Recipes

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

A pot of warm, fragrant root vegetables spooned over bright, lemony couscous is as good as gold on a winter day. Studded with chickpeas, raisins and meaty morsels of stewed tomatoes, this dish balances traditional tagine spices — cinnamon, coriander and turmeric — with a bright boost of ginger and lemon. Given a little time on the stove for the flavors to deepen and the vegetables to turn spoon-tender, this tagine is a worthwhile investment. Double it for a week of leftovers. You don’t need a traditional terracotta tagine to pull this dish off. A Dutch oven mimics the same high heat conduction and similarly traps steam to keep the vegetables tender and moist, and bathed in flavor from the broth.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Fried eggs are a simple vegetarian staple. But set them on top of garlicky kale- and herb-flecked rice, and they form a deeply satisfying supper. This recipe is endlessly customizable: Go with what you have — reheated leftover rice works equally well as a fresh pot — or use any whole grain you have. The secret here is locking flavor into the grains by stirring in garlic herbs while the rice is warm. To finish, be generous with the lime — the acid brings all the flavors up a notch — and play around with your tolerance for garlic and heat. Lastly, don't be afraid to raid your fridge: Avocado or leftover beans would be right at home here, too.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

The broiler is an unsung kitchen hero because it imparts a flavorful char in half the time that grilling takes. In this 20-minute recipe, kale, broccoli and chickpeas crisp under the broiler while the pasta water boils. Make sure to spread out the vegetables and chickpeas so they have room to caramelize properly instead of steaming (the more crunchy bits, the better). Finish by tossing the pasta and vegetables with a quick sauce of butter, lemon zest and fresh ricotta, a rich and creamy complement to the charred vegetables. Enjoy with crusty bread, good wine and a sense of accomplishment — you just got dinner on the table in under a half hour.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Cheesy grits are a filling, versatile vegetarian staple. They can be dressed up or down, and topped with heaps of your favorite things. If you have it, Manchego provides creaminess and rich, salt flavor, but a combination of Cheddar and Parmesan works equally well. If you’re using a vegan cheese, opt for one with the creamiest texture like a soy mozzarella, Cheddar or Cheddar Jack. To finish, let your favorite taco toppings guide you—avocados, radish and scallions are a surefire trifecta, but a spoonful of pico de gallo or salsa would be welcome here, too. You could also amp up the beans big time, adding chopped garlic, ground cumin or oodles more heat, but don’t go so crazy that you can’t pull this off on a weeknight with ease.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Scrambled eggs lend themselves to customization because they're a blank, breakfast- or brunch-friendly canvas. Almost any stir-in works: Add cheese or butter for richness, vegetables for heft and herbs and spices for flavor. If you like a little bit of everything in yours, then menemen –– the traditional Turkish egg dish loaded with peppers and tomatoes –– is for you. This version uses plump olives, crumbled feta and a pile of fresh herbs -- and comes together in less than 30 minutes.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

This nourishing, three-vegetable soup is thick and creamy, even without dairy. It takes very little skill and only 25 minutes to make, but success lies in proper blending: Use a high-powered blender for the creamiest soup, or let it go a few minutes longer in a standard blender. Fennel and celery provide welcome depth, and the quick cashew cream feels luxurious spooned over the top or stirred right in. Save any extra to drizzle on other blended soups or even roasted vegetables. Finish this vibrant bowl with celery leaves, parsley or dill, and two basic but crucial ingredients: an extra drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of freshly ground pepper.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

This recipe is a vegetarian riff on butter chicken, or murgh makhani, a classic Indian dish in which chicken simmers in a rich, dairy-laden tomato sauce that’s seasoned with heady spices like turmeric, cumin, garam masala and cardamom. This weeknight-friendly version has a toned-down ingredient list, and the tofu doesn’t require hours of marinating, which means you can get everything on the table in under an hour if you start the rice as the tomatoes are cooking down. Heavy cream gives this dish a rich finish, but full-fat coconut milk makes a fine substitute. Whatever you do, don’t substitute anything for the butter or ghee (sorry, vegans) — it’s the signature ingredient.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

