Pasta recipes

Five beans and sausage casserole loads pork-and-beans, wax, lima, green, and chili beans into a tomato-mustard sauce with cooked sausage. A potluck legend that feeds a crowd.

Baked red beans braised in red wine with garlic, bell pepper, tomato paste, and bay leaf. A simple, rustic bean casserole with deep, wine-rich flavor and almost no fat.

Curried deviled eggs stuffed with tuna and gherkins, coated in a creamy curry-mayo sauce with tomato paste. A bold Indian-inspired appetizer served chilled.

Massaman curry paste: a homemade Thai-Muslim spice blend of dried chiles, lemongrass, galangal, shallots, and warm Indian-influenced spices. The flavor base for the country's most aromatic curry.

Slow cooker barbecue beef and pork: cubed beef and pork stewed all day in a tangy tomato sauce with onions, chili powder, and brown sugar. Feeds 16 on buns.

Goldwater's expert chili slow-simmered 5 hours with dried pinto beans, coarsely ground beef, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes. No-frills, Arizona-style bean chili.

Smoky chipotle meets sweet yellow tomatoes in this vibrant Mexican-style sauce with epazote and fresh cilantro. Makes 2 quarts, freezes beautifully, and livens up everything from enchiladas to grilled fish.

A scrumptious dish that tastes wonderful by itself or when served as part of dinner.

Balsamico chicken braised with tomato paste, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and green olives, finished with fresh parsley. Northern Italian tang-and-brine weeknight dinner.

In Japan, miso soup is a traditional breakfast food–sipped hot, directly from the bowl. It is incredibly simple to prepare and can be put together in roughly the same amount of time it takes to brew a cup of tea. You can transfer the soup to a wide-neck thermos and take it to work for a nourishing mid-morning break as well. Miso has numerous health benefits, but is especially renowned for its probiotics properties, which help balance intestinal flora. It also contains good amounts of vitamin B12.

Pignoli cookies (pine nut macaroons): the chewy almond-paste Italian classic studded with toasted pine nuts and dusted with powdered sugar. Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and totally addictive.

The pleasing almond flavor and nice crunch of these simple little cookies, from Paula Tuchscherer-Jones of Milwaukee, earned them a win in the ethnic cookie category.

Flaked salmon mixed with red curry paste, mayo, yogurt, avocado, apple, and lime juice, piled onto crispy fried poppadoms. A British-Indian starter that's cool, crunchy, and ready in 30 minutes.

This recipe was given to me by a friend who is an ex-patriot now living in Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. I serve this with yellow rice and grilled avocado halves.

Sicilian-style caponata with tender eggplant, olives, capers, and tomatoes in a tangy vinegar sauce. Make it ahead and serve cold as a rustic Italian appetizer.

Fresh spinach wok-tossed with toasted almonds, ginger, and a savory miso-soy drizzle. This 20-minute vegetarian side dish is nutty, earthy, and packed with iron-rich greens.