150 spooned recipes

Flambeed peaches in a port wine and cherry jelly sauce with cinnamon and lime, spooned over lemon ice cream. A dramatic tableside dessert that goes from chafing dish to plate in 20 minutes.

Five-spice chicken thighs in a soy, sherry, ginger, and brown sugar sauce, cooked in the microwave in 30 minutes. The pan juices thicken into a glossy sauce spooned right over the top.

Slow cooker chicken drumsticks diable simmered in a sweet-and-spicy tomato sauce with chili powder, dry mustard, Worcestershire, and a hit of hot sauce. Spooned over spaghetti for an easy weeknight dinner.

Quick 20-minute red beans and rice with canned kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, and Cajun seasoning. Sauté onions, celery, and red peppers, simmer with spices, and spoon over brown rice for easy weeknight comfort.

Dairy-free potato leek soup pureed with brown rice for natural body and silkiness. No cream, no butter. A light French-style potage with a splash of white wine vinegar to brighten every spoonful.

Loaded vegetable stew with dolma simmers fish-and-rice dumplings in a paprika, cumin, and turmeric-spiced broth with carrot, daikon, tomato, and zucchini. A Persian-leaning seafood stew you eat with a spoon.

Grilled vegetable and mushroom soup builds smoky depth by charring zucchini, summer squash, red onion, peppers, and shiitake on the grill before dicing them into a savory broth. Smoke and char in every spoonful.

A no-bake frozen chocolate pie: chocolate pudding folded with whipped topping and crushed Oreos, spooned into a chocolate crumb crust and frozen firm. Cool, creamy, crunchy, and made without turning on the oven.

Dominican red beans and rice (habichuelas con arroz), small red beans simmered with cumin, garlic, a touch of sugar, and vinegar, spooned over fluffy rice. A naturally vegan plate, great with avocado and plantains.

Mimosa cake is a marbled angel food cake with lemon butter cream frosting. White meringue batter and golden egg yolk batter are spooned alternately into a tube pan for a two-toned, cloud-light sponge.

Preserved blueberries in orange liqueur syrup with fresh lavender flowers, canned in a boiling water bath. Spoon over vanilla ice cream, fold into yogurt, or gift a jar to someone who deserves something truly special.

Friendship brandied fruit is a perpetual fermented fruit compote built over months by adding peaches, pineapple, cherries, sugar, and brandy to a starter. Spoon over ice cream, pound cake, or yogurt for an instant dessert.

Romanesco sauce is a Spanish-inspired vegetarian pasta sauce of charred roasted red peppers, toasted almonds, garlic, and bright lemon zest, pureed and spooned over hot or cold spaghetti. Smoky, nutty, and no-cook simple.

Apricot pot roast: a slow-braised beef roast finished in a glossy glaze of apricot syrup and sherry, with tender herbs and whole apricots spooned around. A sweet-and-savory twist on Sunday pot roast.

Outrageously oatmeal bread is a soft, lightly sweet bread machine loaf with rolled oats, a spoon of applesauce, and a drizzle of honey. Dump everything in, press start, and wake up to a tender sandwich loaf.

Onion vetha kozhambu, a tangy South Indian tamarind gravy simmered with small onions, sambar powder, and a hit of hing, thickened with rice flour. A bold, sour-spicy Tamil curry to spoon over hot rice. Vegan.