Recipe Sifter

Italian sausage, shrimp, and lobster simmered in a wine-spiked tomato broth with vegetables and fusilli, then broiled under a bubbling cap of Jarlsberg cheese. This cheesy cioppino is San Francisco soul food with a gooey twist.

Pan-fried sweetbreads and button mushrooms baked under a golden yogurt, egg, and cheese gratin. A refined dinner for two that's ready in an hour.

Yeasted cheese bread topped with ham strips and a triple cheese melt of cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan. A savory one-pan dinner bake with homemade dough.

Tuna spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, green pepper, and parsley. A simple, budget-friendly weeknight pasta made with canned tuna and a homemade sieved tomato sauce.

Rustic vegetable barley soup simmered with carrots, corn, peas, spinach, and garlic in a blended tomato-marjoram broth. Vegan comfort food that feeds 8 from one pot.

Neopolitan ziti tossed with hot Italian sausage, sauteed bell peppers, plum tomato marinara, and fresh basil. A rustic southern Italian weeknight plate from the sausage-and-peppers tradition.

Spicy Thai cold pasta salad with red and green bell peppers, scallions, and toasted black sesame seeds in a hot sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, and mirin dressing. A fast vegetarian potluck salad served chilled.

Hearty beef chili with kidney beans, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes cooked in a Dutch oven. Topped with Monterey Jack cheese and packed with garlic and celery.

Hearty vegetable burgers with bulgur, walnuts, chickpeas, mushrooms, tahini, and sunflower seeds seasoned with cumin and dill. Vegan and packed with protein.

Plum tomato tart on crisp phyllo layers with Dijon mustard, Parmesan, and fresh thyme-parsley-garlic oil. A shatteringly light French-style appetizer with dramatic tomato mosaic presentation.

Middle Eastern sesame soup made with tahini, lemon juice, and stock in just 5 ingredients. A creamy, nutty, tangy vegetarian soup that comes together in minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Lamb tartare made from hand-ground loin mixed with bulgur wheat, fresh herbs, scallions, and red pepper flakes. A Lebanese-inspired kibbeh nayyeh appetizer.

Mushroom clam chowder made with minced clams, fresh mushrooms, celery, and onion in a light cornstarch-thickened skim milk broth. A lower-fat twist on classic clam chowder ready in 45 minutes.

Potato crisps with sour cream and caviar are crispy mini potato pancakes topped with cool sour cream and salty salmon roe. An elegant 35-minute cocktail appetizer that looks restaurant-worthy.

A big-batch chili built on chopped sirloin and sausage, simmered with dried pinto beans, mushrooms, olives, and green chilis. Four hours from start to bowl, this freezer-friendly recipe feeds a crowd.

Master chicken stock simmered low for hours with a whole fowl, leeks, carrots and a classic bouquet of herbs. Skim it well, strain it clear, then chill and lift off the fat for a clean, golden base for any soup or sauce.