Basil/6 recipes

Tomato cups marinate fresh tomatoes, green pepper strips, and onion rings in oregano-basil vinaigrette. A simple Italian-style summer salad you toss together in 10 minutes.

Light cream of mushroom soup with skim evaporated milk and white wine. Skips the heavy cream but keeps the silky texture, with deep mushroom flavor from a 30-minute simmer.

Home-improved tomato sauce doctors canned tomato sauce with sauteed onion, garlic, and fresh herbs. Tastes like scratch-made in 30 minutes.

Pork spiedis from upstate New York: cubed pork tenderloin marinated overnight in tomato juice, garlic, onion, and herbs, then grilled and served wrapped in Italian bread.

Pesto mushroom caps stuff fresh button mushrooms with homemade basil pesto and crown each one with a walnut half, then bake until hot and fragrant. A 10-minute vegetarian appetizer that punches way above its weight at a cocktail party.

Marachichi pasta with anchovies, black and green olives, tomato, and a heavy hand of Italian herbs. Sicilian-style puttanesca riff with bold, salty Mediterranean flavor.

Santa Maria runner bean stew with garlic, tomatoes, basil, and a splash of olive oil. A simple Mediterranean-style vegetable stew that holds up hot or cold.

Quick tomato-spinach pasta sauce blended with fresh basil, dill, garlic, and vegetable soup mix. A pantry-friendly sauce that stretches a jar of spaghetti sauce into a full vegetable-rich dinner.

Garides Kokkiyia me Feta: Greek shrimp baked in scallop shells with tomato sauce, fresh basil, garlic, and melty feta cheese. A classic Aegean seafood appetizer.

Homemade potato gnocchi, pillowy basil-flecked potato dumplings made from mashed potato and just enough flour to hold. Boil them a few minutes until they float, then toss with your favorite sauce.

Rack of lamb seared, brushed with Dijon, and pressed with a garlicky rosemary-thyme breadcrumb crust, then roasted to a rosy medium-rare. Finished with a quick basil pesto pan sauce for an elegant dinner-party centerpiece.

Garlic fettuccine with broccoli and walnuts tossed in a seasoned lemon-basil butter sauce. A quick 30-minute pasta dinner that pairs well with a fresh spinach salad.

Potato crust pizza baked in a pie plate with sliced potatoes instead of dough. Topped with tomatoes, mushrooms, green olives, and melted mozzarella for a gluten-free-friendly twist on pizza night.

Bean and pistou soup with white beans, chicken broth, basil pesto, and Parmesan. Five ingredients, one pot, ready in 35 minutes. A Provencal-inspired weeknight soup.

Baked walleye fillets in herbed tomato sauce topped with melted mozzarella cheese. An easy Italian-style fish dinner with just eight ingredients.

Stromboli stuffed with ham, salami, provolone, and mozzarella in frozen bread dough with Italian herbs. Golden, buttery, and ready in 35 minutes. Serve with marinara.