Recipe Sifter

Ground beef patties shaped like filet mignon with a butter center, wrapped in foil collars, pan-seared and served with a red wine rosemary sauce and mushroom caps.

From McCall's Great American recipe card collection. A reduced fat and calorie Italian American lasagna.

Red kidney bean and apple salad with garlic, cilantro, parsley, and a white wine vinegar dressing. A five-minute vegetarian salad with no cooking required.

Authentic Veneto-style pasta e fagioli with dried beans, prosciutto, rosemary-infused olive oil, and freshly grated Parmigiano. A rich Northern Italian classic that's worth every minute.

A culinary school-style white chicken stock made from blanched bones, mirepoix, and a classic sachet of herbs and spices. Simmered for hours and strained into a clear, clean-flavored foundation for soups and sauces.

Basic beef chili with lean ground beef, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and canned tomatoes simmered low for up to two hours. A no-bean Texas-style chili with pure meat-and-spice flavor.

Classic Chinese tofu and broccoli stir-fry in a silky ginger-garlic sauce with soy, sesame oil, and dry sherry. Tender-crisp veggies, 20 minutes, vegetarian.

Cajun-spiced lamb sirloin seared and roasted, served over tomato-pepper rice cooked in chicken broth. Cayenne, paprika, and garlic give this Southern-style lamb roast serious kick.

Veggie burgers in pita bread are homemade grain patties of barley, lentils, and rice with carrots, onion, and sunflower seeds, pan-fried golden and stuffed into warm pita pockets with lettuce and tomato.

Swiss chard leaves rolled around a filling of mashed potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and roasted pepper, baked tender and drizzled with silky pureed carrot sauce. Vegan comfort food.

New Orleans catfish baked over curried rice with lemon slices and butter. A one-dish Creole-inspired fish dinner that's simple to assemble and bakes in under 35 minutes.

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Restaurant-style meatloaf with beef and sausage baked in a water bath for a silky, custard-like texture. Seasoned with cumin, nutmeg, three peppers, and sauteed vegetables throughout.

Hamburger hash simmers ground beef with cubed potatoes and a whole onion in one pot. A frugal four-ingredient dinner from the pantry that tastes like home cooking from a simpler era.

Chicken breasts smothered in a creamy mushroom and onion sauce, cooked entirely in the microwave in just 30 minutes. A quick weeknight dinner with only 7 ingredients.

Mexican rice casserole toasts long-grain rice with peppers, jalapeños, and garlic, then bakes covered with roma tomatoes and southwest spices. Feeds a crowd, pairs with everything.