Pasta recipes

Meat-za pie with a ground beef crust topped with tomato paste, cheddar, Parmesan, and optional pepperoni. A pizza-meets-meatloaf hybrid that's ready in 30 minutes flat.

Smoky chicken chili built on toasted ancho and chipotle peppers, dark beer, and a whisper of cinnamon. No beans, no tomatoes, just bold, complex heat over rice. Ready in under an hour.

Black bean and corn stew with cumin, chili powder, sherry, cilantro, and honey. One cup pureed back in for a thick, creamy base. Vegan, high-fiber, and ready in an hour.

Three-meat chili loaded with ground beef, steak, pork, and linguica sausage, slow-simmered with black beans, green chilies, and beer for deep, layered heat that feeds a crowd.

Posole with hot Italian sausages, green tomatoes, white hominy, and oregano in a tomatoey broth. A hearty Mexican-inspired stew served with lime wedges and warm tortillas.

Swordfish marinade with soy sauce, orange juice, tomato paste, garlic, and lemon. A savory-citrus blend that caramelizes beautifully on the grill.

Vegetarian Spanish rice cooked with tomato paste, bell peppers, celery, garlic, and paprika in vegetable stock. A one-pot side dish loaded with flavor.

Vegan carrot burgers bound with tahini and peanut butter, seasoned with tamari and herbs. Baked golden on both sides for a hearty plant-based patty with real substance.

H. Allen Smith's legendary no-bean chili: 4 pounds of coarse-ground sirloin simmered for 3 hours with dried hot chilis, Mexican oregano, and cumin. Pure Texas-style chili, the way the purists intended.

Cheesy beef stuffed eggplant hollows out parboiled eggplants, fills the shells with seasoned ground beef, Romano, and breadcrumbs, then bakes under tomato sauce. Italian-American main course.

Kahlua chili: ground beef chili spiked with coffee liqueur, served Cincinnati-style over spaghetti with cheddar and onion. The coffee-and-cocoa background note that makes it work.

Vegan Italian spaghetti casserole with tofu ricotta, nutritional yeast cheesy sauce, and a homemade tomato-herb sauce baked until bubbly. A plant-based baked ziti.

Italian-style party meatballs with Parmesan and rolled oats simmered in a homemade tomato-oregano-basil sauce. Serve in a chafing dish for easy entertaining and cocktail parties.

Loaded herbed beef stew packed with potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, corn, peas, green beans, and fresh tomatoes. Rosemary, oregano, basil, and marjoram build layers of savory warmth.

Ground turkey pressed into a pie plate forms the "crust" for this pizza-inspired casserole, filled with spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, and topped with bubbling mozzarella and Parmesan. Kid-approved and parent-friendly.

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.