2,833 water recipes

Cajun smothered round steak braised low and slow with the holy trinity of onions, bell peppers, and celery until fork-tender. Serve sliced over rice with all that pot gravy.

Mom Doyle's beef brisket bakes tender in a tight foil packet with just onion soup mix and water, no fuss and no fancy ingredients. The foil traps steam so the meat turns fork-tender and makes its own savory gravy.

A cloud-light French-style cherry mousse made with pureed cherries folded into whipped cream and billowy egg whites. No gelatin needed for this elegant chilled dessert.

A quick, easy, and inexpensive dish that got my kids through college.

A warming Chinese winter soup with mushrooms, spinach, and silky tofu in a tangy sesame-soy broth spiked with hot pepper oil. Vegan, cozy, and ready in 40 minutes.

Potato cheese soup puréed silky smooth with sharp cheddar, heavy cream, and fresh dill stirred in at the end. Rich, velvety, and done in 45 minutes.

Upgraded tuna noodle casserole with bell peppers, celery, pimentos, sherry, and slivered almonds. A retro comfort dish dressed up with classier ingredients than the standard version.

An easy plain cheesecake with just five ingredients: Neufchatel cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla poured into a graham cracker crust. No water bath, no fuss, just mix, bake, and chill into a creamy slice.

Crispy breaded veal cutlets topped with a blanket of melted Fontina cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Named for Italy's Aosta Valley, this 35-minute dish delivers crunchy, cheesy, bright flavor in every single bite.

A fast, easy chocolate frosting made from cocoa powder, sugar, and a splash of boiling water beaten with margarine until creamy. A quick, dairy-free way to frost any cake with real chocolate flavor.

Baked potato strips in a peanut butter and salt water bath that browns into a nutty, savory coating. An unusual three-ingredient side dish where peanut butter replaces oil for roasting potatoes.

Two-ingredient drop biscuits using Bisquick and water. Just stir, drop, and bake for 12 minutes. The fastest path to warm, golden biscuits when you need bread on the table right now.

Mom's lemon pie cooks a fresh-lemon curd with the zest of two whole lemons over the stovetop, thickened with both flour and cornstarch. A traditional water-based lemon meringue pie filling.

Maple creme brulee sweetened with pure maple syrup instead of granulated sugar. Rich, silky custard made with 10 egg yolks and a whole vanilla bean, baked in a water bath until set.

Mandarin pancakes made from a simple hot water dough with sesame oil, rolled paper-thin and dry-cooked in an ungreased pan. The classic wrapper for Peking duck and mu shu pork.

Raspberry walnut cheesecake pairs a buttery ground walnut crust with creamy vanilla cheesecake folded with fresh raspberries. No graham crackers, no water bath, just a stunning gluten-conscious twist on classic cheesecake.