Pasta recipes

Texas-style chili with cubed beef chuck, no beans, simmered with chili powder, green peppers, tomatoes, and oregano. Topped with cheese and raw onion.

Parsi chicken curry with dried apricots, whole spices, and crispy potato straws. A sweet-tangy Indian dish with cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, and a vinegar-sugar balance that makes the sauce unforgettable.

A New Orleans-style charlotte: chocolate sponge rolled with almond paste, sliced and pressed into a springform, filled with amaretto-soaked chocolate mousse. A Mardi Gras showstopper.

A hearty Bulgarian stew of lentils and navy beans simmered with sweet red peppers, paprika, and herbs in a rich broth deepened with prune juice and tomato paste. Vegan-friendly and high in fiber.

Classic French Provencal dish usually cooked in a heavy casserole on the stove top or in the oven; would also work well in slow cooker. Use inexpensive stewing beef or oyster blade; it will not be anywhere near as good if you use more expensive cuts of beef.

Hearty winter borscht-style soup loaded with pearl barley, lima beans, split peas, lentils, mushrooms, turnips, and carrots in a savory miso-tamari broth. A meat-free, slow-simmered vegan one-pot.

This buttery, tangy and fruity plum tart is so delicious, the almond crumble adds the extra crunchiness.

Corn on the cob drenched in a from-scratch British barbecue sauce with malt vinegar, Worcestershire, ginger, green chili, and a splash of dry sherry. Tangy, smoky, and utterly different.

Barbecue pulled chicken made in a slow cooker with smoky chipotle, green chiles, honey, and cider vinegar. Hands-off comfort food that piles high on buns or over rice.

Slow cooked classic, beefy just bursting with flavor, easy to make and feeds a crowd. Perfect for company.

Vegan beet borscht with apple cider, caraway seeds, and molasses simmered for hours then partially pureed for rich, complex vegetarian soup served hot or cold.

A no-bean Texas-style chili with 4 pounds of beef chuck, cactus (nopalitos), serrano chiles, and green tomatoes. Slow-simmered for hours until thick and fiery.

Mad Mike's chili: a no-beans, all-meat Texas-style red made with cubed round steak, V8, enchilada sauce, and a mountain of chili powder. Slow simmered three hours until thick and deep.

H. Allen Smith's legendary no-bean chili: 4 pounds of coarse-ground sirloin simmered for 3 hours with dried hot chilis, Mexican oregano, and cumin. Pure Texas-style chili, the way the purists intended.

Tuscan-style white bean and potato pie: garlic-pureed navy beans topped with caramelized onions, potatoes, and Parmesan, baked into a golden rustic torta. Vegetarian Italian main dish.

Beef and bean burrito casserole stacked in a slow cooker with flour tortillas, enchilada sauce, ground beef, refried beans and cheddar. Sliced into wedges and served with all the fixings.