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. The toppings make it feel like a proper meal, though you could serve it with tortilla chips as a snack or with eggs for brunch.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Meat ragù traditionally requires a long simmer over low heat, but this 45-minute version owes its slow-cooked flavor to a hefty dose of red-pepper or chile paste, which yields a complex, hearty sauce. (This recipe calls for sambal oelek, which is easy to find, but Calabrian chile or Hungarian paprika paste would work well, too.) Spoon the ragù over cooked, broken lasagna noodles and top it with a dollop of creamy ricotta, a sprinkle of toasted fennel and a few curls of lemon zest. This recipe uses beef, but you could also prepare it with spicy Italian sausage, or ground pork or turkey — though you may want to amplify the flavor by tossing in a little fennel seed and red-pepper flakes with the onion and garlic in Step 1.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

A sheet pan and a broiler are the secret to many easy weeknight meals. In this particularly vibrant dish, they impart a complex grill-like flavor to salmon and potatoes, which are broiled simultaneously on the same sheet pan. While they cook, you’ll blend together a lively green goddess dressing of fresh herbs, yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic and anchovies. When the oven timer chimes, toss the roasted potatoes with raw cucumbers and snap peas. Serve alongside the just-flaky salmon and dollop with the verdant dressing. The crunchy vegetables, warm potatoes, tender fish and creamy dressing make for an unexpected though delightful combination. (For the dressing, tarragon, dill, parsley or cilantro will provide a familiar flavor to this classic sauce, but mint or arugula will work, too.)

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Burrata — a cousin of mozzarella with a creamy core — is a splurge, but it does all the heavy lifting in this simple dish, adding a rich finish that renders a basic bowl of whole-wheat noodles sophisticated. A spicy-sweet seasoned oil made by sautéing fennel, garlic and red-pepper flakes in good-quality olive oil over low heat is drizzled over the top, complementing the velvety texture of the cheese and the nuttiness of the noodles.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

It’s always a shame to let precious vegetables go to waste. Once they pass their prime, they can form the foundation for a tasty stir-fry. Wrap mature greens like kale, Swiss chard and spinach in a damp towel and refrigerate them and they will keep for about seven days. Once they start to become limp, they may no longer shine raw in salads but they are perfect for stir-frying. This recipe works with what you've got, building an easy stir-fry with any combination of toasted nuts, crunchy vegetables and sturdy greens.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Chicken potpie is a classic American comfort food that may prompt visions of long labor and many dirty dishes, but it can be a rewarding one-pot meal with the use of store-bought dough. This quick version uses mirepoix, a flavor base traditionally made from celery, carrots and onion, with mushrooms added for depth and body. Flour, stock and heavy cream are added to create gravy, though you can substitute sour cream or half-and-half for the cream, depending on what you have on hand. The chicken simmers gently in the gravy before being topped with puffed pastry and baked. For the puff pastry, don’t worry too much about the size of the store-bought pastry; just make sure that it covers the top with some room to spare, as it will shrink as it cooks.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Classic Italian wedding soup is beloved for its simplicity and satisfaction. This turkey version is lean, while meatballs stay moist by simmering in broth. Start with the most flavorful broth you can get your hands on (homemade is ideal, but store-bought works well too), then pack the meatballs with flavor (garlic and parsley) and staying power (egg, panko and cheese, to gently bind them together). Traditionalists may be tempted to add a small grated onion to the meat mixture, and sweat celery and carrots into the broth, but for a quick weeknight meal, you won’t miss them here. If speed is your game, roll the mixture into 12 large meatballs—or opt for 20 smaller ones if serving kids (mini meatballs will cook through even faster). Either way, finish with a healthy dose of olive oil, lemon, cheese and dill, or any fresh Italian herb you may have on hand.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

This comfort food classic is streamlined for weeknight ease, giving you a complete one-pot meal in just a few steps. You’ll find all the cheesy, creamy notes of the childhood favorite without the long prep time, and there’s no need to make a roux. Here, the chicken stock, half-and-half and shredded cheese create an instant sauce without the need to stir a pot on the stove. For a quicker version, trim the chicken cutlets into bite-size pieces before stirring in, then reduce the second cooking time to 15 minutes. Serve with a side salad, if desired.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Chicken quarters are the unsung hero of weeknight dinners. In under an hour, they roast evenly, yielding consistently crisp skin with juicy insides. Curry powder and red-pepper flakes meld with the cooking juices, creating an effortless sauce directly in the pan, perfect for serving over the meat and tossing with greens for a fast, flavor-drenched side. The pickle brine from a jar of bread-and-butter pickles (or a splash of standard apple cider vinegar) lends a tangy finish to the greens. For this recipe, choose slightly larger and fattier chicken leg quarters to ensure enough pan drippings — and luscious schmaltz in every bite.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

