Just Soup (& sandwiches & salads) / Solo Sopa

Convenient and tender rotisserie chicken, sautéed scallions and garlic, vinegar-soaked currants and a couple big handfuls of peppery arugula make up this simple yet very flavorful sandwich Inspired by the wood-oven-roasted chicken and bread salad from Zuni Café in San Francisco, this is a take on that famed dish in sandwich form Parmesan and toasted nuts add texture, depth and a hit of umami

On a hot day, a sip of this Thai iced tea—which gets its creaminess from evaporated milk and sweetness from condensed milk—feels like a luxury.

Harness the crowd-pleasing power of dumplings in this hearty yet light main course salad The base is simple and summery: Ripe tomatoes are lightly touched with salt, garlic and basil, providing a perfectly fragrant canvas for pan-fried potsticker dumplings Salting intensifies the tanginess and fruitiness of tomatoes, while also coaxing out some of the juice, which becomes a light sauce for the dumplings

This tender chicken salad (coated in a tangy pesto dressing and with sun-dried tomatoes woven throughout) is perfect for sandwiches or simply on its own.

This cold fruit soup is made with fresh beets and sweet cherries—which are in season at the same time during peak summer—sour cream or yogurt, star anise, and cinnamon. It's a bit sweet but leans more to the savory side. It's gorgeous, deliciously refreshing, and works well as light amuse bouche.

A braai is South Africa’s beloved open, wood-fired equivalent to an American barbecue and these grilled cheese sandwiches are an integral component Mrs Ball’s, an iconic South African dried-fruit chutney, lends sweet tang, though sweet fruit chutney such as Major Grey’s or even apricot jam can be used in a pinch

This pasta salad is loaded with two pounds of zucchini, roasted until golden and caramelized, then tossed in a tangy garlic-tahini dressing Roasted sunflower seeds bring crunch and nuttiness (Pepitas, slivered almonds or chopped walnuts are other great options.) Golden raisins add unexpected pops of sweetness that round out the tart lemon

Ranging from silken and creamy to firm and chewy, tofu comes in many forms and is prized around the world for its versatility In this recipe, which is adapted from the “Superiority Burger Cookbook” (W.W Norton & Company, 2018) by chef Brooks Headley, extra-firm tofu is pressed, marinated, breaded and fried, to make the “tofu-fried tofu” sandwich at Superiority Burger, his popular vegetarian restaurant in New York City

Fill store-bought brioche buns with jammy, caramelized onions and melted Gruyère, for satisfying little sandwiches that make a perfect soup companion or a cozy, comforting meal Caramelizing the onions takes some time but very little effort, and coaxing out the ingredient’s sweet side is well worth it The butter used to caramelize the onions adds flavor, and the extra-virgin olive oil allows the onions to tolerate higher heat without burning

A portrait of the five boroughs between two slices of bread.

Tangy and salty and colorful, the scuttlebutt sandwich vibrates with flavor: hard-boiled egg, pickled beets and carrots, olives, capers, herbs and feta mingle on pillowy focaccia “The word ‘scuttlebutt’ is sort of like what’s the gossip, what’s the story, what’s the deal or the chitchat, you know, the chatter,” said its co-creator Caroline Fidanza, who devised the sandwich at her Brooklyn restaurant Saltie in 2009 with the chef Rebecca Collerton Inspired by Ms

Green beans, feta and dill are old friends, but using dill pickles instead of dill contributes acid, crunch and verve to the classic combination For maximum flavor, use pickles that are brined with fresh dill or dill seeds, and chill the salad for at least 30 minutes for refreshing, snappy bites Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days to dole out alongside roast chicken or hot dogs, or on top of salad greens or grain bowls.

With just a few technical tricks, this thick and flavorful chana masala comes together in an impossibly short time.

With crisp noodles and vegetables coated in a tangy dressing, this salad is reminiscent of the ubiquitous Chinese chicken salad, which isn’t actually Chinese in origin Stripped of the chicken and given a more accurate name, this vegan take is a fresh salad with lots of textures and no active cooking Fridge stalwarts carrot and celery combine with robust cabbage to provide heart and heft, while store-bought crispy fried noodles (sometimes sold as chow mein noodles) bring mouth-watering crunch

While diner-style Greek salads made with chopped romaine, crumbled feta and often grilled chicken have become ubiquitous in American restaurants, a traditional Greek salad, or horiatiki salata, is a simpler affair An assembled salad of large-diced vegetables with Kalamata olives and sometimes capers, this salad has no greens at all, and the feta is served sliced on top of the salad rather than crumbled and tossed into it A traditional Greek salad dressing usually consists of olive oil and red wine vinegar; this recipe adds garlic and oregano

This colorful, meal-of-a-salad from Lidey Heuck’s cookbook, “Cooking in Real Life” (S&S/Simon Element, 2024), is inspired by two dishes: classic Greek salad (also known as horiatiki) and fattoush, the Lebanese salad of vegetables and pieces of fried pita The ingredient list may look long at first, but each ingredient contributes to the harmony of the salad: bell pepper and cucumbers for crunch; shallot, olives and capers for a bit of tang; chopped tomatoes for sweetness Pan-fried halloumi adds richness and heft, but you can skip the searing process and instead opt for a 6-ounce block of feta, if desired

