Recipe Sifter

Classic Italian spinach lasagna layered with fresh pasta, ricotta-spinach filling, tomato sauce, and bechamel. From-scratch vegetarian showstopper.

A vegetable curry pot pie filled with sweet potato, eggplant, mushrooms, and peas in a fragrant sauce, topped with a sticky brown rice crust instead of pastry. Plant-based comfort food with Indian flair.

Southern Coke cake made with Coca-Cola in both the chocolate batter and the boiled cocoa-pecan frosting. Marshmallows in the batter melt into gooey pockets as it bakes.

Classic Boston baked beans with navy beans, salt pork, and molasses, slow-baked for six hours until thick and bronzed. The traditional New England Saturday-night supper.

Mom's baked beans dump canned pork and beans together with ham chunks, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and pearl onions, then bake until thick. Easy potluck side from a no-fuss family recipe.

Grilled chicken and fruit kabobs with bananas, peaches, and plums dusted in curry powder, served with a tangy Dijon mustard-leek sauce. A low-calorie summer dinner with bold sweet-savory contrast.

A Reuben sandwich in skillet form: corned beef, sauerkraut, and caraway seeds cooked with rice, then topped with Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese. One pan, 30 minutes, dinner done.

Italian red snapper in brodetto: pan-fried whole fish pieces simmered in a tomato-vinegar broth with onions and scallions, served over creamy bay-leaf polenta. Coastal Italian classic.

Herb-rubbed beef brisket braised with chunky carrots, celery, and onions in tomato juice. Roasts to fork-tender in the oven with a thick, savory sauce. Feeds ten.

A delicious low-fat, low-sodium alternative to conventional corn chips.

Sweet and sour pork made entirely in the microwave with a browning dish. Thin-sliced pork, crisp-tender veggies, and a glossy pineapple-ginger sauce served over rice. Dinner for two in 45 minutes.

Chickpea and green bean salad with two separate garam masala dressings, garlic, cayenne, and fresh ginger. A spiced bean salad served cold or at room temperature.

Southwest pork stew with chorizo, butternut squash, and corn, baked under a sour cream cornbread crust. A hearty one-dish Mexican-inspired dinner.

Crunchy curried chicken salad: cooked chicken and rice tossed with mandarin oranges, celery, and peanuts in a light yogurt-curry-honey dressing. A sweet-savory, mayo-free make-ahead salad.

Tender chicken pieces stir-fried with carrots and celery in tangy plum sauce, finished with ginger, sherry, and Chinese pickles. Glossy cornstarch gravy coats every bite.

A colorful five-bean salad with green beans, lima beans, kidney beans, wax beans, and chickpeas tossed in a tangy sweet vinegar dressing with green pepper, celery, and green onions. Best made overnight.