Pasta recipes

Granny's slow cooker chili browns four pounds of ground beef with kidney beans, tomatoes, and a spice blend of chili powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Crowd-feeding crockpot classic.

Slow cooker braciole with thin-pounded round steak rolled around Italian sausage filling and braised in tomato sauce for 8 to 10 hours until fork-tender.

Slow cooker osso buco with veal shanks braised in white wine, beef stock, tomato paste, lemon zest, and Italian herbs. Set it and forget it: 10 hours to fall-off-the-bone tender.

Italian red snapper in brodetto: pan-fried whole fish pieces simmered in a tomato-vinegar broth with onions and scallions, served over creamy bay-leaf polenta. Coastal Italian classic.

Microwave tamale pie with a spiced bean, corn, and olive filling topped with a cornmeal crust. Vegetarian, no oven needed, and ready in 30 minutes.

Braising can turn a tough piece of meat into a tender, fall off the bone, comfort food. I can think of no better example than the classic dish osso buco, made from veal shanks.

Golden-crusted salmon cakes loaded with fresh basil and garlic, topped with a velvety white wine tomato basil butter sauce. Pacific Northwest comfort food at its finest.

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.

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.

Italian zucchini casserole with a spaghetti sauce, cheddar cheese, and mushroom topping baked under Parmesan. A vegetarian main dish or side that uses up summer zucchini.

Polenta pasticciata layers firm cooled polenta squares with porcini-spiked beef ragù, plum tomatoes, and grated pecorino into a rustic Northern Italian bake. Lasagne, but with cornmeal instead of pasta.

A simple and savory dish that can be made in the convenience of your home, courtesy of your crockpot.

Tender eggplant shells cradle savory ground lamb with mushrooms, garlic, and Mediterranean herbs in this show-stopping Greek casserole. Perfect for special dinners when you want authentic flavors.

Vegetarian lentil pie in a whole wheat double crust with celery, Brazil nuts, soy sauce, and warming spices of cinnamon and cloves. A hearty meatless main with savory-sweet depth.

Sautéed eggplant and tofu glazed in a savory miso-honey-sesame sauce served over fluffy bulgur wheat. A high-fiber vegetarian main dish ready in 35 minutes.

Boiled lobster medallions and claw meat served in a rich curry sauce made from the lobster cooking liquid, Calvados, white wine, and curry powder, finished with a butter-flour thickener.