Recipe Sifter

Pasta e fagioli simmers tender navy beans, canned tomatoes, and macaroni in a basil-and-oregano broth, with onions sautéed in balsamic instead of oil. A naturally lean Italian peasant soup.

Simple vegetarian chili with dark red kidney beans, three cans of crushed tomatoes, and chili powder, simmered one hour in a single pot. An easy meatless chili that feeds 8 with minimal effort.

Russian malossol pickles are lightly brined cucumbers fermented with dill, garlic, horseradish root, and cherry or currant leaves. Ready in 5-6 days, crisp, garlicky, and mildly salty.

Crispy baked rice squares made from leftover rice, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and Italian herbs. A 6-ingredient snack or appetizer that uses up day-old rice.

Black licorice chocolate spiders are a 2-ingredient Halloween treat. Twizzler legs and melted chocolate form creepy little spiders kids can make themselves. No baking required.

Quick hot potato salad with red potatoes, scallions, and creamy ranch dressing. Toss warm spuds with ranch, dust with paprika, garnish with chives for easy summer sides.

This combination of raw vegetables and seasonings makes a tasty sandwich that's high in fiber and low in fat.

Ralph's Retch, a gleefully gross Halloween drink for kids: strawberry jello chopped into wobbly globs, layered with crushed ice and fizzy strawberry soda. A no-cook party gag that tastes like a sweet slushie.

Cheese and tomato pizza layered with fresh basil, mozzarella, fontina, smoked gouda, and romano on a homemade crust. A four-cheese weeknight classic ready in 30 minutes.

Homemade baby food blending cooked chicken, brown rice, ripe peach, and a sprinkle of wheat germ for a nutrient-rich first-foods meal. Quick to make and gentler on small tummies than store-bought.

No-cook apple chutney dip stirred together from chunky applesauce, honey, raisins and curry powder. Sweet, tangy and lightly spiced, ready in 10 minutes for grazing boards and steak nights.

Bread machine multigrain bread with Grape Nuts cereal, seven grain mix, honey, and applesauce. Crunchy, nutty, and naturally sweetened with real texture.

Two-ingredient durum semolina pasta made with a home pasta machine. Just flour and water, extruded into any shape you like. The real deal, Italian nonna style.

Vegetarian sweet and sour stir-fry loaded with snow peas, broccoli, enoki mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, mandarin orange) over rice.

Pork chops baked over beans in a tangy tomato-ketchup sauce with onion. A simple, comforting casserole that slow bakes for up to 90 minutes until the chops are fall-off-the-bone tender.

Kinome-ae is a classic Japanese dish pairing dashi-simmered bamboo shoots with a vivid green miso dressing colored with spinach paste. Finished with fragrant sansho pepper powder.