Crunchy cucumbers and creamy avocados are the stars of this simple five-ingredient salad Peeling the cucumbers in alternating stripes helps them soak up seasonings while maintaining their shape After being cut into bite-size pieces, they are combined with salt to draw out moisture, concentrating their flavor

A study in contrasts, this textured salad tops mild, gentle zucchini with a bold, invigorating mix of fried capers and toasted bread crumbs First, you’ll soak diced zucchini in a tangy lemon-mustard dressing While the zucchini soaks up flavor, you prepare the toppings, sautéeing capers, garlic and bread crumbs until crispy and crunchy

Tricolor quinoa combines the tenderness of white quinoa with the pop of the red and black grains All soak up a Dijon-sherry vinaigrette in this blend of chewy tangy cranberries, crunchy salty almonds, creamy avocado and refreshing parsley This salad —tasty warm, at room temperature or cold — is a great way to use up leftover or rotisserie chicken

These salt-and-vinegar kale chips from “Tenderheart” by Hetty Lui McKinnon (Alfred A Knopf, 2023) feel decidedly snacky, but team them up with fried chickpeas, avocado and an optional frizzled egg and they become a delightfully textural meal To encourage maximum crunch for your chips, it is crucial to dry your kale well after washing, and give the chips ample time in the oven to crisp up, since they’re doused in vinegar for extra verve

Smashed, salted cucumbers form the base of cooling summer salads in many parts of Asia, whether dressed with rice vinegar and soy sauce or spicy Sichuan peppercorns, chiles and peanuts This version pairs smashed cucumbers with avocados for creaminess, along with briny shrimp steamed with sesame oil Served with rice or flatbread, it makes a light summer meal, but you can serve it on its own as an appetizer, to open for grilled or roasted meat or fish.

This sopa de aguacate is a fresh and simple creamy soup that can be eaten chilled or at room temperature for a quick meal The onion, garlic and cumin create a delicious base that pairs perfectly with the lime juice’s acidity Top off this sopa with chile de árbol oil and pepitas for a little hit of heat and a hint of nuttiness

Caldo de costilla, a popular pick-me-up, makes a simple and satisfying dinner that becomes blank canvas for leftovers, J. Kenji López-Alt writes.

Sweet, spicy, and acidic, this Maharashtrian-style gajarachi koshimbir features carrots tossed with lime juice, a spice-infused oil, cilantro, peanuts, and grated coconut for a crunchy and aromatic side salad.

Grilling the chicken, romaine lettuce, and croutons adds smoky char to make this grilled chicken Caesar better than ever.

Even a great sandwich can be improved with smart technique. Lan shows you how to elevate any sandwich with these game-changing tips. Get our Pan Bagnat (Provençal Tuna Sandwich) recipe: https://bit.ly/3QIxxz8 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ae3arb Get our Pickled Avocado recipe: https://bit.ly/3UWOOXF Buy our winning long-slot toaster: https://bit.ly/4bDNqyP Buy our winning bread knife: https://cooks.io/3Si5XbJ Buy our winning baking sheet: https://cooks.io/2OTFRd8 Buy our winning chefs knife: https://cooks.io/3WZ7Kof Buy our winning wooden cutting board: https://cooks.io/3Z4jlSc Browse more Techniquely content: https://cooks.io/3faeGNe Follow Lan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lan_cooks/ ABOUT US: The mission of America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Founded in 1992, the company is the leading multimedia cooking resource serving millions of fans with TV shows (America’s Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation), magazines (Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country), cookbooks, a podcast (Proof), FAST channels, short-form video series, and the ATK All-Access subscription for digital content. Based in a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, ATK has earned the trust of home cooks and culinary experts alike thanks to its one-of-a-kind processes and best-in-class techniques. Fifty full-time (admittedly very meticulous) test cooks, editors, and product testers spend their days tweaking every variable to find the very best recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques. Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/. If you like us, follow us: http://americastestkitchen.com http://facebook.com/americastestkitchen http://twitter.com/testkitchen http://instagram.com/testkitchen http://pinterest.com/testkitchen

Use the power of fat to release flavor from the lemons, strawberries, and chiles for the brightest tasting lemonade you'll ever make.

The secret to the incredible flavor in this limeade is layers and layers of infusions: We infuse lime peel oils into sugar while simultaneously infusing spicy jalapeño into those oils. Then we infuse cooling cucumber into tart lime juice before blending it all for a refresher that both brings the heat and beats the heat.

This fruity, spicy, refreshing lemonade uses the natural oils in lemon peel as a solvent for the spicy capsaicin in hot red chiles to create a potent and flavorful spicy lemon syrup.

A mainstay of Nigerian cuisine, my groundnut (peanut) stew features chicken and chunks of beef simmered in a velvety, aromatic peanut sauce. Spoon it over rice, plantains, or sweet potatoes for a filling meal.