Recipes & Food

This cleverly named dish, which gets its moniker from the spiky grains of rice that protrude from the meatballs, became popular during the Great Depression, when rice was often added to expensive ground meat as a way to “stretch” it It’s still a useful budget tip — or an easy way to eat a little less meat — and you might find you like these lighter meatballs even better than the traditional sort Some recipes call for uncooked rice, but using cooked rice ensures that you won’t end up with crunchy grains in an otherwise tender meatball

These rice bowls are both a comfort and a thrill to eat They star chickpeas sizzled in chile crisp, a Chinese condiment made of oil, chiles and a variety of textural and umami-packed ingredients, such as fried shallots and garlic, sesame seeds, and preserved black beans You could snack on the electrifyingly tingly chickpeas solo, or make them into a meal with rice and a juicy mixture of tomatoes, celery, cilantro and soy sauce

Pickling celery for just fifteen minutes is a game changer: The acid tames its grassy notes, brings out savoriness and transforms its texture from simply crunchy to crisp-tender Here, celery is quickly pickled with red onion to create a sweet-and-sour foundation for this hearty cannellini bean salad The cumin seeds are optional, but they add a deeply earthy and aromatic edge to the pickles; feel free to substitute or experiment with other whole spices such as caraway, coriander, fennel or star anise

This colorful grain salad gains punchy acidity from pepperoncini and lightly pickled vegetables While the nutty farro is cooking, the soaking begins: Scallions, radishes, cucumber, parsley and white beans are tossed in a sherry-Dijon dressing spiked with a spoonful of pepperoncini pickling liquid The beans add a creamy texture to the dish in lieu of cheese, though a crumbled feta or torn mozzarella would work nicely

This hearty vegetarian mash-up of burritos and seven-layer dip is a crowd favorite for good reason: It’s easy, it’s fast and it encourages diners to gather around the table and fill their tortillas however they wish Canned refried beans seasoned with a dash of cayenne are heated through on the stovetop, then topped with a generous sprinkling of cheese Before serving, lots of cool, crunchy toppings like avocado, grated Cotija cheese, snap peas, radishes and romaine lettuce are piled on top

Throw together this exciting tangle of soba noodles, grilled mushrooms and tofu, raw vegetables and maple-miso dressing for your next picnic or warm-weather dinner Hitting mushrooms and tofu with a little heat accentuates the nutty quality of the soba, while snap peas, serrano chile and herbs give this plant-based salad a juicy crunch Lime juice, miso and maple work double duty as the salad’s dressing and the tofu’s marinade, which chars once it hits the grill

Originally printed on the Rice Krispies box in the 1960s, Scotcheroos are Rice Krispies treats minus the marshmallow but with gobs of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch chips Use either natural, unsweetened peanut butter or the more conventional stuff Either will work just fine, with the natural version tasting a tad less sweet

What’s better than a pan full of freshly made, just-gooey-enough Rice Krispies treats A core memory for many, it continues to be a fan favorite, whether a packaged gas station treat or a high-end bakery grab like this one Perfectly balanced with an additional layer of texture from the pistachio and halvah, this recipe comes from Shilpa and Miro Uskokovic, the supertalented pastry chef duo that opened Hani’s Bakery + Café in New York’s East Village in 2024

Yakisoba is a Japanese stir-fried noodle dish with a rich Worcestershire-flavored sauce This veggie-packed version combines carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms and kale for a fun mix of textures and flavors The key in this dish is to sauté the yakisoba noodles first, creating a dryer, firmer noodle that won’t fall apart in the sauce

Atole is often thought of as a sweet, drinkable corn-based beverage, but in parts of Mexico, it also refers to this hearty, savory porridge made with masa harina and hominy This version, inspired by the traditional atole de grano, is thick, creamy and deeply comforting — perfect for showcasing the variety of textures and flavors that different forms of corn can bring Here, sweet corn kernels and chewy hominy add dimension to the velvety base, while a topping of roasted chicken and caramelized poblanos brings savory depth

Frijoles refritos are a satiny purée of well-fried beans that are cooked with fat and their liquid In Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines, they’re usually made with pinto or black beans and lard, but they don’t have to be This recipe uses canned white beans because their extra-starchy liquid expedites cooking time, and ample olive oil and browned onions guarantee deeply flavored beans

Scampi are tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells (also called langoustines) Italian cooks in the United States swapped shrimp for scampi, but kept both names Thus the dish was born, along with inevitable variations

Every family has its own way of making chickpea fatteh, but the layers of toasted pita, chickpeas and yogurt sauce always deliver a contrast of creamy and crunchy, warm and cool, sharp and earthy This version, adapted from Sawsan Daana, the Palestinian chef of Matbakhi restaurant in Kuwait City, includes a layer of hummus in addition to the whole chickpeas, as is typical in Amman as well as Jerusalem, where she was born Lebanese and Syrian versions skip the hummus and lean more heavily on tahini in the yogurt sauce (see Tip)

Pulling from the greatest hits of chicken salads, with crunchy walnuts, crisp apples, sweet raisins and a spiced mayo-yogurt dressing, this best-of-all-worlds sandwich subs out the chicken for cauliflower The aggressively roasted cauliflower serves as a sponge, soaking up all the flavors of the dressing while adding layers of bitterness and earthiness This salad only gets better as it sits, allowing the flavors to meld and the cauliflower to soak up even more dressing

This recipe for watermelon chaat, a savory fruit salad dressed in toasted cumin and dried mango powder, comes from Malika Ameen, a cookbook author whose Pakistani-American family in Chicago makes infinite variations on fruit chaat in the summer You could swap out the watermelon for a mix of what's in season, whether it's stone fruit, berries or cubed apple and pear It's an ideal dish to break the fast during Ramadan, full of flavor and hydrating, and quick to put together.

