Pasta recipes

Homemade pizza sauce simmers tomato paste, garlic, oregano, marjoram and basil into a thick, glossy sauce that holds its shape under cheese. Makes enough for four 12-inch pies.

Santa Fe red pork chili with coarsely ground pork shoulder, beer, stewed tomatoes, and layers of cumin and chili powder. No beans, no shortcuts. A thick, meaty Tex-Mex red chili simmered low and slow.

Picante turkey pie with a ground turkey crust filled with zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, and picante sauce, topped with melted mozzarella. A low-carb, high-protein dinner.

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.

Slow cooker chicken cacciatore with two whole chickens braised in tomatoes, red wine, garlic, and Italian herbs. Set it, forget it, and feed a crowd of ten with zero effort.

Note: 15 bean mixtures are available packaged in supermarkets and health food stores. If you prefer, make your own by combining equal amounts of dried blackeyed peas, red kidney beans, white kidney beans (cannellini), green lentils, split peas, black beans, yellow split peas, navy beans, cranberry (Roman, shell, or shell out) beans, great Northern beans, pinto beans, small white limas, red lentils, cow peas (field peas), and pink beans. Avoid using beans such as garbanzos and large lima beans, as these take longer to cook than other varities.

Ground beef meat crust pizza pie with tomato paste, cheddar, parmesan, oregano, and optional pepperoni. The meat becomes the crust in this low-carb, protein-packed twist on pizza night.

A rustic Italian-style soup packed with chickpeas, escarole, brown rice, and corn in a lemony tomato broth. Low-fat, high-fiber, and feeds a crowd.

New Mexico style chili built on coarse-ground beef and cracked wheat in place of beans, blended with mild and hot ground chile, green chiles, and chile caribe for a slow-simmered Southwestern bowl.

Slow-simmered Italian pizza sauce built on canned plum tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, basil and tarragon. A balanced, herb-forward sauce that gets even better after an overnight chill in the fridge.

This would probably be really good with cauliflower or zucchini instead of eggplant.

Slow-simmered beef chuck chili with dried red chiles, tomato paste, and kidney beans that rests 24 hours before serving for deep, concentrated flavor.

Vegan vegetable soup with lentils, chickpeas, pattypan squash, zucchini, and miso paste for deep umami flavor. Hearty, protein-rich, and made with water, not broth.

Spicy ground pork chili with kidney beans, diced tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, and triple heat from cayenne, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce.

This is a flexible recipe, if you want, you can always add any your favorite meat, such as chicken, turkey with these tasty veggies.

Black bean chili with ground chuck, cocoa powder, molasses, cinnamon, and liquid smoke for complex depth. Pressure-cooked dried beans and a low-and-slow simmer build serious flavor.