Recipe Sifter

Twice-baked stuffed potato loaded with cottage cheese, cheddar, sunflower seeds, green pepper, carrots, and scallions. A lean, vegetable-packed baked potato made in the microwave.

Ham and vegetable linguine with asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, and peas in a Parmesan cream sauce. A loaded one-skillet pasta dinner ready in 30 minutes.

Honey glazed carrots and parsnips with curry powder, lemon juice, and butter, finished in the oven for a caramelized coating. Make-ahead friendly for holiday meals.

Curried shellfish pot pie with lobster, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and toasted almonds in a sherry-cream curry sauce under golden puff pastry.

Standing rib roast with a roasted garlic and parsley crust, served with tarragon carrots, browned butter parsnips, roasted onions, and red wine au jus. A holiday showpiece.

No-peek stew simmers beef, onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, ginger ale, carrots, and potatoes in a crockpot all day. Set it and walk away, dinner cooks itself.

Macaroni and bean soup with white beans, salt pork, elbow pasta, and a tomato-beef broth base. An Italian-American pasta e fagioli cousin with a hearty two-hour simmer for deep flavor.

Grilled swordfish steaks marinated in soy sauce, fresh ginger, dry sherry, garlic, and lemon zest. An Asian-inspired marinade with bold umami flavor and a quick grill.

Curried vegetable stew with chickpeas, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, and peas in a tomato-spiced broth. A vegan one-pot curry with ginger, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon served over rice.

Old-fashioned chicken chowder starting with a leftover carcass simmered into broth, then thickened with egg yolks and scalded milk and finished with sherry. Thrifty and hearty in every bowl.

Minestrone casalinga: a homestyle Italian vegetable soup packed with white beans, leeks, cabbage, zucchini, and orzo. Rustic, layered, and exactly what cold weather calls for.

Braised beef brisket slow-cooked with onions, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves until fork tender. Best made a day ahead for easy defatting and deeper flavor.

Crockpot beef casserole slow-cooks flour-dredged stewing beef with browned onions and carrots in beef stock for 6 to 7 hours. Tender, rich, and made for cold nights.

Black-eyed pea and rice salad with a Dijon red wine vinaigrette, grated carrot, and fresh herbs. A make-ahead vegetarian salad served at room temperature.

Lean cabbage and tomato soup simmered with carrots, onion, and beef bouillon for an hour, a pantry-friendly low-fat brothy bowl that comes together with seven ingredients.

Halloween hairball salad: walnut-sized balls of mashed avocado and alfalfa sprouts rolled up and perched on grated carrots, finished with Italian dressing. Kid-friendly ghoulish fun.