734 night recipes

Smoky puréed black bean soup loaded with cumin, coriander, chili, and eight cloves of garlic. Finished with brandy and topped with Parmesan and fresh cilantro.

Old-fashioned oatmeal bread with rolled oats, scalded milk, and yeast, hand-kneaded and baked into soft, hearty loaves. Makes two large loaves or eight miniature ones.

Four-ingredient garlic and white bean soup made entirely in the microwave. Eight cloves of mellowed garlic, creamy pureed beans, vegetable broth. High-fiber, low-fat, vegan.

Potato and cheese lasagna: layered casserole of thinly sliced russet, sweet, and red skin potatoes with garlic, olive oil, cheddar, and mozzarella. Pasta-free comfort food for eight.

Meatloaf for 120: a scaled-up classic ground beef, oats, and tomato juice meatloaf with tangy ketchup-mustard glaze. 16 loaves for church suppers, reunions, and crowd feeding.

Rich, velvety black bean soup with bacon, ham, brown rice, and eight onions simmered for hours then blended smooth. Finished with white wine and sherry for a luxurious bowl.

Oat and raisin bar cookies with brown sugar, cinnamon, and rolled oats baked in a sheet pan. A mix-and-spread health cookie with eight ingredients and zero fuss.

Van's Faves are crisp lace-thin oat cookies scented with orange zest and finished with a chocolate drizzle. Eight ingredients, big crunch, and an old-fashioned tin-cookie feel.

Whole wheat quick bread with buttermilk, molasses, walnuts, and raisins. No yeast needed for this hearty, slightly sweet loaf with a dense, rustic crumb.

Nut raisin bread made with just eight ingredients and no butter or oil. Walnuts, raisins, and a 20-minute rest before baking give this simple quick bread its tender crumb.

Meatless loaf made with crushed peanuts, cottage cheese, and brown rice for a protein-packed vegetarian main dish. Simple mix-and-bake method with just eight ingredients and no fussy steps.

Mocha truffle cake: a flourless dark chocolate cake built with a pound of chocolate, a pound of butter, eight eggs, and strong coffee. Chilled overnight and frosted with vanilla whipped cream.

A set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker recipe with dried pinto beans, diced ham, carrots, celery, and a double-bouillon broth. Eight hours on low gives you thick, smoky, soul-warming beans.

Milky Way layer cake melts eight candy bars with butter into a chocolate-caramel-nougat batter for a moist Southern celebration cake. Tender crumb, rich frosting-friendly base, layered or sheet style.

Old-fashioned baked beans slow-cooked for 6 hours with salt pork, molasses, brown sugar, and dry mustard. Soaked overnight and baked low until thick, smoky, and caramelized.

Vegetarian Pad Thai with rice noodles, scrambled eggs, mung bean sprouts, grated carrots, and crushed peanuts in a tangy lime-fish sauce. Ready in 30 minutes.