Basil/9 recipes

Microwave zucchini lasagna with ground beef, cottage cheese, and shredded mozzarella. A low-carb pasta-free lasagna that uses zucchini slices as the noodles and cooks in 30 minutes.

Homemade pizza sauce with tomato puree, tomato paste, oregano, basil and rosemary. No-cook style 10-minute sauce that beats jarred every time.

Tomato-cheese pie with a buttery breadcrumb crust, fresh sliced tomatoes, basil, green onions, and a Swiss cheese custard. A savory summer pie that works for brunch, lunch, or a light supper.

Summer tomato spaghetti with vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. A barely-cooked sauce that lets peak-season tomatoes do the talking.

Vegan chili non carne with kidney beans, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, and warm chili-cumin spices. High fibre, plant-based, freezer-friendly chili that feeds a crowd.

Easy white bean and chicken chili simmered with cilantro, basil, ground chiles, and a hint of clove. One Dutch oven, ready in about an hour, finished with fresh tomato and tortilla chips.

Curry-scented jasmine rice pilaf studded with dried cranberries, currants, pears, figs and toasted sunflower seeds. Fragrant, jewel-toned side dish for roasted chicken, pork or holiday tables.

Pork scallops in a quick white wine and lemon pan sauce scented with parsley, basil, thyme, and oregano. Thin cutlets that cook in minutes for an Italian-style weeknight dinner in 30 minutes.

An Italian-leaning skillet cornbread loaded with mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and creamed corn. Heartier than classic Southern cornbread, almost a meal on its own.

Bread Provencale is a Provençal stuffed baguette filled with sausage, tomatoes, olives, capers, and basil, then chilled overnight and sliced into rounds. A make-ahead picnic classic from the South of France.

Chilled pappa al pomodoro with crab meat crostini, a Tuscan bread-and-tomato soup served cold with a lemony crab-topped baguette float. An elegant no-cook summer appetizer that turns stale bread into something special.

Easy Italian mushroom spaghetti sauce built from fresh roma tomatoes, tomato paste, and four herbs, simmered with plenty of mushrooms. Vegetarian as-is, or add meatballs or browned beef.

Vegetarian gumbo with black-eyed peas, okra, corn, tomatoes, and the holy trinity in a homemade vegetable stock. A plant-based bayou bowl ready to ladle over cornbread.

Cajun crawfish fettuccine in a rich cream sauce with onion, celery, scallions, and a kick of cayenne. A Louisiana-style pasta dinner ready in 25 minutes.

Spinach and fresh fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, avocado, brie, and walnuts in a bright lemon-basil vinaigrette. A no-cook 10-minute summer salad that eats like a full meal.

Chicken and noodle cacciatore with a whole stewing hen simmered until tender, then baked over wide noodles in a tomato-olive-mushroom sauce.