This light, summery Minimalist recipe for shrimp salad, from 1998, still carries a lot of heft Lightly sweet shrimp is enhanced by cayenne, paprika, garlic and a bit of lemon juice A bed of arugula and mint adds freshness to cut through the heat

Inspired by blanquette de veau, a classic French veal stew, this comforting braise unites pork, leeks, mushrooms and carrots in a creamy, rosemary-infused broth In this simple braise, nicely seared pork and softened veggies are combined with the broth and aromatics and simmered until the pork is tender and juicy The dish is finished with a beurre manié — a mixture of equal parts butter and flour — that gets whisked into the stew at the end of cooking to create a smooth, thickened sauce

Make smoked baked potatoes that will please your family and friendds! Get the key temps and tools for success in this post.

I’ve made salsa my whole life. These tips changed everything.

This is a simple salsa with a bright acidity, one that you could temper with some diced mango if you like I’ve called for a single jalapeño You could use two if you like

This fiery, minimalist salsa proves that even humble kitchen staples — like garlic powder and fresh jalapeños — can surprise you Simmered until tender, then mashed by hand or blended to a coarse purée, the chiles become the perfect backdrop for garlic powder, which deepens as it sits, taking on a warm, almost toasty edge you’d never get from raw garlic A short fermentation (if you let it) softens the salsa’s heat and introduces a subtle, tangy complexity (see Tip)

Inspired by traditional South Asian malai chicken, a warmly spiced, yogurt-marinated dish that’s usually tandoor-grilled or served as a creamy curry, this sheet-pan meal comes together in under an hour Here, the cream, or malai, is added just before serving, combining with lemon juice and water to create a silky, tangy sauce The yogurt marinade acts as a powerful tenderizer for the chicken, so  even a quick rest will enhance the flavors (if you have time for an overnight marinade, all the better)

Julia Turshen, the author of the cookbook “Small Victories” (Chronicle Books, 2016), cracked the code on turkey meatballs: Ricotta adds milky creaminess and acts as a binder Taking her lead, the first two steps of this recipe produce all-purpose turkey meatballs that are light in texture and rich in flavor, and the final step of basting the meatballs with an herb-and-garlic-infused butter turns them into a weekday luxury Eat with mashed or roasted potatoes or other root vegetables, polenta, whole grains, or a mustardy salad

Fans of garlic noodles and soy sauce noodles rejoice: Here is a new, weeknight-friendly noodle dish for your repertoire A staple Cantonese ingredient, thick and fragrant hoisin sauce is often used as a glaze for meat, but also serves as a robust, sweet and salty seasoning for these noodles The garlic is bloomed briefly in oil, which tames its pungency and unlocks a rich, nutty flavor

Basically a vegetable-studded potato salad with mayonnaise, Russian salad is hugely popular all over the world for family gatherings and festive events It’s a beloved, traditional party dish riffed on almost everywhere but my own home: I’d only ever seen pasty, congealed versions I would never wish to eat until I tried this one from Vladimir Ocokoljic, served at his Serbian restaurant Kafana in New York City While not quite as demanding as his aunt back in Belgrade, who used to slice even the peas in half, Mr

Many cucumber salads are dressed with some combination of salt, acidity (such as vinegar or lemon juice) and something tangy and creamy (Sour cream is commonly used in Germany, Scandinavia and the Midwest; buttermilk in the South; and yogurt in the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia and South Asia.) This recipe skips the first step of salting by instead substituting pickles — cucumbers fermented in salt and vinegar — in place of raw cucumbers They’re still crunchy, but also pack a fierce punch

This recipe is your invitation to the pasta and pickle party Dill pickles work double time here: The brine is added to the creamy dressing to bring acidity, while a generous amount of pickles are used in the salad, bringing crunch and saltiness The sourness of the pickles and the punch of the quick-pickled shallots really cut through the heaviness that is often found in creamy, mayonnaise-laden pasta salads

When dining out or ordering in, a vegetarian pad Thai can be hard to come by, as fish sauce is often used to attain the signature salty, savory flavors of this popular dish While the complex umami of fish sauce can be difficult to replicate, this combination of lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, miso and tamarind creates a comparable sauce that effectively delivers pad Thai’s balance of sour, sweet and salty notes The seasoning sauce keeps well, too, so it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days

This humble, bright yellow soup hails from Stone Town, Zanzibar, and is a popular street food known as Zanzibari Mix or Urojo It’s affordable, filling, and reflective of the island's cross-cultural history Traditionally served with various accompaniments like lentil fritters, cassava chips, chutneys, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs for protein, this dish has become synonymous with the island

You don’t need a thermometer to know when these chicken thighs are done You just need your ears In this recipe, chicken thighs are slow seared using a technique from the chef Paul Bertolli called “bottom-up cooking” where the chicken cooks almost entirely on the skin side over moderate heat, resulting in shatteringly crisp skin