Recipe Sifter

Lighter eggplant Parmesan with whole wheat breading layers tender rounds with tomato sauce and Parmesan, baked until melt-in-your-mouth (optional mozzarella finish).

Two-meat Sunday chili with cubed sirloin tip and ground beef, three cans of tomatoes, chili beans, wine, and a generous spice rub. Cook, cool, reheat for deep flavor.

Vegetarian chili loaded with kidney beans, three kinds of peppers, jalapenos, and TVP for hearty texture. A cookoff-tested vegan chili that tastes even better the next day.

Microwave Italian pot roast braises chuck in Worcestershire, oregano, and garlic with potatoes, carrots, and tomato-mushroom gravy. A tender all-in-one roast done in the microwave.

Hamburger pizza with a quick Bisquick yeast crust topped with seasoned ground beef, tomato sauce, oregano, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Two pizzas in one hour.

Italian lasagna with ground beef, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan layered with a homemade tomato meat sauce. A big-batch recipe that makes four 8x8 pans, perfect for feeding a crowd or freezing ahead.

Mock ravioli casserole: layers of butterfly pasta, a meaty tomato sauce, and a herby spinach-egg-parmesan filling. All the flavor of ravioli without rolling a single sheet of dough.

Freezer-friendly eggplant and tuna casserole layered with breaded eggplant, zucchini, mozzarella, and a seasoned tomato-wine sauce. Make two, bake one now, freeze one for later.

A succulent and scrumptious dish that can be served over noodles or rice.

Big-batch spicy turkey chili loaded with kidney beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, jalapenos, cilantro, and a secret splash of Kahlua. Feeds a crowd of 20.

Hearty vegetarian stew of brown rice, lentils, and mushrooms pressure-cooked in stock with oregano and mustard, finished with tomato sauce and fresh parsley. High-fiber comfort in one pot.

Herb-packed chicken spaghetti sauce with oregano, basil, marjoram, and rosemary simmered in tomato paste and sauce. Make it in the microwave for a quick dinner or on the stovetop for deeper flavor.

Classic chicken cacciatore with flour-dredged chicken browned in olive oil, then simmered in a rustic tomato sauce with garlic, peppers, and oregano. Serve over spaghetti or fettuccine.

This recipe is a faily old (circa 1983) but reliable one, somwhere in between competition and eating and chili. It would be a good starter for any novice cook.

Greek-style meatball and tomato soup with oregano, garlic, optional zucchini, and rice or pasta. Hearty, herby beef meatballs in a rich tomato broth.

Pizza pot pie layered with Italian sausage in spicy tomato sauce, ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella under a golden pizza dough crust. A deep-dish pizza-lasagna hybrid that feeds 8.