Main Dish Recipes

Topig is a traditional Armenian Lenten dish: chickpea and potato dough wrapped around a filling of tahini, pine nuts, currants, and spiced onions, then boiled until firm. Vegan, hearty, and steeped in centuries of tradition.

Greek pork pita pockets with lemon-oregano marinated pork loin strips and a cool cucumber-yogurt sauce. Stir-fry the meat and stuff into warm pitas.

The original General Tso's chicken from Chef Peng: crisp-fried dark-meat chicken tossed in a tangy soy-and-vinegar sauce fired up with dried chilies. Savory and hot, not the sticky-sweet takeout version, and gluten-free with tamari.

Crab-stuffed chicken breast rolled around a creamy seasoned crab filling with ham and Gruyere, breaded and pan-seared golden, then baked. An elegant stuffed chicken roulade with a crisp crumb crust.

Malaysian beef stir fry slices flank steak thin, velvets it with cornstarch and soy, then sears it with cauliflower, carrots, peppers, mushrooms and bean sprouts. A 30-minute weeknight wok dinner.

Mushroom and onion quiche with Swiss cheese, heavy cream, and a dusting of nutmeg. Mushrooms and onions are stewed in butter first for deep, concentrated flavor in every slice.

Spam and potato casserole with cream of potato soup, sherry, and Parmesan baked until bubbly and golden. A quick comfort food dinner from pantry staples.

Herb-marinated braised lamb shanks: shanks rubbed with cumin, coriander, curry, and rosemary, then oven-braised fall-off-the-bone tender with carrots, potatoes, and zucchini in a rich gravy. A one-pot showpiece dinner.

Slow cooker beef shanks braised in beer and tomato paste with mushrooms, carrots, red potatoes, and garlic, finished with fresh lemon zest and juice. Set it and forget it for up to 9 hours.

Broccoli beef pie with a biscuit-mix crust filled with seasoned ground beef, cheddar, mushrooms, and broccoli, bound with an egg-and-Parmesan custard. A complete-meal casserole in one dish.

Homemade Polish kielbasa sausage with pork, garlic, black pepper, and sausage seasoning stuffed into natural casings. Five ingredients and a meat grinder are all you need.

Crawfish tails simmered in a creamy shrimp soup sauce with sauteed onions, garlic, bell pepper, celery, and white wine. Ladle this Cajun-style goodness over rice or pasta.

Savory sausage coffee cake with bulk sausage, Swiss and Parmesan, and a biscuit-mix batter. Brunch-friendly square casserole, no sweetness, all savory.

Sloppy Joe-style pizza burgers with ground beef, pepperoni, pizza sauce, mozzarella, and mushrooms on toasted buns. All the flavors of pizza in a handheld meal.

A quick but scrumptious dinner made with vegetables and cream of mushroom soup.

Potato and bologna scalloped casserole with cubed bologna, sliced potatoes, peas, and a creamy cheddar-soup sauce spiked with sage. A retro pantry casserole for an easy weeknight family dinner.