Recipe Sifter

Polpettone Italian stuffed meat steaks sandwich ham and melted mozzarella between two herbed beef-and-veal patties, breaded crisp, then baked under tomato sauce and more cheese. The Italian-American answer to chicken cordon bleu.

Puffed pizza casserole with a seasoned ground beef and tomato sauce base topped with mozzarella and a golden egg batter crust. All the pizza flavor in a 9x13 pan.

Ribollita, the classic Tuscan bread soup layered with vegetables, kidney beans, spinach, and Parmesan. Baked in a casserole with toasted bread soaking up a rich chicken-wine broth.

Crab or lobster tossed with linguine in a garlicky cream sauce with fresh tomato, Swiss cheese, and Parmesan. A luxurious weeknight pasta ready in just 25 minutes.

20-minute turkey sausage chili with canned beans, tomato soup, and chili powder. A quick, lower-fat weeknight chili that uses spicy turkey sausage instead of ground beef.

Vegetarian chili with kidney beans, raisins, cashews, beer, and Swiss cheese. Spiced with cumin, allspice, and Tabasco, simmered two hours for deep, complex flavor.

This stacked tostada layers crispy baked tortillas with spiced ground beef chili, kidney beans, and melted mozzarella and Monterey Jack. Cut into wedges like a Mexican lasagna.

A whole pumpkin stuffed with herbed rice, sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and bell pepper, then baked until the flesh turns silky soft. A vegetarian showstopper.

Super cheese pizza sauce: a herb-loaded tomato paste base with oregano, marjoram, garlic and onion. Spread on crust, layer with mozzarella and parmesan, and bake at 450F for 8 minutes.

A loaded tamale pie with ground beef, bacon, corn, and green chiles in a cornmeal crust, topped with a melted Monterey Jack and egg layer. Tex-Mex comfort baked in a pie pan.

Vegetarian tempeh-stuffed peppers simmered in a tangy tomato-sauerkraut sauce, packed with miso, beans, and herbs. Hearty plant-based main with Eastern European roots.

Loaded tuna nicoise sandwich on grilled Italian bread with roasted peppers, kalamata olives, capers, and a homemade oregano vinaigrette. A Mediterranean-inspired lunch that eats like a feast.

Paprika-browned turkey simmered with tomatoes, potatoes, green peas, mushrooms, and bell pepper in a herb-seasoned broth. Serve over hot rice for a hearty island-inspired stew that feeds the soul.

A from-scratch vegetable bean soup simmered for hours with dried kidney beans, chunky potatoes, carrots, zucchini, leeks, savoy cabbage, and brown rice. Old-fashioned, freezer-friendly, and endlessly customizable. One big pot feeds 8.

Toasted vermicelli simmered in a smoky chipotle-tomato broth with oregano and garlic. This Mexican-style sopa seca is a one-pot side dish with serious smoky heat.

Fresh bruschetta topping with Roma tomatoes, basil, oregano, capers, red onion, and balsamic vinegar. No-cook, vegetarian, and ready after a one-hour rest.