Recipe Sifter

Build-your-own chicken tacos with a slow-caramelized garlic and onion base, serrano chiles, dual paprikas, and toasted cumin. Simmered chicken filling served with radishes, pinto beans, sour cream, and cilantro for a generous taco-night spread.

Chili with beans built the old-school way: overnight soaked pintos, three kinds of meat, and a slow simmer that coaxes out real depth. Cumin, cayenne, and jalapeños do the talking.

A low-fat vegetable soup loaded with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, leeks, and stewed tomatoes, spiked with chili powder and oregano. A crumble of blue cheese on each bowl adds a savory finish.

Hy's Georgia chain-gang chili: a three-meat marathon chili with burgundy-marinated beef, ground pork, and poached chicken, simmered three hours with three kinds of chiles, beer, and Sauterne.

Texas-style venison chili simmered in beer and beef stock with chili powder, cumin, coriander, and masa harina. No beans, no tomatoes, just bold meat-and-spice flavor that deepens overnight.

Vegetarian ratatouille lasagna layers Provencal vegetables with ricotta, mozzarella, marinara, and bechamel between tender noodles. Meatless, hearty, feeds six.

Lasagne pie is a crustless impossible pie with all the flavors of lasagna but none of the noodles. Ground beef, three cheeses, tomato paste, and a Bisquick batter that forms its own crust.

Baked rotini casserole with hot Italian sausage, chickpeas, spinach, fresh herbs, and bubbly Parmesan crust. A hearty, fiber-packed weeknight pasta bake.

Wesley Pitts' award-winning Texas chili with beef chuck, ground pork, beer, mole powder, and masa harina thickening. The legendary Terlingua competition formula.

Pasta with tomato, chard, and sunflower seed sauce where ground toasted sunflower seeds thicken a fresh tomato-basil sauce. A vegan, nut-free pasta with hidden protein and earthy greens.

Baked chicken legs with a lemon-herb seasoning roasted until golden, then smothered in mushroom gravy and baked again until fork-tender. A two-stage roasting method for maximum flavor.

Crispy Sicilian flatbread topped with sauteed mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and Parmesan. Uses store-bought pizza dough for a 30-minute appetizer or snack.

Spinach and mushroom Florentine lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan layered three times and baked under marinara or tomato-cream sauce. A vegetarian restaurant copycat.

No-bean chili with a veal, beef, and pork blend simmered in canned tomatoes with chili powder, cumin, and a splash of red wine vinegar. Texas-style heat in 80 minutes.

Ground turkey simmered with crushed tomatoes, red wine, capers, and fresh herbs piled over roasted spaghetti squash strands. A hearty low-fat, low-calorie dinner that doesn't skimp on flavor.

Sea scallops sauteed with shallots, garlic, tomato, and fresh oregano, served on garlic-rubbed French bread toasts. An elegant appetizer with a light, lemony pan sauce.