Basil/6 recipes

Three-cheese calzones stuffed with ricotta, provolone, and fontina plus prosciutto, olives, pepperoncini, and sundried tomatoes. Baked golden in bread-dough crescents, equally good piping hot or packed cold for a picnic.

Antipasto pasta salad with rotini, roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, Muenster cheese, mushrooms, red onion, and fresh basil in a low-fat Italian dressing. A cold make-ahead side for potlucks and picnics.

Hot Smoked Portabello Pizza with Goat Cheese & Green Sauce recipe

Baked crab tetrazzini with fettuccine, sauteed mushrooms, white wine, and Parmesan in a buttery chicken broth sauce. A cozy, crowd-pleasing pasta casserole.

Rice bake casserole binds cooked rice, sauteed spinach, and sharp cheddar in a simple custard of milk and eggs with fresh herbs. Great use for leftover rice.

Cheese tortellini tossed in homemade spinach-basil pesto with sauteed shrimp, toasted almonds, and blistered cherry tomatoes. A restaurant-quality pasta dinner ready in about an hour.

Italian-leaning spiced black bean soup with basil, oregano, marjoram, and a finish of sherry and lemon. Pureed silky-smooth. High-fibre, gluten-free, garnished with chives and nonfat sour cream.

Baked chicken legs with a lemon-herb seasoning roasted until golden, then smothered in mushroom gravy and baked again until fork-tender. A two-stage roasting method for maximum flavor.

Ratatouille and cod stew with eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and crushed tomatoes in clam broth. A Provencal-style fish stew loaded with vegetables, served over rice.

Grilled steak with fresh corn salad: charred sweet corn tossed with tomatoes, bell pepper, basil, and red wine vinegar alongside garlic-rubbed strip steak. Summer cookout simplicity at its best.

Mediterranean veggie burgers bind nutty millet with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and basil into hearty homemade patties. A wholesome vegetarian burger packed with real Mediterranean flavor.

Greek pastitsio layers tender pasta with a cinnamon-and-allspice spiced beef sauce under a creamy feta-and-parmesan bechamel. The Mediterranean baked pasta that eats like a warmly spiced Greek lasagna.

Grilled vegetable kabobs with yellow squash, boiling onions, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms basted in Italian dressing with basil and parsley. Low-calorie and served over brown rice.

Hearty hamburger and pearl barley soup with cabbage, carrots, and tomatoes in a balsamic-spiked beef broth. A frugal, freezer-friendly one-pot meal that stretches a pound of beef across six bowls.

Browned chicken simmered with eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes in olive oil, finished with fresh basil. A rustic Provençal-style summer braise.

Vegetarian eggplant tomato pasta sauce with dry sherry, red bell pepper, nutmeg, and fresh basil. A chunky, low-calorie sauce that simmers in under 30 minutes.