppy joes the old-fashioned way: ground beef simmered with a can of chicken gumbo soup and tomato paste into a thick, savory filling for buns. Three ingredients, one pan, and a crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner.

Mongolian beef with crispy deep-fried sirloin tossed in a spicy dark soy and chili garlic sauce with ginger and green onions. Authentic wok technique with water chestnut flour coating.

Vegetarian bean and corn casserole topped with sliced zucchini and a cornmeal custard, loaded with Monterey Jack cheese and green chilies. One-dish Southwestern comfort.

Moo grataem, a Thai garlic pork stir-fry with fish sauce, sweet dark soy sauce, and fresh cilantro. Thin-sliced pork tenderloin over rice in 30 minutes flat.

Moroccan Beef Kefta on Skewers with Chopped Vegetable Salad recipe

Moroccan chicken breasts stuffed with California dried figs, almonds, and honey, then simmered in a spiced tomato-wine sauce with allspice and sesame seeds. Served over rice for an exotic weeknight dinner.

Halal-style pot stickers filled with beef and lamb, napa cabbage, scallion, and a hint of orange zest, then pan-fried and steamed for crisp bottoms and tender tops. Pleated, juicy dumplings with a dipping sauce.