21 smothered recipes

Slow cooker beef chuck strips smothered in a tangy barbecue-molasses sauce with bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Dump it in, walk away, and come back to dinner.

Stir-fried rice vermicelli draped in a savory broccoli sauce with bean paste, garlic, and thick soy. This Thai-inspired vegetarian noodle dish comes together in 35 minutes flat.

Pork chops braised under smothered red cabbage with apples, red onion, cranberry juice, and red wine vinegar. A hearty one-pot fall dinner full of tangy sweetness.

Southern-style smothered okra and eggplant slow-cooked with tomatoes, bell pepper, and apple juice until meltingly tender. No oil needed in this hearty, no-fat vegetable dish.

Smother your chicken with this succulent recipe that will become one of your favorite recipes!

Salt-smothered chicken buried in a bed of red-hot rock salt with ginger, tangerine peel, and Szechuan peppercorn marinade sealed in the cavity. An ancient Cantonese technique that steams the bird to silken tenderness.

Sweet red peppers simmered with paprika-stained onions, tomatoes, and a splash of red wine vinegar in this classic Russian lecho. Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Quick sautéed mushrooms and kale cooked under a smothering lid with garlic, butter, and sherry. This easy vegetarian side dish is ready in just 15 minutes.

These are better than ordinary sugar cookies because of the flavoring.

Louisiana-style roasted duck rubbed with a vinegar-salt-pepper paste, stuffed with aromatics, and slow-roasted until tender. A Cajun family recipe with old-school technique and deep flavor.

Italian-style sauteed spinach with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of sugar. A simple side dish cooked in the water clinging to the leaves, with optional Parmesan.

Mother's Holiday Cherry Squares (Christmas) recipe

Old-fashioned coconut meringue kisses with shredded coconut, vanilla, almond extract, and a cherry half on top. A naturally gluten-free holiday cookie with a crisp exterior and chewy center.

Old-school Italian tomato sauce simmered with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and basil, then strained smooth through a food mill. The Sunday-gravy base every cook should know.

No-bake rum balls made with crushed vanilla wafers, pecans, cocoa, powdered sugar, and real rum. A classic Christmas cookie tin staple rolled in powdered sugar.

Old-fashioned lemon custard pie made on the stovetop with a double boiler. Rich egg yolk filling with fresh lemon juice and zest, poured into a baked shell. Simple, tangy, and no meringue fuss.