These classic Midwestern sandwiches, which are thought to have originated in Chicago in the early 1900s, are made from slow-roasting tougher cuts of beef in a flavorful broth until tender. The cooked beef, which can be thinly sliced or shredded, is piled on soft rolls and layered with pickled hot peppers, provolone and tangy giardiniera. You’ll often find this sandwich doused in the cooking jus (or gravy, as Chicagoans call it) or with the jus alongside, for dipping. (This is a streamlined riff, but for a classic version, rub the meat with a mixture of 2 teaspoons coriander, and 1 tablespoon each dried oregano, dried garlic powder, smoked paprika, and fennel seed along with the salt and pepper in Step 1. Rub into the meat and keep covered for up to two days before cooking.) Pickled green hot peppers are traditional, but any kind of pickled pepper will bring a welcome bit of heat and crunch.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

A classic French dip sandwich traditionally starts with high-heat roasting or slow-simmering a sirloin or ribeye loin in aromatics for several hours. For a quicker version that is no less delicious, use premium deli roast beef. A simple jus, or gravy, made of beef broth, soy sauce and Worcestershire seasoned with onions, garlic and thyme, is served alongside for dipping so you can enjoy this classic any day of the week. The jus can be made up to four days ahead; refrigerate in an airtight container and rewarm on a warm stove.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Of the many bean soups in Hungary, two prominent ones include this creamy ham-and-bean soup, thickened with a roux of fat, flour and paprika, and babgulyás, with a rich, paprika-hued broth akin to gulyás (known in America as goulash). Though every region’s recipes have their nuances, csülkös bableves is always satisfying. Its flavor relies on smoked pork, though the bulk of the soup is made with cost-friendly beans, onion, celery and carrots. Most versions call for dried pinto or cranberry beans, which turn creamy and rich when slow simmered, but any similar dried bean may be used. Hungary is a pork-producing country where lard would have once been the fat used for the roux, but this version can be made with olive oil and bacon for added smokiness. Using smoked paprika as the garnish on the finished soup also amps up the flavor.

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

Soups and stews are the stalwart of Hungarian cuisine, and none is more famous than gulyásleves, or goulash, a shepherd's soup of beef, peppers, vegetables and loads of paprika. Long beloved by Hungarians, a once nomadic culture, because meat could be dried, transported, then rehydrated in soup over an open fire in a bogrács, or giant kettle. Unlike American goulash, traditional gulyásleves is more soup than stew with a deeply burnished orange broth that is its hallmark. Use the freshest paprika you can get your hands on, and blend both sweet and smoked paprika for depth and richness. (If you like heat, you can also add 1 teaspoon of hot paprika.) Caraway seed, while nearly undetectable in the finished dish, is also vital. Searing the beef chuck in larger pieces before cubing it is not traditional, but doing so, then finishing it in the oven, where temperatures remain constant while the meat and vegetables soften, yields deep flavor and particularly tender meat. Serve this classic with

Sarah Copeland · NYT Cooking

If you’re curious about cooking Hungarian food at home, chicken paprikas, or paprikás csirke, is a great place to start, delivering the bold flavor you expect from the country’s cuisine. An old-world classic with deep paprika flavor and a creamy finish, it has been a staple in Hungarian-American families for generations. Traditionally made with whole chicken legs, boneless chicken breasts are used in this easy version, making a classic comfort food dish doable any day of the week. Sour cream, used by Hungarians the way the French use heavy cream, gives the sauce a tangy richness that’s hard to beat. When sweating the onions, ghee (though not traditional) is used for its rich flavor and high smoke point, but if you don’t keep ghee at home, use equal parts canola or vegetable oil and butter.

Sara Rimer · NYT Cooking

Sara Rimer · NYT Cooking

Sara Rimer · NYT Cooking