Recipe Sifter

Spaghetti with a rich simmered ground beef sauce loaded with mushrooms, scallions, garlic, and tomatoes. Inspired by the Italian port city of Brindisi, ready in 45 minutes.

Thick homemade pizza sauce with sauteed onion, garlic, and oregano in tomato paste and tomato sauce. Simmers in 10 minutes and freezes beautifully for pizza night anytime.

Chicken breasts baked under a homemade ratatouille of eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, bell peppers, and tomatoes with fresh oregano. Serve over pasta or rice.

Big-batch hot salsa for canning with fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, banana peppers, Vidalia onion, and oregano, thickened with cornstarch. Makes 13 pints of thick, spicy salsa for year-round pantry stocking.

Big-batch beef and pork chili con carne with four kinds of beans, plantain (or banana), molasses, and a deep spice blend. An overnight-marinated chili built for slow simmering and serving a crowd.

Mexican chicken wings coated in chili-cumin-oregano oil and dredged in crushed tortilla chips, then baked until golden and crispy. A crunchy, spicy oven-baked wing.

Low-fat pasta sauce with Italian white beans, tomatoes, ham, and fresh herbs simmered in reduced chicken broth. Spooned over your favorite pasta shape.

Cajun skillet beans with black-eyed peas, the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, plus tomatoes, thyme, and a pinch of cayenne. A quick, hearty vegetarian Cajun side.

Baked orange roughy with a Parmesan herb breadcrumb crust, white wine, lemon juice, sliced mushrooms, and slivered almonds. A mild, flaky weeknight fish dinner.

Roast pork loin rubbed with ground ancho chilies, cumin, and a bold Southwestern spice blend, served sliced on a pepper-tomato-bacon sauce reduced with red wine and veal stock.

Vegetable lasagna layered with zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and a red wine tomato sauce. Make-ahead and lighter than meat lasagna, with cottage cheese standing in for ricotta.

Homemade pizza sauce simmered with fresh garlic, grated Parmesan, and Italian herbs into a thick, robust, slightly spicy spread. The from-scratch base that beats any jar.

Microwave Italian tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic, basil, and oregano, ready in under 10 minutes. No stirring, no stovetop. A quick base sauce for pasta, pizza, or chicken Parmesan.

Italian meat sauce built on a proper soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery with ground beef, mushrooms, red wine, and beef stock. A slow-simmered Bolognese-style ragù.

Garlic shrimp linguine with rosemary, oregano, and a touch of cayenne. Eight cloves of garlic, lemon-spiked olive oil, fresh spinach and tomato, finished with parmesan.

Mexican pork beer roast slow-roasts a 5-pound pork loin with beer, oregano, and coriander, served with a tangy tomatillo green sauce pureed with garlic, cilantro, and white wine vinegar.