Recipe Sifter

A hearty Louisiana-style lentil stew simmered with tomatoes, red wine, zucchini, and Italian herbs. Think of it as Cajun chili without the meat. Serve over polenta or brown rice.

Fruit Cornish hens: classic Chicken Marbella scaled up for small birds. Cornish hens marinated with garlic, oregano, prunes, apricots, green olives, and capers, then roasted until golden with brown sugar glaze.

One-pot Italian chicken and rice baked with tomatoes, olives, pimentos, and green peas. The rice toasts golden before baking and absorbs all the pan juices.

Southern-style no-bean chili with 4 lbs of beef, banana peppers, and a 3-hour simmer in beef stock with barbecue sauce, hot sauce, and a deep spice blend. Bold and beanless.

Hearty low-fat vegetable soup with potatoes, zucchini, squash, carrots, pureed tomatoes, and kidney beans. Oil-free and loaded with garden veggies, this make-ahead soup tastes even better the next day.

Arroz con pollo built on a hearty mix of brown and wild rice instead of white. Browned chicken simmered with tomatoes, white wine, almonds, peas and a Latin-style sofrito of onion, garlic and paprika.

Braised lamb shanks with oregano and garlic served over simmered lentils with celery and bay leaf, finished with lemon slices in the oven. A rustic, protein-packed one-dish meal.

Hearty burger soup with ground beef, tomato juice, cream of mushroom, peas, and noodles. A pantry-friendly one-pot dinner heavy on herbs and easy on the wallet.

Mom's beef stew braised in red wine and tomato sauce with white wine vinegar, oregano, potatoes, and carrots. Low and slow comfort food for six.

Vegetarian gumbo with black-eyed peas, okra, corn, tomatoes, and the holy trinity in a homemade vegetable stock. A plant-based bayou bowl ready to ladle over cornbread.

Pork chili with artichoke hearts and white beans: a Mediterranean-leaning chili with cumin, oregano, white wine, and roma tomatoes. Lemon juice and cilantro hit at the end for brightness.

Hearty fish soup loaded with haddock, cod, scallops, shrimp, and clams in a tomato broth with garlic, oregano, and bay leaves. A cioppino-style seafood stew.

Guisado rico, a Mexican pork stew with roasted loin simmered in green chiles, tomatoes, beer, and chicken broth. Served in bowls with cilantro, refried beans, and warm tortillas.

Hearty Italian spaghetti with ground beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste, black olives, and green peppers simmered 90 minutes. A slow-cooked Sunday sauce topped with Parmesan cheese.

Basic bean soup with homemade vegetable scrap stock, sautéed mirepoix, and cooked beans, half puréed for body, half left whole. Vegetarian, fiber-rich, freezer-friendly.

Classic Greek skewered lamb marinated in olive oil, wine, lemon, oregano, and garlic. Grilled to smoky char in just 15 minutes.