2,217 main dish recipes

Salmon scallops pounded paper-thin, flash-cooked in seconds, and served over wilted garlicky spinach with a bright lemon-parsley pan sauce. French bistro technique for sky-high quality dinner.

Sooz's chili simmers ground beef with stewed tomatoes, mild green chilies, kidney beans, and chili powder for a crowd-sized, family-friendly bowl. A milder pot meant for bigger groups.

Easy chicken Creole with cooked chicken in a tomato-paste sauce with onions, green pepper, garlic, and Tabasco. A 25-minute Louisiana-style weeknight dinner over rice.

Homemade pizza pockets stuffed with pepperoni, pastrami, ham, mozzarella, and pizza sauce. A yeast-dough hand pie that bakes golden and travels great in lunchboxes or freezer bags.

Teriyaki meatloaf with ginger, soy sauce, and a sweet brown sugar glaze poured on halfway through baking. A retro Hawaiian-style ground beef loaf with grated carrots and bell peppers folded in.

Vegetarian nori rolls (murreita) wrap brown rice, mung sprouts, carrot, cucumber, daikon, and umeboshi plum in toasted nori. A macrobiotic-style sushi roll with no fish required.

Italian-style chicken with peppers braised in white wine with garlic, charred red and yellow bell peppers, fresh herbs and a hit of chili. One-pan rustic dinner with deeply caramelized chicken skin.

Chicken mushroom piccata pounds chicken thin, pan-fries it quickly, then deglazes with lemon, white wine and sliced mushrooms. A 45-minute Italian-American dinner for two.

Apple-bacon quiches layer Canadian bacon and tender sliced apples with Swiss cheese in a savory caraway-and-mustard custard, baked in individual tart shells. A brunch crowd-pleaser.

Grilled chicken breasts marinated overnight in lemon juice, white wine, mild chili powder, nine cloves of garlic, shallots, honey, soy, and oregano. Big flavor, mild heat.

Pork and beef chili with cocoa, cinnamon, and a finishing stir of masa harina. The mole-inspired chili that builds dark depth over a slow simmer. Beans optional.

Smoked chicken and potato hash with cooked potatoes, garlic, fresh cilantro, and a hot sauce kick. Uses leftover smoked chicken for a fast skillet dinner.

USDA-style beef loaf for a crowd: makes four 8-inch loaves with milk-soaked bread, eggs, ketchup and Worcestershire. Bake all four, freeze three. Government-tested batch cooking at its most practical.

Salmon Creole casserole: canned salmon, tomatoes, onion, green pepper and chili powder simmered together, then baked under buttery breadcrumbs and melted cheese. Pantry-friendly Louisiana comfort food.

Sweet-and-sour meatloaf is a classic ground beef loaf glazed in a sticky tomato, brown sugar, vinegar, and mustard sauce baked right onto the top during the final 10 minutes.

Skyline-style Cincinnati chili: simmered ground beef in a thin tomato-spiced sauce with cinnamon, allspice, and a hint of vinegar. Served over spaghetti with shredded cheese in the classic Ohio diner style.