Appetizer Recipes

A Pad Thai-style stir fry with rice noodles, chicken, shrimp, tofu, eggs, and bean sprouts in a tangy fish sauce and lime glaze, loaded with crushed peanuts. Spicy, sour, and deeply savory.

Spicy, tangy Thai turkey meatballs with red curry paste and fish sauce, served with a sweet-sour cucumber dipping sauce. A quick party appetizer ready in 30 minutes that feeds a crowd.

The Bee Cheese is a classic English-style potted cheddar with sharp aged cheese, butter, sherry, horseradish, and garlic. Pack in a crock and let mellow for days. Cocktail-hour staple.

Canned pork and beans melted with gooey cheese spread, green onions, and fresh tomato for a warm, scoopable dip that's ready in 10 minutes flat. Grab the chips.

Creamy toasted almond soup with almond paste, sherry, orange zest, and rice, pureed silky smooth. An elegant New England inn-style appetizer soup.

Spanish-style toasted almonds sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with cumin and salt. A simple three-ingredient snack or tapas appetizer ready in minutes.

Tofu antipasto salad with bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes in a balsamic-oregano marinade. A colorful vegetarian appetizer or side, no cooking required.

Cherry tomatoes stuffed with smoked oysters for an easy no-cook appetizer. Two ingredients, no cooking, and a smoky-sweet bite-sized snack ready in 15 minutes.

Tomato kachumber with fresh mint, ginger, lime juice, and popped black mustard seeds. A tangy Indian tomato salad that adds bright, cool contrast to any curry or dal.

Microwave tomato soup made from canned condensed tomato soup, finished with grated Parmesan. Ready in 8 minutes for a tureen or 3 minutes per mug, the easiest hot lunch in the recipe box.

Homemade garlic-rosemary focaccia split and filled with basil pesto, sliced mozzarella, and fresh tomatoes. Italian sandwich perfection built from pizza dough in about an hour.

Microwave Parmesan tomatoes topped with butter, grated Parmesan, oregano, and parsley. A 5-minute side dish using just 5 ingredients and ripe summer tomatoes.

Sopa de tortilla, the authentic Mexican tortilla soup: a tomato-onion-garlic broth infused with mint, finished with fried corn tortilla strips and cheese. Ready in 40 minutes, pantry-friendly.

Tucson-style cheese tostadas with three Mexican cheeses (Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, anejo), roasted poblano peppers, and fresh cilantro on a crispy fried flour tortilla. A southern Arizona classic.

Turkey salad stuffed eggs with food-processor-chopped turkey, celery, red pepper, and green onion in a Dijon-mayo filling. A protein-packed twist on deviled eggs, great for using leftover turkey.

Stovetop popcorn popped with a real vanilla bean right in the hot oil, then tossed with melted butter, sugar, and scraped vanilla seeds. Sweet, fragrant, and wildly addictive.