Basil/15 recipes

Crostini topped with sweet pea pesto and halved cherry tomatoes. A 15-minute vegetarian appetizer that swaps frozen peas for basil, no blanching or expensive pine nuts required.

Fragrant Asian pesto with peanuts, fresh basil, mint, cilantro, green chilies, and ginger. A bold, herbaceous sauce for noodles that's ready in 15 minutes. Vegetarian-friendly.

Tender calamari simmered in marinara sauce with garlic, white wine, clam juice, basil, and red pepper flakes. A quick Italian seafood dinner ready in just 15 minutes.

Southern French chicken with seared breasts topped with ripe tomato, goat cheese, and fresh basil, finished under the broiler. A Provencal-inspired dinner ready in 15 minutes.

Fresh Indonesian relish with lime, tomatoes, onions, basil, and chili peppers. This bright, no-cook condiment takes 15 minutes to prep and develops incredible flavor as it sits.

Sliced egg sandwich on a whole grain bun with cucumber, tomato, fresh basil, sprouts, and a honey Dijon dressing. A fresh, protein-rich lunch ready in 15 minutes.

Couscous Provencal with artichoke hearts, ripe tomato, fresh basil, and briny capers. A bright Mediterranean side that comes together in about 15 minutes using steeped (not boiled) couscous.

Pan-seared venison steaks with butter, fennel, garlic salt, and basil. A 15-minute hunter's skillet recipe for tender deer steaks cooked medium-rare in a hot pan.

Quick Italian garden saute with zucchini, corn, green pepper, and fresh tomatoes in butter with basil and oregano. A 15-minute summer vegetable side dish from skillet to table.

Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette blends rehydrated tomatoes with balsamic, red wine vinegar, garlic paste, and fresh basil. A vegan dressing with bold concentrated tomato depth, ready in 15 minutes.

Cilantro pesto pasta with macadamia nuts, ginger, lime, and chile. A punchy 15-minute Thai-leaning pasta that swaps the basil-pine-nut combo for something brighter and hotter.

Broiled tomato-pesto sandwiches layer fresh basil-parmesan pesto on toasty bagels, topped with ripe tomato slices and bubbled under the broiler. A quick vegetarian lunch ready in 15 minutes.

Fresh summer salad with ripe tomatoes, chickpeas, sweet Vidalia onion, and basil tossed in a tangy Dijon red wine vinegar dressing. No cooking, no oil, ready in 15 minutes flat.

Homemade Boursin-style cheese spread with fresh basil, chives, parsley, garlic, and chopped black olives folded into cream cheese. A 15-minute herbed cheese spread for crackers, baguette, or crudites.

No-cook sun-dried tomato salsa with black olives, garlic, fresh basil, and red wine vinegar. Ready in 15 minutes, this Mediterranean-style salsa is a natural match for grilled seafood.

Parchment-wrapped potato parcels: microwave papillote packets of sliced ham, potato, zucchini, winter squash, and red pepper with lemon and basil. A 15-minute single-serve dinner, no dishes to wash.